Affluent NJ Town Plans To Fine, Jail The Homeless

SUMMIT, NJ — The City Council is looking to charge the homeless fees or possibly jail them for sleeping outside on public property.

The Council introduced an ordinance at its April 1 meeting that would fine the homeless no less than $100 or up to $2,000 for sleeping or camping on City streets, sidewalks, promenades, alleyways, rights-of-way, parks, benches, parking lots, athletic fields, bus shelters, tennis and paddle courts.

In addition, the homeless found violating the ordinance could face imprisonment or community service for up to 90 days.

"The purpose is to preserve the safe and accessible use of public property for all residents, pedestrians, and businesses," said Councilman Jamel Boyer, who introduced the ordinance. "This ordinance addresses the growing concerns about obstructions and public nuisances caused by encampments while ensuring our shared spaces remain clean, safe, and welcoming for the community."

Councilwoman Claire Toth was the only member to oppose the introduction of the ordinance, which she claims would move the city "backwards."

"After two years of significant progress on reducing homelessness in Summit, capped by our receiving national recognition at the recent National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference in Los Angeles. This moves us in the wrong direction," said Toth.

In the audience, Toth pointed out there was representation from Family Promise(both nationally and for Union County), Monarch Housing, Bridges Outreach, SHIP(Summit Helping Its People) and GRACE (Giving and Receiving Assistance for our Community’s Essentials).

Toth also pointed to Morristown, which in February withdrew its ordinance to prosecute the homeless for sleeping on town property.

The Housing & Community Development Network of NJ also shared a comment on its social page stating it "strongly condemns any efforts to implement policies that punish the most vulnerable people in our communities simply because they can't afford the rent."

Responding to Toth's comments, Boyer reminded the audience that the Council had housed 20 of the 25 people sleeping outside.

Boyer pointed to cities facing homelessness issues such as San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles.

"Look at San Francisco, encampments all over the streets," said Boyer.

"We are balancing compassion with accountability and upholding law and justice. And that’s what this is about. It's not about criminalizing homelessness. It’s about doing the right thing. We want to prevent homelessness, not maintain it," said Boyer.

Since it was just an introduction of the ordinance, public comment was not yet accepted. A public hearing on the ordinance will be held on April 22.

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