Hackensack's quality of life campaign targets city's homelessFriday August 9, 2013, 10:04 AM
BY CAESAR DARIAS
CORRESPONDENT
Hackensack Chronicle
HACKENSACK - The general manager of Costco Wholesale on South River Street filed a complaint with the Hackensack Police Department on June 26. The police report detailed "a number of negative interactions with local homeless."
Hackensack police Sgt. Scott Sybel, Police Officer Rocco Duarte and Bergen County Sheriff's Officer Alex Mena investigate a tent city in front of the Hackensack River under a Route 4 overpass on July 12. CAESAR DARIAS/PHOTO
According to the report, panhandlers hang out in front of the warehouse store two-three times per day. Occasionally, the report states, homeless will become "aggressive" and "confrontational." The homeless, "meander through the parking lot looking to 'assist' customers."
Employees of Costco are "threatened" and told "what are you going to do about it," the report states.
One time, the report continues, an employee was threatened with a hypodermic needle by a homeless person who said he had AIDS "thus insinuating that the needle also contained AIDS."
Next door at Pep Boys, another police report details past problems with homeless people using store bathrooms and leaving them in disarray after bathing and defecating on the floor.
Immediately south of both stores on South River Street is the Bergen County Health and Human Services Center - the lone homeless shelter in Bergen County.
As shelter administrators said they're working to reduce the number of homeless by getting them social services, drug and alcohol treatment, job training and permanent housing, police said the overwhelming majority of homeless on the streets have extensive criminal records and they aim to strictly enforce the law against panhandling and drinking in public.
Both sides said they have a cooperative working relationship despite their seemingly conflicting agendas.
Out in the field On June 8, The Hackensack Chronicle accompanied police as they investigated a report of a tent city.
After slogging through about 100 feet of brush, Sgt. Scott Sybel, Police Officer Rocco Duardo and Bergen County Sheriff's Officer Alex Mena found themselves on the Hackensack River waterfront under a Route 4 overpass - a location just south of the posh Shops at Riverside.
Police found three men living in tents.
"We came to check after the rainstorm to see if they're alright," said Sybel, who also said he has been dealing with homeless his entire 21-year career. "We got word from residents and business owners that they were back there."
Immediately evident are several plastic garbage bags neatly filled with empty beer cans.
Michael Oliver said he's been living in the tent city for about a year and on the streets for 13 years. Oliver said he attributes his homelessness to the use of crack cocaine, which he said he has not used since 1999.
Asked if he uses the shelter's services, Oliver said, "The shelter sucks. The services blow because you gotta have a residence. I can't get a residence without help."
Oliver said he's had the same employer for years, working odd jobs as a "maintenance man."
The work, according to Oliver, was steady but because of alcoholism, "I blew that."
A second man who declined to give his name said there are "too many rules" to follow in the homeless shelter. "I don't want to get up a six o'clock if I don't want to. I don't want to eat breakfast at eight o'clock if I don't want to." He labeled the shelter, "Another jail from hell."
A third man, sporting a black eye and bruising on his body, identified himself as George, 51. He said he got into a "fist fight" in Johnson Park concerning an issue with a friend, but declined to provide more details.
George said he came to Hackensack from Pennsylvania in 1998. He said he is amenable to using services provided by the shelter, but was on a waiting list.
According to Sybel, "They had just cleaned this [tent city] out a couple of months ago. They had trucks in there. Now they're back."
Enforcing the law Hackensack Police Director Michael Mordaga is leading the charge to clean-up the streets after attending several community meetings.
Mordaga insists his officers will act with compassion and professionalism while aggressively enforcing the law in Hackensack, the Bergen County seat with an estimated population of almost 44,000 residents, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
"The complaints that I received were based on a lot of quality of life issues within the city," Mordaga explained. "Such as narcotics use, motor vehicle violations, public drunkenness, issues with the homeless."
In addition, Mordaga emphasized that city ordinances addressing panhandling and public urination will be actively enforced.
According to Mordaga, in June, Hackensack police "interacted with" about 50 people on the street who asserted they use the services at the homeless shelter.
"Almost all of them have criminal records," said Mordaga. "Most of them have narcotics records. Some of them have extensive criminal records. Three of those individuals have prior arrests for murder, armed robbery, kidnapping. So a lot of them have very serious criminal records and substance abuse problems. And these are the people who are walking around in our community."
Mordaga said that dealing with the homeless uses a lot resources.
"A day does not go by - not one single day goes by - that we don't have to respond and call for an ambulance to take a person who is inebriated off the street," Mordaga said.
"We do have compassion," Mordaga said later in an interview in his office. "But we are going to enforce the law, and we're going to enforce the law strictly."
According to Mordaga, police frequently refer homeless people to the shelter to obtain services.
Mordaga said there is extensive littering of liquor bottles, public urination, syringes, narcotics paraphernalia and sleeping bags in bushes, especially along the Hackensack Waterfront Walkway.
