Homeless shelters in NJ fear ‘scary’ future once eviction ban ends – NorthJersey.com

New Jersey’s homeless shelters are bracing for an onslaught of new clients after the state’s moratorium on evictions ends later this year.

That could add to the strains on a system that’s already pushed to its limits when the weather worsens and it’s imperative to get people off the streets, shelter operators warned. COVID-fueled limits on space are only adding to the concerns.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation earlier this month that aims to stave off a predicted tsunami of evictions and mass homelessness in the Garden State, growing out of the pandemic’s economic disruption. The law bans landlords from evicting most low-income tenants for missed rent through at least August. It also clears pending eviction cases if renters fill out a form under penalty of perjury. 

But it’s to be seen if the law will work as intended: Will renters fill out the form that protects them from lockouts? Will they apply for rental assistance to avoid evictions after the protections lapse? What if tenants don’t show up to mandatory court proceedings, and the court sides with the landlord?

During past crises like the Great Recession, it took a couple of years before the state saw a “stampede to shelters,” said Rebecca Rhoads, the director of New Jersey’s Office of Homelessness Prevention.

“People don’t normally go immediately to a shelter after being evicted,” Rhoads said. “It’s a process where they go to a friend or family member’s house and get asked to leave, or move into a less expensive apartment or double up, before turning to the shelters. I anticipate it’s going to be something that sneaks up on us.”

Homeless shelter leaders don’t know what to expect, and many still aren’t operating at pre-pandemic capacity. They were forced to cut the beds they offered to comply with social distancing measures or to provide areas for quarantine.

St. Paul’s Community Development Corporation in Paterson, a homeless men’s facility, hopes to house 40 people by September as more residents get vaccinated, Executive Director Richard Williams said. The shelter cut beds to 25 during the height of the pandemic. 

The facility can’t house more than 40 men due to the lack of space and the limit in its state license. 

New Jersey hasn’t received any requests from shelters to increase their licensed capacity, according to the Bureau of Rooming and Boarding House Standards, a division of the state Department of Community Affairs that approves the number of beds a shelter can offer.

More: How NJ’s eviction and foreclosure moratoriums work, and when protections end

NJ evictions:Which cases aren’t protected under moratorium bill?

“Decisions to relax rules would be addressed if a need to increase the capacity at shelters arises,” said DCA spokesperson Lisa Ryan. 

Joseph’s House of Camden is licensed for 90 beds. After cutting down to 30 due to the pandemic, they currently house about 65 residents a night, said Executive Director Shawn Sheekey. 

“If it’s really an emergency, we’re trying to be flexible,” Sheekey said. “We need to see if we have enough staff, protective gear, what percentage of residents are vaccinated. We’d prefer a slow climb, and winter has additional challenges.”

Joseph’s House is typically a Code Blue site, meaning the shelter takes in additional people when temperatures drop below freezing, adding to the capacity constraints. People who would otherwise be sleeping on the street in dangerous weather stay in these so-called warming centers without needing to meet qualifications the shelters normally require. 

On top of that challenge, Joseph’s House is having trouble finding staff. Four recent interviewees turned down offers because they didn’t want to be vaccinated, a requirement to work for the shelter, Sheekey said. 

When Eva’s Village in Paterson had to reduce its beds, the center also took a financial hit, said CEO Howard Haughton, since it’s reimbursed by Medicaid and the state for each resident served. The nonprofit, which runs multiple shelters, clinics and treatment centers, aims to provide clothes and meals to those in need, even if it can’t house everyone.

“We’re always full and not even meeting the need today,” Haughton said. “The end of the moratorium is a scary thought.”

Story continues below chart:

Fill out your form to avoid eviction at https://covid19.nj.gov/renter

Apply for rental assistance at https://njdca.onlinepha.com/

New Jersey will get its best glimpse of the pandemic’s impacts on homelessness when the state releases its NJ Counts report in the coming weeks, a requirement for federal funding. Surveyors hit the streets to count those living outside in January, as well as those staying in shelters on one winter night. 

The previous report counted 9,663 people experiencing homelessness across the state on the night of Jan. 28, 2020.

Rhoads, of the state Office of Homelessness Prevention, warns that this year’s numbers may be artificially low because fewer volunteers were available to help with the count and shelters couldn’t conduct events to encourage resident to fill out surveys.  There were also fewer people in shelters at the time, either because people feared catching the virus in shelters or they were protected under the eviction moratorium. 

Focus on keeping people at home

Without being able to expand their physical spaces, many shelters are partnering with counties, towns and nonprofits to help people avoid being evicted in the first place. 

“There is just not enough capacity in our system to accept a whole swath of newly homeless – particularly not adults with children…. Family shelters with a male head of household don’t exist in Passaic County,” said Williams, the head of St. Paul’s in Paterson.

If a family with a mother, father and children visit St. Paul’s, the parents must split up and stay in separate shelters, Williams said. 

St. Paul’s is part of a homelessness prevention task force that is pushing out information about the county’s rental assistance programs, through food pantries and local schools. Members talk to people who didn’t know they could apply for grants, including undocumented immigrants, and those who are fearful of dealing with the government, Williams said.

“We literally have an unprecedented amount of money and resources so we can make an even bigger dent in homelessness if we allocate them appropriately and quickly,” said Julia Orlando, the head of the Bergen County Housing, Health and Human Services Center, which includes a homeless shelter.

So far the process has not been swift: The federal government allocated more than $1 billion to the state and New Jersey counties and municipalities, but New Jersey has distributed only about a quarter of the funds, according to a NorthJersey.com analysis last month.

Rapid rehousing

People experiencing homelessness in Bergen County are put on a “housing prioritization list.” That triggers a review by case workers who try to distribute aid they are eligible for quickly, whether it’s a subsidy, food stamps or transitional housing. 

The pandemic added additional complications when many government offices closed, Orlando said. Many of the programs require state photo IDs or Social Security cards, and it’s been slow helping people get copies of documents, she said. 

Bergen focuses on a “housing-first” mentality, prioritizing quick placement in a new home over helping people stay for longer periods of time in the county shelter. But a rush of new cases after the moratorium lifts could squeeze already limited housing stock even further, Orlando said. 

According to a U.S. Census survey, only 2.9% of New Jersey rentals were available to rent in 2020. That’s compared to a 6.3% vacancy rate nationally. 

Bergen County’s shelter shut down for more than a year during the pandemic and moved residents into local motels. This summer, the shelter reopened, though with 72 beds instead of 90 to keep residents spread out, with the possibility to use the motels again if needed. 

Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, a nonprofit that operates six emergency shelters across New Jersey, operates a “master leasing” program in Camden, Gloucester, Cumberland and Somerset counties, said COO Kathy White. 

The organization leases properties from landlords and then sublets them to families in need, who pay 30% of their income towards rent. Clients also receive help from a case manager who visits monthly. 

VOA Delaware Valley also runs a free legal clinic that helps connect families with rental assistance, clear eviction cases or deal with civil cases where landlords sue to recoup rent. 

The state is experimenting with a $1.5 million “diversion” pilot program, where communities provide aid designed to help people stay out of shelters. That could include money to fix a car, so they can drive to a relative’s home or a check to cover a security deposit, Rhoads said. 

The DCA spent $600,000 so far in agencies in Atlantic, Essex, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties. 

“There’s no hard and fast answer about how we handle this, because no one knows what’s coming,” White said. “We will just have to adjust and adapt as we go along.”

Ashley Balcerzak is a reporter in the New Jersey Statehouse. For unlimited access to her work covering New Jersey’s Legislature and political power structure, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: balcerzaka@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @abalcerzak