HOWELL – A member of the clergy is asking for donations that will allow the residents of a small encampment in the woods of Howell to find and move to indoor shelter for the winter.
If such a move is not possible for all of the residents, he is asking for donations to help support the encampment.
“The days are very pleasant at the present time, but the nights are getting cool,” said Steve Brigham, who has been an ordained minister since 2002 with the Lakewood Outreach Ministry.
The ministry is a non-denominational Christian church. Brigham runs what is officially known as the Howell transitional encampment under the auspices of the nonprofit organization Destiny’s Bridge.
As of Oct. 3, the encampment off Route 9 near Howell’s border with Lakewood was home to 13 people.
“Nine of the 13 are going to work every day, but they have low wage jobs. (With) a low wage job, a single individual cannot afford a place to live around here,” Brigham said.
“The cost of living is too high, so those are the people who are falling through the cracks (and) do not have a place to go. We are trying to help them out with some type of shelter.
“The ideal situation would be (to place people in) indoor housing, if not that then just (being able to raise) the funds needed to buy them propane we use to run the heaters, to heat their tents to keep them warm,” Brigham said.
The minister said his previous requests for assistance have been met with a warm response from the community.
“Howell has been extremely friendly to us, all the way around, from the political people right down to the residents,” Brigham said, adding that donations have included canned goods, blankets and clothes.
Now, Brigham is seeking financial donations that would be used to help to pay for housing during the winter.
“That is why I put a (Facebook) post out there, so people realize we are not government funded … Howell officials are doing enough just by giving us a piece of property, which is a major blessing, so I really do not expect anything from them financially. Their kindness and this piece of property is enough,” he said.
In his social media post, Brigham wrote that although there has been “a generous outpouring” of donations from the community, Destiny’s Bridge is “struggling to meet the day-to-day expenses” of operating the encampment.
“As you might realize, expenses are very high. There is liability insurance for the camp (required by Howell), which is quite expensive. There is the maintenance of vehicles, the needs of the residents that are not met by in-kind donations, infrastructure upkeep, phone bills, garbage pickup, service for a portable toilet, etc.,” Brigham wrote.
Donations may be sent to Destiny’s Bridge, P.O. Box 692, Lakewood, NJ 08701.