The Township Committee this evening set aside up to $250,000 to assist the process of placing the homeless in hopes of solving the Tent City issues, a Township official told TLS.
The Township official says the Township hopes that this large step will prompt the County as well as the State to do their part by pitching in and placing those eligible. But eligibility is key.
Tomorrow, the Township will once again be in front of a Judge in Toms River as the Township attempts to cut down the list of the eligible residents by approximately 50%, Township officials say. The ones who didn’t conform to their part of the deal from the time the census was taken and documented, should be removed from the list and not be eligible for housing, officials said.
The $250,000 will be coming from taxpayer moneys, officials say, though it was noted that keeping the homeless camp in existence will prolong the burden on the taxpayers via usage of the emergency and other Township services, as it has for years. [TLS]
Although our elected officials most probably have voted to allocate the $250,000 in taxpayer money to help Tent City’s poor to be relocated, it might have been more appropriate to save our own township’s real poor, who have trouble putting food on the table for their vast families of 9 and 10 children, and can hardly pay school tuition. And how about shoes for all the children, and the list goes on and on. What a revolting situation. No one there had the backbone to declare the area condemned and kick everyone out. A public disgrace on all sides.
does this mean our taxes will once again go up
What about the 5 registered offenders on the Megan’s Law registry that list their residence as tent city??? I have a major problem with my tax dollars being used for predators. Check out NJ’s Megan’s Law registry and look up Lakewood, it’s scary how many we actually have.
You bet that they’re going to go up!
It is a good decision, but hopefully the housing help will be given with stipulations . First never return to the area in Cedarbridge, nor camp in town again . Next get addiction treatment services. Find a job. Let’s hope for the best for the campers and maybe they can become honest , clean living taxpayers , also. The hardest part will be to get Mr. Brigham to leave. Most of the campers I know desperately want housing , but have to learn to follow the normal way of society. A few refused to sign the agreement to leave , they like Tent City. Then again what landlord will allow 50 chickens and a few starlings?
NO!!
THIS MEANS AN ENTIRE AREA IN LAKEWOOD WILL BE ABLE TO LIVE NORMALLY AGAIN!!! THIS IS WHY WE PAY TAXES AND WHY WE RELY ON OUR TWP OFFICIALS TO HELP OUT IN SUCH A SITUATION. SAY THANK YOU!!
AND KEEP YOUR SELFISH INGNORANT COMMENTS TO YOURSELF!!
LETS SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE AFFECTED BY SOMETHING AND NEED HELP!!
What’s the deal with the wood burning fires? We drove thru Wednesday about 6:30pm and it was obvious with the smell and thick smoke they were burning wood fires. Then again Thursday evening. I thought they were supposed to stop that and is anyone enforcing that? Are they just thumbing their noses at us by not complying?
Unreal. If i put up a tent on MY property & wanna camp out there in te summer, the TWSP wont let me. & i pay for my land & pay $10k+/yr in property taxes. My nephew put in a basketball hoop in the ground w/ a little cement, they gave him trouble cuz he didnt have a permit. & these guys live there, on OUR land, for free & we’re giving them $$. What a country. Liberals can be compassionate to the poor but they’re nasty to the tax payer.
Altho this decision leaves u scratching ur head, I will say i am THRILLED for my friends on Ashley Ave & its environs they wont have to suffer w/ these horrendous conditions too much longer. We Hope ! Thanx R Isaac, R Meir & R Menashe for helping out w/ this matter.
Are they going to layoff the EMS department to afford this cost? Or did the township win a poker game to afford the cost??
One year we are poor now we throw out a quarter million for homeless.
There is a catch behind all of this.
whats up with the caps lock??
The Lkwd BOE could use that money!
Get rid of tent city and we can build the girls high school .
I think that it’s a wonderful idea…if the land of tent city is quickly developed into something useful, there is much less likelihood of it being reoccupied.
So they have wood burning fires in the woods. But when I had a firepit in my backyard, the fire dept made me put it out and would fine me if I did it again, So I guess I can have my firepit now.
Now the Township needs to sell the property to get their money back. And use any excess of the $250,00 to the BOE to cover their expenses.
thought the reason that Vine street was never opened to alleviate the crazy traffic is because the township couldn’t find money (1 million dollars) and for this they have money????????
Why should we pay for people that never lived a day of their life in Lakewood until they joined the tent city.
It makes no sense!!!
Although you all have wonderful ideas to sell the property that tent city is located on, this will not occur due to the fact that tent city is on a wetland restricted property as well as tree resrticted area. This property will not be able to be developed.
As a side note: The DEP for some odd reason decided not to enforce their restrcitions in the case of tent city although they are effecting the environment emmensly. Had the property owner in this case Lakewood Twp cut down all those trees and erect structures and porta potties irigation water wells fires etc they would be fined an enormous amount of money as well as federal enforcement! this is true double identity. If the DEP and EPA are really concerned about the environment they would help come up with a viable soulution as well as enfocre what the agency is obligated to enforce!!
Ever hear of passing the buck? That is how this Tent City issue got so out of control in the first place. The township passed to the county passed to the state to the courts to the police and now you just want to throw the DEP into the mix. Bottom line is that Lakewood township has stepped up attention and resources and now it is time for all of these other agencies to pitch in so that the eradication of Tent City becomes a reality. Someone had to make the first move, and kudos to Mayor Ackerman for being the one to not only recognize but accomplish it!
It’s been noted at different meetings that some of the drinking water to Brick Township flows from that land. Meaning the water flow to Brick goes through the wetlands that Tent City resides on.
Bottoms up, Brick!
Thank you Meir, Menashe & Issac for taking care of this!! The entire neighborhood is gratefull for all the effort you are oputting into getting rid of this nuicense from our backyard
Please be aware that these comments are censored. You are not getting a true picture of what people feel like, because only certain comments are printed.
Take the money and put all the “residents” of tent filth city, put them on Grayhound busses’ One way to North Dakota. (mdoerated).
You need to change your writing style more. We know most anti-TentCity comments are coming from one sock puppet. I, on the other hand, am a real person, writing in my real name, who lives in Tent City and calls things as they factually are (not always in Tent City’s favor).
Have a heart for those who are less fortunate! People are far to selfish! You should be ashamed of yourselves. What if it were you that had no place to live and YOU had to live in the woods! Its not by choice to have no heat and live in a tarp house. It saddens me that people can be so cruel. Then to have them turn off the wood heaters. You have got to be kidding. But im sure you would like to lay infront of your wood burning fireplaces in your homes to get warm. Would you choose to stay in the woods with no heat in the freezing cold??
The money should only be paid after tent city pays all the uncollected fines that they received throughout the years
Hey sunshine, if I was an addict who wanted to maintain my life in a drunken stupor without ever being responsible for my behavior I would consider tent city my utopia. There are no expectations of appropriate conduct and when there is trouble and the police get involved, no-one seems to know what happened or who is responsible. The people who are there have chosen to be there…there are other options for those people but they have refused to take responsibility for themselves and live a sober life to take advantage of those options. My sympathies lie with those who struggle every day to stay clean and live an honest life.