Homeless Shelter Grand Opening
By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
The Jersey Shore Rescue Mission, Asbury Parks only homeless shelter, is holding a grand opening celebration Sat., Aug. 25, even though it is only operating with a temporary certificate of occupancy.
The location of the shelter, which also includes a thrift shop, has been the subject of controversy since it came before the Board of Adjustment two years ago. A variance was sought to operate the facility at 701 Memorial Dr. as a homeless shelter.
The board denied the proposed usage of the building, citing the fact that a homeless shelter is not an allowable use in the area zoned for light industrial.
The mission, which is affiliated with the Market Street Mission in Morristown, appealed the decision in front of Judge Alexander Lehrer who sent the case back to the city for additional testimony.
The Jersey Shore Rescue Mission has since been before the zoning board and is scheduled to appear again at the Sept. 25 meeting.
Dave Scott, executive director of the mission, this week said during the last nine months the mission has provided 5,167 meals and accommodated 1,224 overnight stays.
The shelter area has been operating under a temporary certificate of occupancy.
A group, Stand Up for Asbury, was formed in an effort to prohibit the shelter from operating at its present location. Members of the group say it is not a beneficial use for the area.
Scott said the shelter has been operating for several months since receiving a temporary certificate of occupancy earlier this year.
The mission also runs a thrift store at sells used cars from the site.
Scott said the mission was required to put in a second floor sprinkler system, at a cost of $30,000, and a handicapped bathroom on the second floor, following an inspection by the fire department in June.
Scott also said the state Division of Drug and Alcohol services sent the group a letter rescinding a previous prohibition against them offering counseling services.
Our mission doesnt fall under their jurisdiction, he said.
Scott is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Pennsylvania and is also a licensed counselor in New Jersey.
The mission offers a Christian 12-step program to drug and alcohol abusers as well as providing hot meals at night.
Donald Sammet, Director of Development in Asbury Park, said if the zoning board denies the variance to the mission, they would have to vacate the premises.
The grand opening is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Aug. 25 with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m.
There will be tours, refreshments, music and a live broadcast on 99.1 FM from 10 a.m. to noon.
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August 28th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
I believe that Stand Up for Asbury’s position is that some aspects of the programs that the Jersey Shore Rescue Mission intends to operate will have significant detrimental effects on the surrounding community and that there is no reasonable and enforceable mitigation to prevent the detrimental effects. I don’t believe Stand Up for Asbury makes any claim about whether the Jersey Shore Rescue Mission is beneficial or not.
August 28th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
So sad that a group would band together to stop an organization that has been helping the less fortunate in North Jersey for over 100 years…...but, Asbury Park doesn’t want it
Come on! Can’t the “Stand Up” group see how beneficial this organization is??
September 8th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Why does everyone look to Asbury to be their brothers keeper.No other community does more for the disenfranchised .Most times it is those who live outside the community that express a pro stance for a social service that they know will strain Asburys limited resources.The help for our fellow man needs to be spread amongst all communities. So, before you criticize Asbury look around your town and ask what can we do for the homeless or for that matter what have we ever done ? I’m sure the answer won’t surprise you….
September 17th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
The stance that Stand Up for Asbury has taken is incomprehensible to me. I want to live in a community that cares for those in need. Asbury doesn’t even have to provide the funding, the Mission will do that. I understand that some feel the burden is placed heavily on Asbury but Asbury, for whatever reasons has for many years been a city of disparity.
I encourage people to visit the mission and get to know the people who run it, as well as the folks that use their services. The homeless may seem offensive to those living in a superficial world, but they are a fact of life in our world and are as rich with histories and experience as any home owner.
Please support the mission by signing this petition.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/10/support-the-jersey-shore-rescue-mission
September 21st, 2007 at 1:35 am
Since the Jersey Shore Rescue Mission (JSRM) has opened on a temporary permit, I have noticed quite a few additional homeless men in Asbury Park. These men are most likely drawn here by the JSRM. Although I am not in a position to quantify what Asbury Park has paid in additional services due to the clients that the JSRM is drawing, I’d bet it is quite substantial.
Here are some of the notable things I have noticed over the past month or so that I hadn’t noticed before in my years here. I saw a man pushing a shopping cart down Sunset Avenue with contents that were obviously not recently purchased at the Wanamassa Foodtown. I saw from a distance a police incident near Memorial Drive and Sunset Avenue during which an apparently homeless man was screaming. I saw an apparently homeless man wandering around the High School in the morning. I witnessed an apparently intoxicated homeless man being helped across the street by another man against the light at 6th Avenue and Main Street. All of these men I had never seen before.
The Market Street Mission (MSM) is the organization which has started the JSRM as a satellite. From what I’ve seen on the MSMs web site and what I’ve heard at the zoning board meetings, it seems that the JSRM is mainly looking for men to recruit for its New Reality Recovery Program. I am concerned that the JSRM requires those who participate in its New Reality Recovery Program to adhere to its religious beliefs. It appears that they will help you only if you agree to accept their views.
Unlike the New Reality Recovery Program, the Emergency Services Program appears to be a screening program for the New Reality Program. The JSRM has time limits for its Emergency Services program. The program time limits appear to have changed. At first, no one could stay more then ten days. At the last Zoning Board meeting, they said men had to stay away for several days before coming back. In either case, the stay limit appears to be a method to keep a stream of people passing through their doors so they can be assessed. I think the Emergency Services Program can be characterized best as a fishing expedition for souls.
I’ve asked myself why the JSRM picked Asbury. They could have picked other places. Elberon, Allenhurst, Bradley Beach, and Belmar have as good transportation access. My best guess is that they picked Asbury Park because it is less able to defend itself from the JSRM intrusion than the neighboring towns. There is less wealth to hire legal representation for a group like Stand Up For Asbury. There is a city government with a lot of other high priority redevelopment, city service education, and crime abatement issues to address. The JSRM has picked on the weak.
From what I’ve seen myself and what I’ve heard at the Zoning Board meetings, Asbury Park has had a population of homeless that has been a relatively stable number. The JSRM has already upset that balance. Asbury Park already pays more than its fair share for care of the homeless compared to surrounding municipalities. The JSRM is likely causing this amount to go up. Even if the JSRM services appear to be free, caring for those that the JSRM recruits to come to Asbury Park and then discards is not.