Hackensack, NJ Community Message Boards
General Category => Hackensack Discussion => Topic started by: ericmartindale on May 09, 2006, 12:58:53 AM
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A spectacular fire has completely gutted a 30+/- boarding house at 211 Passaic Street, just west of First Street. It happened about 9:30 PM Monday evening 5/8/06. Everyone got out safe. The rumor on the street was that one of the residents was looking under his bed for something, and used a cigarette lighter instead of a flashlight. I heard this rumor with my own ears, but cannot vouch for its accuracy.
Somewhere on this website I posted a prediction that this exact building, the largest and most notorious boarding house in Hackensack, would burn, and that the fire would be caused by a resident there. No, I'm not clairvoyant.
It's structurally still standing, but a policeman told me "it's gutted front to back and top to bottom".
Well, it looks to me that it is MORE THAN 50% DESTROYED. That means the city can use legal means to prevent it from being rebuilt. All the city's boarding houses are 100+ year old wood frame buildings, with wood that is tinder-dry, and lots of careless people to potentially cause an accident. These structures are a danger to the inhabitants as well as our firefighters, and they should all be purchased and leveled. The City of Hackensack cannot allow this structure to be refurbished or rebuilt.
211 Passaic Street has been holding down the whole center of Hackensack. Let's wait till we hear official word that everyone got out alive and unscathed, and then I'll have something more to say.
Hey, we've got all the homeless shelters in Hackensack, don't we?? For once we can put them to good use, and fill them with people who actually are Hackensack residents. I never thought I'd see the day that would happen. Well, here it is. Expect the unexpected, just like it was written in the "Ode to Hackensack (http://www.hackensacknow.org/forums/index.php/topic,659.0.html)"
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Eric mentioned 211 Passaic here (http://www.hackensacknow.org/forums/index.php/topic,580.msg1545.html#msg1545) ("Services for the Homeless" topic, last paragraph).
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(http://www.hackensacknow.com/images/211Passaic.jpg)
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Latest story: Rooming house residents escape Hackensack blaze (http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2OTMyNzA4)
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I thought I’d try my hand at some poetry to express the reality of this current event here in Hackensack.
CHURCH OF ALCOHOL
--- By Eric Martindale, May 10, 2006
A church of alcohol across from a church of God,
Selfish minds and selfish hearts, the wrong path they trod
Under the bed, the bottle cannot be found
Don’t have a flashlight to look round and round
A maze of rooms, the timbers are dry
A careless flick of a bic, it leads many to cry
211 is 911, times-a-tickin’
The mansard roof, flames-a-lickin’
Some Black, some White, all take flight
Pumping water, flames fought with all their might
Surely thinking of Hackensack Ford
Men in uniform praying to the Lord
Enter our bravest who lent a hand
Across Passaic Street, the victims stand
Their eyes are sullen, liquor is on their breath
Like a vulture, the copter circling looks for death
On the 8th of May, the church of alcohol burned at its core
Homeless again this day, back to Peter’s Place for the drunk and more
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All-knowing Eric Martindale, I'm glad to see that you know the hearts and minds of all those who lived at 211 Passaic Street. It is because of thinking like yours that nothing will ever change.
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Things have changed.... for the better. I'm a big advocate of improving the housing stock and recycling the old housing stock.
I don't think people of limited economic means should be living in the conditions present at 211 Passaic Street before the fire. I heard from police what it was like. Each person had one tiny and really shabby room, and forced to share bathrooms with strangers. What kind of life is that? And paying almost the price of a 500 square foot, one-bedroom apartment. The landlords of boarding houses are predatory, and they take advantage of people who don't have deposits to get real apartments.
The Warner on State Street next to Christ Episcopal was just as bad until the County bought it and fixed it up. Then it burned a year later, and had to be fixed up again.
I'm guessing that you think any housing stock for the near-homeless is better than none, and that these low-end rooms in the boarding houses are some sort of "resource" that will be missed. If that is the case, I wish you were lobbying actively to prevent Rutherford from tearing down "The Maples", which is their huge boarding house near Park Ave (on their equivalent of State Street). I discussed it twice at Freeholder meetings.
I'm the only one who seems to care that suburban towns are ridding themselves of their responsiblity for the poor.
Why aren't all the homeless advocates up in arms about how our Freeholder Chairwoman Bernadette MacPherson (she is also Mayor of Rutherford) plans to rid Rutherford of "The Maples" and probably transfer them all to shelters in Hackensack?
