MILLSTONE – Following a series of burglaries this year involving male juveniles who were residents of a group home on Stillhouse Road in Millstone Township, the group home’s contract will be terminated by the state.
On Oct. 26, Mayor Michael Kuczinski announced that the group home’s contract to operate with the New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) will be terminated. Municipal officials did not provide an exact date when the group home will be completely shuttered, but said they expect the process to be finalized quickly.
Kuczinski’s announcement came after juvenile residents of the group home were arrested and charged with burglarizing unlocked vehicles in the township in July and again in October.
Group homes are operated by a third party under authority from the state. The Stillhouse Road group home is operated by NJ Mentor, which also operates two additional group homes in Millstone.
The group homes serve juveniles who have complex trauma, such as family fragmentation, abuse and/or neglect, and other issues. The group home on Stillhouse Road, which was established in December 2016, was serving male juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17.
Residents raised concerns about the group home in July after two of its juvenile residents left the house and were subsequently charged with burglary and theft for allegedly stealing items from unlocked vehicles.
In response to the incidents, representatives of NJ Mentor said they would upgrade security procedures at the residence with the intent of preventing future incidents from occurring.
On Oct. 8, three juveniles were charged with burglary and theft after leaving the residence and allegedly stealing items from unlocked vehicles.
The New Jersey State Police, which covers Millstone, did not confirm if the juveniles in the October incident were the same as in the July incident, but did confirm that two of the juveniles involved in the October incident had previously been charged with burglary and theft.
The October thefts prompted significant objections regarding the group home from residents who said they were concerned for their own safety and the safety of the juveniles. Many residents said they do not believe Millstone is a suitable location for group homes because the community does not have a municipal police force, fire hydrants or street lights.
After residents voiced their concerns at a Township Committee meeting on Oct. 18, Kuczinski, Committeeman Gary Dorfman and state Assemblyman Ron Dancer (R-Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex, Burlington) engaged in a conference call with representatives of NJ Mentor and DCF officials. Shortly thereafter, the closing of the group home on Stillhouse Road was announced.
According to Kuczinski, DCF rejected assertions that juveniles with behavioral-health needs are unsuited for a particular community, that the juveniles are predisposed to criminal conduct and that their presence is a detriment to the community.
The mayor said DCF did believe the incidents harmed the homeowner’s relationship with the community and created an environment that was detrimental to the group home’s treatment mission and to the residents of the community.
The juvenile residents of the group home on Stillhouse Road will be relocated to residences outside of Millstone and, according to Kuczinski, two juveniles had been removed as of Oct. 26.
Kuczinski said the license for the program at the Stillhouse Road home will be revoked after the contract’s termination is completed and that no DCF-sponsored program will be relocated to the home. The property will be sold as a residence regulated by existing township rules and ordinances.
At the two other group homes in Millstone Township, the DCF Office of Licensing will implement an inspection and corrective action program, according to Kuczinski.
The mayor said the Township Committee will continue to work with Dancer and state Assemblyman Rob Clifton (R-Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex, Burlington) as the assemblymen draft legislation that will seek to provide municipalities like Millstone with increased powers to police group homes within their borders.
“We are happy to provide all of our residents with this fantastic news and hope we can all now be confident in the safety of our town and resume the enjoyment that our quiet, rural and picturesque town brings to us all,” Kuczinski said in a statement.