According to Mordaga, the Department of Public Works has cut away the brush along fences on the waterfront so patrols can get a better look at the what's going on.
Mordaga and city residents also complain that the shelter is so nice and provides so many services that it's known far and wide, attracting even out of state homeless.
Mordaga cites a July 9 dispute at the homeless shelter as a case in point.
According to police, at approximately 3 p.m., a homeless man staying at the shelter allegedly pulled a knife, fled the shelter and was later arrested by Duardo at Hudson Street and Broadway.
Kenneth Pykko, 54, from Houston, Texas was charged with possession of weapon. Police said Pykko told them he left Houston a month prior to his arrest.
Police also said the homeless are using abandoned properties for shelter, drugs use and alcohol consumption, and are creating an unsafe environment in parks.
A joint effort On July 12, the Chronicle again accompanied police as they patrolled throughout the city.
Mordaga was joined by Sgt. Jim Smith, Bergen County Sheriff's Sgt. James Hague, Sheriff's Officer Christian Nunez, police officers Alexander Lopez-Arenas, Ralph Cavallo and Anthony Duardo (Rocco Duardo's brother.)
At Johnson Park at the corner of River and East Anderson streets, Councilman Leonardo Battaglia had just called the police at approximately 10 a.m.
Battaglia was coaching the Hackensack Royals, a city Recreation Department soccer team for kids ages 9-12-years-old.
Battaglia said he has to frequently call the police.
"The homeless people, they're always around drinking beer, sleeping on the benches and they go to the bathrooms around here," asserted Battaglia, who said he's coached for 30 years. "It's dangerous for the simple reason that sometimes you got, as you see here, we got 9-year-olds, 10-year-olds... This River Walk should be for somebody to walk with a baby, with a carrier, but with all these guys around nobody wants to use it."
Mordaga explains that the city installed new benches in Johnson Park with armrests in the center to prevent people from sleeping on benches. Some of the center armrests have been torn off.
Within an hour, police escort four men out of the park, and later make three arrests including Jason Gardner, 25, a man found at Hudson Street and East Broadway who police say had an arrest warrant in Paramus for shoplifting.
Police said Gardner told them he was staying at the shelter
According to Mordaga, warrant arrests for people who tell police they're staying at the shelter are very common.
Joseph Lisanti, for example, was one of the first arrests made as a result of the collaboration between Hackensack police and the Sheriff's Office, according to Mordaga.
Lisanti was arrested on May 13 after he was spotted behind the bushes of a home. Police allege the caught Lisanti with burglary tools, heroin and jewelry taken from a home in Old Tappan.
Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino joined Mordaga for part of the tour. He said Mordaga asked for assistance and he was willing to collaborate.
"I saw the need for it," said Saudino, standing on the waterfront walkway behind Costco where many tree branches and shrubs were cut away from the hurricane fence. "Mike and I rode around, as we are doing right now, and saw certain things in the city. And I know Hackensack is trying very hard to clean up their city. And we're just doing our part."
Mordaga said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office along with Little Ferry and South Hackensack are working jointly on the quality of life initiative.
Seeking shelter Later, at an abandoned home at the corner of Hudson and Kansas streets, police are joined by the Hackensack Fire Department to secure the boarded property.
Smith and Hague enter the dark, dirty and disheveled house. The sergeants' flashlights reveal a kitchen littered with empty liquor bottles, drug paraphernalia and the remnants of a fire set in the sink.
The unkempt backyard is also strewn with trash, a supermarket shopping cart, beer cans and empty bottles of rum.
According to police, any empty property has the potential to become a drug den and a hangout spot for squatters.
Back on the waterfront behind Home Liquors, a man in a torpor sitting on wood pallets - a can of beer, a box of Pall Mall cigarettes and lighter at his side - declined an interview. It's early afternoon.
Hackensack residents said the presence of homeless who drink and who appear mentally ill is not limited to the waterfront.
"In the past we would have people from the shelter walking up and down the street aimless going from place to place," said Mary Ann Tamberelli, 66, a Broadway resident. "They would just sit there and if they had alcohol they would sit and drink. We had an incident when a guy just passed out. That was commonplace to see. Going into this summer it's much better.
Tamberelli provided an undated picture showing a man sleeping in the garden that sits in front of her next door neighbor's front porch. The man's legs are seen sticking out of the bushes, hanging over the red brick retaining wall.
According to Tamberelli, her daughter Marcie Pernetti had just pulled into the driveway with her 9-year-old daughter. Tamberelli said she called police who drove away with the man without incident.
While Hackensack police and residents spend part of their day dealing with the homeless, for Julia Orlando, the shelter director, the challenge is a full-time job.
Staying as "Guests" During an interview on July 22, Orlando said the homeless who stay at the shelter are referred to as "guests" rather than residents because the goal is to get them permanent housing.
"Being that it is probably the nicest shelter, probably in the country, we have rules in place to make sure that people understand that this is not a permanent place," said Orlando.
According to Orlando, the center houses 90 men and women, and up to 105 guests during the winter.