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No, Eric, it is not about the housing stock but the opinion that everyone is cut from the same cloth, that their situation is a choice - selfish hearts and selfish minds. That is as far from reality as it gets. It is a lack of understanding that sews the seeds for NIMBY.
Housing advocates are up in arms about the Maples in Rutherford and elsewhere. We spend lots of time trying to convince local authorities, work with the governor's people, our Senators, etc. on trying to find solutions for people who cannot, for a complex variety of reasons, take care of themselves. "Poetry" like yours hinders anyone and everyone trying to come up with solutions.
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Alcoholism is an extreme form of selfishness. Those addicted care about nothing more than where they get their next drink.
I am not the first person to make that observation, nor will I be the last.
The purpose of poetry is to present a perspective. Nothing more and nothing less, and not necessarily the only perspective.
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Anyone who takes the time to research all perspectives on addiction knows it is not as simple as extreme selfishness.
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When I first read the trash that Eric calls poetry, I was stunned that someone could be this cold and heartless. Initially, I thought it was a sad attempt at sarcasm by Eric. Reading his responses to Hope, it’s obvious he doesn’t see his error in judgment.
Was it necessary to present your perspective in poetry Eric? Do you realize you’re mocking these people? Do you care?
You say, “Alcoholism is an extreme form of selfishness.” For someone who presents himself as educated, your ignorance is astounding. You should thank God every second of everyday that one of your loved ones isn’t cursed by alcohol or drug addiction. Your pompous attitude towards these addictions is disappointing.
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OK folks, I went too far with the "selfish" angle in the original poem. Here's a relaunch:
CHURCH OF ALCOHOL
--- By Eric Martindale, May 19, 2006
A church of alcohol across from a church of God,
Shattered lives and broken dreams, the wrong path they trod
Under the bed, the bottle cannot be found
Don’t have a flashlight to look round and round
A maze of rooms, the timbers are dry
A careless flick of a bic, it leads many to cry
211 is 911, times-a-tickin’
The mansard roof, flames-a-lickin’
Some Black, some White, all take flight
Pumping water, flames fought with all their might
Surely thinking of Hackensack Ford
Men in uniform praying to the Lord
Enter our bravest who lent a hand
Across Passaic Street, the victims stand
Their eyes are sullen, liquor is on their breath
Like a vulture, the copter circling looks for death
On the 8th of May, the church of alcohol burned at its core
Homeless again this day, back to Peter’s Place for the drunk and more
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Eric- I honestly think that you are a disturbed individual and should seek the help of a therapist. You obviously don't see the ignorance in your so called "poetry"...
Was this boarding house specifically for alcoholics? Do you know anyone who is an alcoholic? Do you understand that alcoholism is a disease? Do you know what it's like to have an addiction? Do you know what it's like to be homeless?
Instead of preaching about the demise of the church of alcohol you should be helping these individuals find another home. Why don't you take one of them into your place? I thought so...
You are a sad individual and you really need to seek the church of god for forgiveness.
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One of the men injured in the fire has cancer, a colostomy, and is developmentally disabled. The one who jumped from the second floor window, lost his brother on New Year's Eve - he was hit by a car on route 4. The family history of both these individuals is very sad, that of neglect, poverty, and mental illness. When you actually get to know "The Homeless", you realize how much inequality there is in any help that may have prevented homelessness, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc. The Homeless are individuals with appalling histories. Most of the ones who are alcoholics were full blown alcohoics by their early teenage years. Eric, do you know what parts of the brain get affected by alcohol? (Scientists know - you could Google it).
Do you know how malnutrition before alcoholism can lead to depression and affect the same parts of the brain that alcohol does - thiamine deficiencies, for example?
Do you know what it is like to be developmentally disabled - which most of the The Homeless are, if they are not schizophrenic, bipolar or suffering from post traumatic stress disorder? These can all be treated, if you have money and if the system feels you are worth it. How would you like to leave your doctor's office knowing he or she doesn't think you are worth it?
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“Tom” asks who am I to judge the residents of 211 Passaic Street? Maybe I’m some snub guy with plenty of money living a perfect life in a half-acre estate on the hill. Nope, guess again. I’ve been down and out and nearly homeless. I lost my home and my investment property, and I rent a tiny one-bedroom apartment in central Hackensack. I’ve had more than my share of life’s problems. And as a “survivor”, I don’t have such a sympathetic view of people who drown their sorrows in alcohol and don’t respond to all those persons and agencies working to help them to turn their lives around. Alcoholism is a disease that is entirely curable. There’s lots of resources out there to help these people, and lots of dedicated activists (God bless them).
