New Action On Homelessness In Haddonfield Under Consideration

HADDONFIELD, NJ — Haddonfield could soon enter a shared-services agreement that would link homeless people with a temporary place to stay and professionals who can help them figure out their next steps.

Under the arrangement, borough police would have greater tools to connect homeless people with personnel from Volunteers of America (VOA) Delaware Valley, a nonprofit that Camden County contracts for many of its homeless services.

The VOA would set them up in a hotel or shelter, usually for about two weeks — the average amount of time for the nonprofit to connect homeless individuals with different services. The borough would then be asked to reimburse those temporary stays.

Camden County oversees the shared-services agreement and allows cities and towns to opt in. Funding comes from the state.

Entering the agreement would mark a sharp turn from the proposal the commissioners discussed and then tabled months ago, which would have criminalized sleeping outdoors, obstructing public areas, and publicly urinating and defecating.

Related coverage:

• Aug. 26: Ban On Sleeping Outside In Haddonfield Moves Forward, Despite Pushback
• Sept. 26: Controversial Homelessness Policy Tabled, As Haddonfield Considers New Paths
• Sept. 30: Outdoor-Sleeping Ban In Haddonfield Tabled: What It Means For Homelessness

Participating municipalities cannot pass any new laws that criminalize behaviors associated with homelessness while it's in effect. Existing laws can still be enforced, says Borough Administrator Sharon McCullough.

"There’s nothing you can put on the ordinance which is going to make any new offense a criminal liability," McCullough said at Monday's Board of Commissioners work session. "So we couldn’t do 'no sleeping downtown.' We can’t do 'no public urination or defecation in town.' But we are able to continue to deal with inappropriate behavior, things like that, which are already on the books."

The commissioners could pass a resolution entering Haddonfield into the agreement during their last-scheduled meeting of the calendar year this upcoming Monday.

Commissioner Itir Cole, who vehemently opposed the policy introduced in August, said the shared-services agreement would be a good starting point.

"This is our first of us trying to do something, but then we’re going to build on top of it," Cole said. "The reason I say that is because homelessness is a regional issue. So this is a great start, and I think we need a little bit more from the county."

Mayor Dave Siedell said, "I'm OK with it. I hope it works."

Then he amended his statement.

"Well, I hope it helps. There’s no such thing as ‘working’ when it comes to homelessness," said Siedell, who is also a commissioner. "There’s helping and not helping, right? I hope it’s helpful because it’s tying our hands a little. We’re robbing Peter to pay Paul. We’re taking a bit of a leap of faith of our own with the county level, knowing that whatever we do doesn’t solve anything. It just helps us."

The next commissioner meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Borough Hall auditorium.

Watch the recent commissioners work session below: