Controversial Homelessness Policy Tabled, As Haddonfield Considers New Paths

HADDONFIELD, NJ — Haddonfield's commissioners will table a controversial measure addressing homelessness, pursuing alternatives to the policy that would have criminalized sleeping outside.

The proposed ordinance would have imposed penalties, including prison time, for sleeping outside at night, obstructing public areas, and public urination and defecation. The violation cannot be enforced unless police advise people about nearby homeless shelters or if there's no shelter space, the ordinance says.

Last month, 2 of 3 borough commissioners voted to introduce the ordinance. The vote followed several hours of public outcry against the measure at the Aug. 25 meeting.

• Related: Ban On Sleeping Outside In Haddonfield Moves Forward, Despite Pushback

But after discussing alternatives, including hiring a social worker who can assist homeless people, the Board of Commissioners decided to table the original measure during their work session on Sept. 8.

Had it not been tabled, it could have been put to a final vote at the next commissioners meeting, which is Monday.

The introduced ordinance isn't dead — the commissioners could still decide to vote on it in the future. But the decision to table makes it less likely that the policy will be passed as written.

The Initial Ordinance

The original ordinance was crafted to address quality-of-life concerns related to homeless people in Haddonfield.

There are only about four to six consistently homeless people in the borough, Police Chief Jason Cutler said at last month's meeting. But reports to police involving homeless people have increased from 88 in all of 2024 to 144 so far this year as of that time.

Most don't lead to arrests, but some of Haddonfield's homeless population has been arrested for trespassing in the past — "mostly using public bathrooms to bathe, defecating in public areas, trespassing businesses after getting asked to leave and not leaving."

Haddonfield has some public bathrooms at outdoor facilities, but none are open 24 hours. The police station is Haddonfield's only facility that the public can enter 24/7.

Under the ordinance, police would be required to inform potential violators of local homeless shelters with space. If the violator declined, they would be issued a municipal-ordinance violation — punishable by up to 90 days in prison, a maximum fine of $2,000 or up to 90 days of community service upon conviction.

Last month, Commissioner Itir Cole voted against the measure, saying the issue would be better addressed with a social worker who could build trusting relationships with homeless people to get them on their feet.

The Haddonfield Council of Churches has pooled money so the borough can hire a social worker who assists homeless people, Cole said last month.

"Even if you give a citation to the person, they can’t pay it," Cole said. "That’s the end game. They’re going to go to jail because they're not going to be able to pay this fine. And then they’re in jail. They come out, where do they go? Jail is not stable housing, so they’re going to end up right back on the street."

Commissioners Dave Siedell and Frank Troy voted in favor. Siedell, who is also mayor, expressed that he voted "yes" because he believes the issue must be addressed in some way. But he's open to alternatives.

"Being unhoused is not a crime," Siedell, who is also a commissioner, wrote on social media after the meeting. "(The ordinance) is a last-resort tool for police, not a solution. Real solutions come from partnerships with churches, nonprofits, and county services. I am committed to pursuing them alongside improving the legislation and invite all ideas and organizations that can be brought to help us."

New Solution Under Consideration

During Sept. 8's commissioner work session, the governing body discussed moving toward the approach Cole suggested.

Haddonfield Administrator Sharon McCullough said the borough is continuing to hash out details of the initiative, while continuing conversations with the Council of Churches and communities taking similar approaches.

"This seems to be the best mechanism for moving forward," McCullough said, "coming up with an entity that would potentially hire a social worker and come out on calls with the police department to address some of the issues, but also to have someone that is actively on a daily basis or a weekly basis interacting with these folks to try and see what kind of assistance we can help them with."

With the new approach under consideration, all three commissioners decided to table the ordinance that was introduced in August.

Although Troy voted to table the measure, he still believes the "tough love" approach of getting violators in front of a judge.

"I do think there’s a lot of young people out there that — especially if they’re early in their stage of homelessness — we really have to double down and get them out of that," Troy said.

But Cole says she's "very grateful" the borough is considering paths that don't involve criminalization.

"I don’t think tough love is going to work," Cole said. "I think this is a way to bring people along while building trust and a relationship with them and get them off the street. We all want that."

The next Board of Commissioners meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Borough Hall. It can also be viewed on Zoom.