Ocean County establishes ‘Homelessness Trust Fund Task Force;’ $91K raised so far
TOMS RIVER - The Ocean County Homelessness Trust Fund has raised more than $91,000 since its inception on Sept. 1, said Barbara Jo Crea, director of the county Board of Commissioners.
On Wednesday, the board established an 11-member task force that will determine how the money is distributed.
Related: 'I don't feel safe': Ocean County ignored slain homeless woman's pleas; paid estate $1.5M
The commissioners also made the following three-year appointments to the board, which included Crea herself:
Maria LaFace, director of the Ocean County Office of Senior Services.
Tracy Maksel, the director of Ocean County's Department of Human Services.
Mark Harding, field supervisor for Soldier On, a private nonprofit organization committed to ending veteran homelessness.
Steve Heisman, executive director of HABcore, a charitable organization that provides affordable housing and individualized support for homeless veterans, families and individuals with special needs.
Glen McDonald, executive director of Homes for All, Inc., an organization which helps low-to-moderate income families find affordable housing and support services.
Elizabeth Golla, executive director of Family Promise of the Jersey Shore, which finds housing and financial assistance for local families who are homeless.
Kim Bessler Santora, executive director of CONTACT of Ocean and Monmouth Counties, nonprofit, charitable organization that operates a 24-hour confidential hotline for people in need of free crisis intervention, information on available resources and referral to community services.
One-year appointments to the task force were made for township business administrators in the county’s three-largest municipalities:
Joanne Bergin, Brick administrator.
Jonathan Solanis, Toms River administrator.
Patrick Donnelly, Lakewood manager.
“The task force is responsible for a number of duties associated with implementing the trust fund, including identifying funding priorities to community-focused planning activities; measure progress; work with shareholders, community members; and provide input into the development of initial funding solicitations,” Crea said in her public remarks on Wednesday.
More: Ocean County homeless 'dehumanized' living among grime, crime and bugs in motels
The trust fund was created to bolster programs for the underprivileged with greater flexibility than the federally-authorized welfare programs that must be strictly administered by the county Board of Social Services.
Nevertheless, Crea explained that state law prohibits the trust fund from being used to finance capital projects like the construction of a homeless shelter.
Related coverage: Ocean County commissioners reiterate position: We’re not building a homeless shelter
“The funds cannot be used by the county to build a homelessness shelter,” Crea said. “However, the funds will help many of those areas, including supportive services, prevention services, (and) better engagement with homeless individuals seeking shelter during ‘Code Blue’ (emergency shelter provided for the homeless when winter temperatures drop to 32 degrees and below) to determine their needs and provide them with the services that can help them.”
The county government anticipates that the trust fund will raise between $275,000 to $390,000 annually for programs to prevent homelessness.
After more than a decade of resistance to the concept, the all-Republican Board of Commissioners joined 12 other New Jersey counties last spring in levying a $5 surcharge on most documents recorded with the county clerk’s office. The fees provide a continuous revenue stream to the trust fund.
Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ocean County NJ establishes ‘Homelessness Trust Fund Task Force’