You, Tom, are speaking out of both sides of your mouth. You blast me as unsympathetic, but in your other post a few days ago, you attacked the citizens of the Anderson Street business district by calling their neighborhood “a slum”. Those are honest hardworking immigrants, mostly Latino, some African-American, and a few White, Asian and Middle-Eastern. Most of the families are two-parent households. Those are hard-working people that I respect. Why don’t you respect them? You owe an apology to the citizens of Anderson Street.
Tom, as much as you hate my poetry, I was being kind to select alcohol as the primary vice at 211 Passaic Street. That boarding house had a 2-way revolving door connected to the Bergen County Jail as well as the city’s homeless shelters. They must be in crisis mode down at the Jail because they lost their main place to put paroled criminals who don’t have family to take them in. 211 Passaic Street might as well be a half-way house. Alcohol isn’t the only problem at that address, there was drugs, prostitution, and crime of all types. And out of those 28 units, no doubt there were a few decent hardworking individuals and developmentally disabled folks just struggling to make ends meet. Certainly not the majority at that address. Not even close.
And to “Hope”, I had a close relative who died from alcoholism-related health problems, and I have two extremely close relatives who have developmental disabilities (one who is a victim of the autism epidemic, and another with cerebral palsy whose mind is as sharp as a pin, but he can’t walk or feed himself); don’t even go there by suggesting that I am unsympathetic to the developmentally disabled.
But how about a little SYMPATHY for the neighbors and the community in central Hackensack who have had to put up with 211 Passaic Street for over 50 years. How about some SYMPATHY for all the victims of crimes (violent crimes as well as burglary and property crimes) perpetuated by residents of 211 Passaic Street over the past 50 years. That’s definitely where my sympathies lie.
Do you two, or anyone out there in cyberspace, think that 211 Passaic Street should be rebuilt?
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Still not getting the point, Eric.
I think the county should investigate what a group like Common Ground in NYC is doing with former "flop houses".
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Click here for more information about Common Ground (http://www.commonground.org/).
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“Common Ground” sounds like a great program. HOWEVER, if they expanded to Hackensack, there’s still the same “Field of Dreams syndrome”. As they said in Field of Dreams, “build it and they will come”. No matter how much is built in Hackensack to serve the homeless, it will always be running at over 100% capacity. One has to look beyond Hackensack to understand why.
State and national level homeless advocates look at Bergen County, with 900,000 people, as doing very little compared to other counties in New Jersey with smaller populations (actually Bergen has the most population). They consider it a great injustice that such a wealthy county does less for the homeless than smaller and poorer counties such as Essex, Union, Passaic, or Hudson.
Let’s look at the regional problem of homeless. Newark has over 15,000 homeless people. There’s over 300 places for homeless in Newark to get a free meal. But Newark doesn’t have anywhere near enough facilities to take care of all the homeless there. And that’s just one city. There’s five others in our region: Paterson, Passaic, Jersey City, Elizabeth, and New York City.
From a regional perspective, homeless advocates look at Bergen County as an “overflow” location to help solve the regional situation. County officials, of course, then target Hackensack, since they don’t want it in their small towns. The more that is built in Hackensack to serve the homeless, that helps to slightly reduce the level of crisis in the other six cities.
IF FACILITIES WERE BUILT IN HACKENSACK TO ALLOW NIGHTLY BEDS AND DAILY MEALS FOR 1000 PEOPLE, IT WOULD SOON FILL UP DUE TO OVERFLOW COMING FROM THE OTHER SIX CITIES, ESPECIALLY NEWARK. And it would hardly make a dent to reducing the homeless crisis in those cities.
That’s the big picture, folks.
"Hope" has everyone pigeon-holed into two categories, those who are symphathetic to the homeless support their programs, and those who are ignorant or evil don't support homeless programs. Maybe there's a third category: Those who are sympathetic to their needs, but also understand that the influx into Hackensack of homeless is essentially ENDLESS, and that no matter how much is done here, it will always draw more homeless into the city.
Hey, maybe it's time to go into the cities that are actually SOURCING the homeless, and solving it there. There's no way that Hackensack SOURCES more than the programs here.
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Eric- You are exhausting...
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Tom,
You are right!
I'm not pigeon-holing anyone. Common Ground's ideas would work in OTHER towns as well as in Hackensack. Monitored housing several notches in quality above 211 Passaic St, where residents would use their monthly checks to pay their rent (as opposed to having several hundred dollars in their pockets while staying in shelters) would work.
