Asbury Park Provides Respite For Bitter Cold, Headed This Way

ASBURY PARK, NJ - With bitterly cold weather headed this way, City officials recently discussed plans for a Code Blue or other circumstances when people may need shelter.

"People can go to the train station (when the weather turns cold) and if there is a Code Blue, which is even colder, they can come to City Hall, if the transportation center shuts down," said Mayor John B. Moor.

According to the Coalition for the Homeless, a Code Blue is declared when temperatures falls below 32 degrees or wind chill is below zero degrees . Both measures are on a Fahrenheit thermometer. The designation also is called during ice storms, freezing rain or in snowstorms with six inches or more of accumulation.

Council member Amy Quinn inquired whether Trinity Episcopal Church would open in inclement weather and was told there is an informal network of churches where each may be able to accommodate one or two people in an emergency.

In the meantime, City Manager Michael Capabianco said that Douglas Schultz, acting Social Services director, is continually trying to identify people who need services. "We ask that they don't destroy the building," said Capabianco adding that if alcohol or drugs are present or if the client is unruly, it is city policy that they go to a motel.

Another avenue to pursue in weather and cold is the recently formed Women’s Hospitality Network – an initiative aimed at housing single women experiencing homelessness. Beginning this month, the program will house a dozen women on a rotating basis at a roster of city churches. Volunteers will assist in providing food and shelter for the night, and social service help will be on hand.

Based on a similar program administered in Freehold, the network’s formation began 10 months ago after Trinity Episcopal Church, located on Asbury Avenue, hosted a panel discussion that featured those experiencing homelessness sharing the realities of life on the streets.

The churches and organizations that have signed on to host or serve in a supporting capacity include Trinity Episcopal Church, Deliverance Temple, which will serve as the network’s headquarters, and Second Baptist Church. Also, Atonement Lutheran Church on Asbury Avenue, First United Methodist Church on Grand Avenue, St. Augustine Church on Prospect Avenue, The Campus At Macedonia on Heck Avenue in Neptune, and the Jersey Shore Dream Center on Corlies Avenue, also in Neptune.

The network currently is accepting volunteers, monetary donations, hosting churches, personal hygiene supplies, blankets, sheets, pillows, cots and food. A $15 pledge can host a person for one night; $105 for a week; $210 for two weeks; and $450 for a month, according to an article in The Asbury Park Sun.

To learn more about the Women’s Hospitality Network, visit their website, call 732-774-3130, or email womenshospitalitynetwork@gmail.com. Monetary donations should be payable to Women’s Hospitality Network.

Alternatives are available for people experiencing homelessness as temperatures drop. Photograph by Matt Rourke/Associated Press.