BRIDGTON — Eight months on the job, one relocation, a partner roundtable later, and a local industrial park is now running an experiment to combat homelessness among newly released inmates.
For the next 12 months, inmates can be housed in half a dozen “tiny houses” in a small, gated community. Village of Hope is next door to a halfway house where some prospective tenants may have spent time finalizing their offers.
Their stay in the village of Nadzeya will be limited to 180 days. But at this time, “transitional” services will be offered – from assistance in obtaining a driver’s license, to finding an apartment, and to employment.
Mayor Albert B. Kelly spent most of 2022 pushing for the Village of Hope. The program is something he would like to see expanded, statewide and locally.
“I’m just happy that this dream has come true,” Kelly said after inspecting one of the 100-square-foot homes recently. “So that we could help those coming out of the halfway house and they didn’t have to live on the streets.
“Because as your newspaper and every other community in our area knows, homelessness is a problem,” he said. “And this is one way to demonstrate how we can not only provide a home for those who leave the halfway house, but maybe we can extend that to our homeless people in our cities. And this is our hope.”
Each of the six units has a bed, desk, storage space, and heating and cooling units. Houses, bathrooms and a community center with a kitchen surround the open-air common area.
State Sen. Edward Derr, one of the speakers at the ceremony, said the village is “thinking outside the box” in a state that needs it.
“Because we can’t just continue with the status quo because we have a homeless problem,” said Derr, R-1str District. “You know, we have a problem with the imprisonment of individuals. We have to combine these two things. And that’s what makes me so honored to be here and be a part of this tape, so maybe we can find a way to make it work statewide.”
Kelly approached the pilot program wearing two hats: as a three-term mayor and as head of the Gateway Community Action Partnership. Gateway is a non-profit corporation with programs throughout the region.
Bridgton is particularly sensitive about the treatment of ex-prisoners. The city is home to the Cumberland County Jail, as well as the South Woods State Prison. The prison is located not far from the address of the village on Western Industrial Boulevard.
At first there was an idea to turn the village into a residential neighborhood. It was canceled due to opposition from residents, Kelly said.
The Kintock Group, which runs two prison homes here, has agreed to allocate space next to one of its sites. The company also provides transitional services to Village Arrivals residents with Gateway and the nonprofit Reentry Coalition of New Jersey.
Kelly said the industrial park does offer some benefits, starting with the fact that a bus line runs through it. Lack of public transportation is a common problem that affects all South Jersey residents who do not have reliable access to transportation.
The industrial park is also growing at the moment and will need new workers, Kelly said, pointing to some examples.
“They can walk to work,” Kelly said. “It (the building) is going on hemp. Shoreline Freezers expands for $28 million. So there will be a lot of work here.”
Paul Tuggins, chief operating officer of The Kintock Group, said the program would literally change the lives of prisoners.
“They’re coming home, which is the key word today, but they’re dealing with employment issues, financial issues, family reunification issues, wellness and health issues,” Tuggins said. “But at the end of the day, if you don’t have a place to sleep at night, how are you ever going to deal with all these other problems?”
The state parole board, city and local law enforcement agencies and first responders also support the pilot program.
Joe Smith is a NE Philly native who moved to South Jersey over 30 years ago and now oversees South Jersey government. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill and the Burlington County Times.
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