Press Releases

United Way President To Lead Plan To End Homelessness

County Executive McNerney Makes Appointment

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ, July 30, 2006 - County Executive Dennis McNerney has appointed Tom Toronto, President of Bergen County’s United Way as Chairman of the Task Force to End Homelessness. The United Way, under Toronto’s leadership has championed efforts to develop programs and secure financial resources to help people overcome adversity and stand on their own.

“The lack of affordable housing is the highest priority service need in our community,” said Toronto. “Every day, thousands of Bergen County families are forced to make impossible choices between their most basic requirements for medicine, food and clothing, and the cost of housing.”

There will be no time wasted putting plans into action. A core staff group which brings together representatives from the Department of Human Services and Division of Community Development has already begun to work to collect the information needed to assess the impact of homeless programs and services spanning the full continuum from prevention to permanent supportive housing.

“Despite the efforts of extraordinary service providers, the County recently completed a Point In Time Survey and found 1,387 people homeless. Among them were children and the disabled. Almost 400 had been homeless for more than a year,” said McNerney. “In a county with the wealth of resources we have in Bergen, a solution can be found,” he added.

The County has recently purchased the former site of the Goldberg Slipper Factory and plans to construct a $6.5 million shelter with 100 beds. The plan has the support of the Hackensack business community who for many years has voiced its concern over the homeless who wander along the downtown.

Taking charge to end homelessness, Toronto and the Task Force will examine the success of various approaches from emergency shelter, to transitional residences to an emerging model that combines permanent housing with on-going supportive care. Efforts to end homelessness in Atlanta, Chicago, Albuquerque and New York City will also be carefully studied.

Notes, Toronto, “we need to ask ourselves, is it possible to secure permanent housing solutions for approximately 1,500 people? The numbers are not overwhelming. I think it’s a challenge Bergen County can meet.”

Recommendations will be made by the end of October. The plan will then be taken to leaders from the business community, faith groups, community based organizations, professionals in the field, and current and former clients served by the system for their review and comment. Work to implement the plan will begin in 2007.