Breakfast is served only to guests. "Lunch and dinner are provided to the community, which includes the working poor," said Orlando, who added that on any given day an extra 25-35 people are fed.
According to Orlando, the center is designed to be a one-stop collaborative between several entities that provide multiple services under one roof.
"People can come here to get a shower, wash their clothes, get their meals, the mail and apply for benefits such as food stamps and legal assistance," Orlando explained.
Officially, under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food stamps are now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
The 2013 New Jersey state budget allocated $1.445 billion for 896,585 residents receiving NJ SNAP benefits. The 2014 estimate increases the budget to $1.586 billion for 971,814 residents.
Orlando explained that when the center opened in 2009, half the shelter's homeless received benefits. Because of the one-stop-shopping system, Orlando said, the number has increased to 90 percent.
Orlando said they "try to move people back to the community they came from. Most often to subsidized housing." Many homeless receive temporary rental assistance through the Board of Social Services.
According to Orlando, "The criteria for shelter is that you need to be a Bergen County resident prior to homelessness." Out of county homeless "can stay for an emergency period" up to 72 hours.
Orlando said the shelter is licensed for 90-day stays.
"Some people are able to stay longer," said Orlando.
Asked if homeless may have unlimited residency at the shelter, Orlando said, "No it's not unlimited. At some point the person will have to be discharged. What you don't really want to do is discharge somebody back into homelessness. That's certainly not good for Hackensack. It's not good for the individual."
According to Orlando, over the last two years, two women stayed well over a year "because they were our most challenging individuals" who were dealing with "mental health and substance abuse issues."
Many shelter guests arrive immediately after being released from the Bergen County Jail, which is across the street. Orlando calls it "in-reach."
"So the folks that come to us from the jail, we've already interviewed them and pre-selected them prior to them coming to us," said Orlando, who explained that shelter staff visit the jail every week.
The collaboration, said Orlando, "is really designed to make sure that when people come out [especially if they've gone through their substance abuse program] that we can keep people on track, help them get jobs, help them get apartments and get on with their lives."
Does it work? Orlando said the system seeks to prevent recidivism.
Asked what would be cause for getting kicked out of the shelter, Orlando said drug use, violent behavior or threat of violent behavior. Orlando added that breaking the 10 p.m. curfew can result in the individual being denied an extension to stay in the shelter.
"People can come in if they have been drinking," said Orlando. "We don't what them out in the street if they've been drinking. If they are too intoxicated then they may be transported to the hospital and then upon discharge we work with people."
"I think people are discouraged at times," said Orlando when told that some homeless say there are too many rules in the shelter and some don't want to work. "I think the longer that you've gone without a job, the longer you've been here in this system. It's discouraging for people."
According to Orlando, tough economic times have caused homelessness for some people who either lost their job or had their hours reduced.
"I don't want it to be perceived that, you know, all 90 people here are unemployed," said Orlando.
Orlando said that security at the shelter is a priority.
"We do do background checks with the person's permission," said Orlando. "When they come in they do sign clearance so that we can talk to other providers and also to do a background check."
Orlando said the Bergen County Police Department assigns a police officer to guard the front entrance at all times. Everybody who enters the building is checked with a handheld metal detector, and there are 48 surveillance cameras throughout the facility.
Orlando was asked what is her message to Hackensack residents. She declared that since the shelter opened, homelessness has been reduced by 35 percent.
"I think it's important for people to understand that someone may look stereotypically homeless. It doesn't mean that they're homeless," said Orlando.
"There are a lot of things that plague Hackensack right now," said Orlando. "I think it's unfair to vilify a homeless individual. I think for most of them they're just trying to get by."
Orlando asked residents to "allow us to do our job. We have a very good handle on who our people are."
Orlando stressed that she believes some homeless people tell police they're staying in the shelter when they are not, while others do not report they're homeless.
"That's part of the difficulty here, is really knowing, really, who is who," said Orlando.
Orlando said the shelter works well with police and the Main Street Business Alliance, which represents about 350 businesses along Main Street.
Regarding her relationship with police, Orlando said: "I believe that we're both very interested in not criminalizing the mentally ill and making sure that they're really obtaining services that they need."
"If the police come and speak with me, if they're looking for an individual, we cooperate& We certainly do not harbor criminals here," said Orlando.
Orlando invited Jerry Lombardo, the Alliance chairman, to watch the interview.
After the interview with Orlando, Lombardo said the shelter has reduced the number of homeless in the business district.
Lombardo said if a business owner has a problem, the shelter "will send somebody up or we can get direct interaction to get the problem solved, whatever it may be, by professionals who know how to deal with the problem."
Orlando was asked for the cost of all services provided by the shelter. She declined to provide the information and referred the question to the county administration.
Jeanne Baratta, chief of staff for Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan was reached by phone on July 26 and asked for the shelter's budget.
Baratta said the information would be provided. It was not.
There was no reply to a subsequent message to Baratta, again requesting budget information.
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