informal group meets
to consider problem
Homeless immigrants
a concern for citizens
As winter approaches,
informal group meets
to consider problem
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — A group of citizens concerned about the safety and welfare of homeless Mexican immigrants shared thoughts and ideas about rectifying the situation during a recent meeting.
A meeting was held on Sept. 30 at the Broadway law office of borough resident Ron Reich. Calling the informal meeting a brainstorming session, Reich said the grassroots group came together in response to a series of recent News Transcript articles focusing on illegal Mexican immigrants who have come to the borough to live and work.
After learning that some immigrants who come to Freehold spend at least a part of their time in what is known as "tent city," a wooded area near the border of Freehold Borough and Freehold Township, Reich called Cecilia Reynolds, publisher of the Spanish language newspaper Nosotros, and said he wanted to do something to avoid dangerous consequences with the winter months coming.
Referring to people who had offered blankets and food as a temporary comfort measure, Reich said he wanted to affect more than a band-aid solution to the issue of immigrants having to make their homes outdoors.
The meeting was attended by Reich; his wife, Lynn, who is a former member of the Borough Council; Reynolds; Freehold Borough police officer Craig Dispenza; Hispanic activist Ken Geigel; and area residents Julia Valverde and John Farley.
All of attendees were familiar with the issue of immigrants living in the woods from stories they had read in the News Transcript.
Reich, who is also a member of the borough’s K-8 Board of Education, said he wanted to "introduce some type of decent housing for the hard working people who felt it had become necessary to live in horrible conditions."
Geigel said he thought it was time to think about getting some type of shelter for the immigrants.
"We’ve tried this before but neither the borough or the township were willing to assume responsibility for the shelter because of the liability," Geigel said.
Talk ensued about the numerous difficulties the immigrants who live in "tent city" would be confronted with once the winter months arrive.
Lynn Reich spoke to the group about St. Anselm’s Church in the Wayside section of Ocean Township, which formed a coalition of four Catholic parishes to provide temporary lodging for the homeless on a rotating basis.
"They temporarily turn their classrooms into a dormitory and then provide someone to supervise the residents of the shelter," she explained.
Ron Reich said he thought the 17 churches in the borough might be able to provide some help to the homeless immigrants, at least during the winter. He asked if anyone knew how many immigrants they would be dealing with.
"Obviously it makes a difference. We need to know how many will need shelter. Is there any way to find out?" he asked.
Dispenza said the only way to really get an accurate count of people would be to go to the area (tent city) and count the people.
The participants talked about possible structures that could be used as tempo-rary shelters, citing the former police headquarters on Bennett Street as a possibility, but again, the issue of liability came up as a reason why that might not be possible.
As far as supervision in the shelter was concerned, Geigel said that "leaders are taught and trained." He felt the people making use of the shelter would be able to supervise themselves.
"Give them some responsibility," Geigel said. "Give them the opportunity to repair the structure, paint it, take care of it and then select their own leader."
Reynolds said she feared that longtime residents would say that if immigrants were made more comfortable, "they would keep on coming here."
"It is not our job to send them back," Ron Reich said. "It is not our responsibility to determine whether they are legal or illegal. This is a humanitarian effort."
"Some of them are really living in squalor," Geigel said. "They are in a state of suffering. Do we just stand by and watch this without doing anything about it?"
Geigel suggested writing a letter to church officials to ask for help and support.
Reich said a phone call would be more personal and more timely, considering that the cold weather is going to be here soon.
There was no date scheduled for the next meeting. The participants resolved to try to contact people seeking help and then reconvene.