I've hooked up with a housing advocate (for the middle class) in Asbury Park, where new condos starting at $1.2 million are going up among the slums. Pretty soon we'll need shelters for people making $50K :o
Thanks, Editor, for posting the link to Common Ground. The NY Times article, "Making a Flophouse a Home, and a Decent One at That" is available free if you register. The article ran on 4/30/06.
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I was able to open "Making a Flophouse a Home" here without registering (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/30/nyregion/30flop.html?ex=1304049600&en=00090f62d66edc0a&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss).
If that doesn't work, try here. (http://lists.evergreen.edu/read/attachment/47788/1/htmlversion.html) (no photos)
Any reply to Eric's argument that more accomodation for "those in need" means we attract more of "those in need"? Is there a cycle here?
Common Ground's approach is innovative and should be explored.
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A regular visitor recently replied to this thread but now the post is gone. I assume it was deleted by the post's author. I didn't delete it. It was insightful and I hope it reappears.
Update: The post now appears immediately below.
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I'm making it shorter :) (but it isn't ::) )
It will be interesting to see what the numbers were from the recent homeless count. The family shelter closed last year and didn't reopen, and at the time of the count, Peter's Place and Orchard St. overnight were closed. Does anyone know if the numbers dropped? I know there were several deaths over the last year, as well.
Letters to county officials, CAP and Hackensack looking for more information on what exactly is going to be offered have gone unanswered, except for a form letter from the freeholders' office. This shelter might not be an expansion but a reduction of beds and services but the PR make it look like it will take care of a host of problems. If it is run the same way as the others, it will not, and Hackensack might see more homeless because it looks attractive.
Would expanding services increase the number of homeless? Probably, if the county keeps doing business as usual. One has to think about quality of services vs quantity. Peter's Place has expanded its intern program, which is essential for training effective social workers. Many of the social workers I've met had no experience with homeless people and were afraid of them. This fear lets people fall through the cracks like the two guys I located family for and sent home. Both were utilizing county facilities for years and somehow no one had bothered to question them about where they came from because they can't or won't spend enough time getting to know their clients. They were both quiet, nice men, developmentally disabled and also very afraid. The two no-questions-asked nonprofits, FAITH and Peter's (one more than the other), need to be here in order to pick up where CAP's abilities end.
Existing services need to clean up their acts. CompCare (or is it CarePlus?) on the corner of Ward and Main, transports residents of group homes from other towns and dumps them off in Hackensack. A formerly homeless woman who is now in a group home in Emerson, spends her day with the homeless from about 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. That is her day program and that of a van load of other women. WTF?
I was happy that Lawrence Aaron commented on police from other towns dropping off their homeless in the middle of the night. As always, it is the centuries-old stigma of being poor or mentally ill which is really the issue. Housing such as Common Ground's is a cost-effective idea. It is not an expansion of homeless services, but housing that can work anywhere and prevent homelessness. Instead of spending gazillions on architectural plans for shelters, why not buy up some houses for 3-4 people in towns that are bringing Hackensack their homeless. Either have the county own them or hold private owners very responsible, like the Hackensack detective who owns a boarding house is. Offering housing for the lowest of incomes AND something for them to do, whether paid or volunteer, which is always left out of the picture, would reduce the street loitering which is often mistaken as homeless behavior. Replacing low income neighborhoods with luxury housing is going to increase the homeless problem.
Again, another expansion would be housing and care for the worst of the mentally ill that don't belong on the streets of any town. Bergen Regional has the room, which could be used for supervised housing, not hospitalization, as it is against the law to commit mentally ill people. There are so many other ways of dealing with the homeless problem besides building bigger shelters.
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Two questions. (1) You say the family shelter is not reopening. Are you referring to the County's facility at 40 Passaic Street, one of the freeholders told me that was in limbo. Tell us more. What is the County's plans for that building. Is it vacant now?
(2) Which Hackensack detective owns a boarding house, and what is the address of that boarding house. I'm curious, since I know all the boarding houses in the city, and I know which are well-run (the one of Anderson 1/2 block west of Vanderbeck, and the two on Euclid at the corner of Linden), and I know which are trouble. I'm curious if a member of the HPD is running a "good" boarding house or not.
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A representative from Bergen County Community Action Partnership did state at a meeting in January 06 that Head Start would be using the rooms (and they are), and it might be sold for private housing. There were no plans to reopen the shelter.