No Detox Planned for Barnabas House; Wildwood Rejects Idea of Homeless Shelter

WILDWOOD – No “detox center” was ever planned by Cape May County government to open in Wildwood, Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton told a crowd at the Feb. 27 freeholder meeting.  
Over 100 citizens showed up to voice opinions on the concept of reopening the Barnabas House, a homeless shelter on Garfield Avenue that Thornton said closed after flooding from Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
“It is not a detox center, it’s basically a homeless center,” Thornton told the Herald. “I guess somebody is trying to embellish it to make it sound worse.
“We don’t even know if it’s going to open,” because planning hasn’t moved past discussions, Thornton said.
Thornton said the Barnabas House, which is owned by nonprofit Atlantic City Rescue Mission (ACRM), had “historically” been a homeless shelter. It first opened in 1980, according to Manta.com.
In windows on the property is a dumpster permit for January-April 2010 and faded construction permits. It is unclear if ACRM has begun repairs.
County officials’ discussions on bringing a homeless center to Wildwood became public in a Herald article about the Jan. 25 county League of Municipalities meeting.
At that meeting, West Cape May Mayor Carol Sabo claimed the county had “done nothing to address this homeless problem.”
“We need concrete services,” she said. “We need a hospital that you can detox at, we need a homeless shelter, we need housing, not just vouchers, we need housing that people can live at because if you don’t have your basic needs met, you can’t see yourself forward to get treatment. That’s what we need in this county.”
Thornton responded, saying, “We’re also working with (ACRM) trying to get the facility in Wildwood open for that very reason.”
When Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano found out about the discussion by reading the article, he said he asked Thornton if he was planning to discuss it with him first.
“You give libraries to Stone Harbor…to the Crest, and what do you give me? A homeless shelter and detox center?” Troiano said. “I’m not going to stand for it. I’m tired of being the town that’s supposed to be responsible to take care of everybody’s ills.”
Thornton said the county took over general assistance programs for most municipalities in the late 1990s because it was “burdensome” for each municipality to pay the “$10,000-$15,000 salary” of a general assistance employee.
“I have a lot of problems being criticized by any municipality when the ultimate responsibility has always been with them, and we were just kind enough to save them money,” Thornton said.
Thornton said the facility would provide the county’s homeless with drug and alcohol counseling, food, clothing, and shelter during Code Blue. Those are declared winter emergencies when temperatures fall below a certain degree. Homeless persons are given shelter for a night from the elements. The county Office of Emergency Management makes those declarations.
“That’s what government’s supposed to do,” Thornton said. “It’s better than taking the homeless and just putting them in a hotel room without support services.”
The Barnabas House is steps away from the 21-acre back-bay area that city officials want to develop into 110 lots. The building, at 436 W. Garfield, is in a flood zone, according to Troiano.
Troiano said he doesn’t think a homeless facility belongs in a residential neighborhood “in a community that’s a tourist destination.”
“There’s no work all winter long, and what are these people going to do?” he said.
“How are you going to get them out of their homeless situation?”
ACRM President Dan Brown could not be reached for comment.
To contact Taylor Henry, email thenry@cmcherald.com.