Ordinance Would Bar People From Sheltering In Toms River Parking Garage

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Township Council introduced an ordinance Monday that aims to bar people from taking shelter in the municipal parking garage for any length of time.

The ordinance, which was not included in the agenda published online before the meeting, aims to prevent people from camping out at the garage as had been the case for a few weeks leading up to a township order that demanded the removal of people's belongings during the late June heat wave.

That notice, issued as temperatures soared and the heat index rose above 100 degrees, came after Toms River officials removed the belongings of people without notice on June 19 while many were seeking assistance from local nonprofits at the Toms River Housing and Homeless Coalition on Washington Street.

Mayor Daniel Rodrick said the goal of the ordinance introduced Monday night aims to give the township greater control over the parking garage.

The garage had become a focal point as people delivered water, ice and food, cots and other items to those sheltering there during the heat wave. Cases of water were piled up on the walls in the corner closest to town hall and the Ocean County Library as the situation — the latest in the ongoing conflict over homeless residents in Toms River — drew attention from multiple organizations.

After threatening to forcibly remove the belongings of those at the garage, agreements were reached late in the week that resulted in more than 20 people being housed in motels for 90 days while efforts to connect them with more permanent housing continue.

Who is paying for those motel stays is not entirely clear and could not be verified by Patch on Monday night. Rodrick said the state Department of Community Affairs assisted with vouchers. Others involved in the situation have mentioned the Collaborative Support Programs of NJ, the organization that operated Ocean County's Code Blue program on Route 9 last winter.

Efforts are continuing to address the multiple individual situations to help people find permanent housing, multiple organizations have said.

During the council meeting, Rodrick said the ordinance was necessary because there had been multiple issues at the garage, citing an overdose that was reported on multiple social media sites, along with saying there had been vehicles stolen from the parking garage and drug deals.

A resident speaking during public comment said none of those issues have been previously reported because of a lack of information released by the police department since the departure of Police Chief Mitch Little.

"We have a right to know what's happening in our town," the resident said.

Two Patch requests for information from the police department in the last week — one regarding a possible drowning and one regarding an apparent death investigation at the property on Irons Street and Herflicker Boulevard — have gone unanswered.

Several residents who spoke during public comment sharply criticized Rodrick and the township administration over the treatment of the homeless people.

Julie Adamek, a township resident, called it "despicable behavior" and said Rodrick was wrong to label all of those who are homeless as "bums."

"There are so many different causes of homelessness," she said.

Kellee Lewis, a Toms River resident whose parents and grandparents lived in the township for more than 60 years, railed at Rodrick over his characterizations of the homeless.

"We are not drug addicts. We are not criminals. We are not alcoholics," she said, noting her mother lost her home two years ago because of long-term health issues.

"Homelessness is not a new problem in Ocean County," said Lewis, who said her mother was turned away by the Ocean County Board of Social Services four times before receiving help from the organizations operating out of the parish building on the property at Christ Episcopal Church.

"Most of the people who are downtown, I went to school with," said Lewis, whose mother graduated from Toms River High School South. "I am ashamed that you are who took over as our current administration."

Under the ordinance, a copy of which was obtained by Patch, the parking garage, Wilsey Way and Horner Street, and the sidewalks that pass through and around the township municipal complex at 33 Washington St. would be restricted to people coming to park vehicles or going to or from the municipal complex "or surrounding buildings" for services or meetings.

No items of any kind can be stored unless they are directly related to work being performed by a contractor hired by the township, under the ordinance.

Anyone storing " ... boxes; bags; containers; clothes and clothing racks; food and drink supplies; shopping bags; beds; cots; sleeping bags; blankets; and other personal belongings" at the garage would be given a 24-hour warning to remove them and could face fines up to $2,000 or 90 days in jail, under the ordinance.

"Each and every day an individual or organization, whichever be the case, violates any of the conditions provided by this Article shall constitute a separate violation with regard to the penalties imposed by the Toms River Township Municipal Court or other court of competent jurisdiction," the ordinance says. " Continual non-compliance with these conditions may result in the violator being charged as a defiant trespasser."

Note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Kellee Lewis's name and to correct that her mother is a graduate of Toms River South. Patch regrets the errors.