To the Editor:
This letter is in direct response to the May 2 article entitled “Numbers Don’t Lie”.
First, at Cape Hope, we thank you, members of local municipal government, for addressing this issue in the transparent way you have. Including the Herald’s access to regular meetings enables the local residents to educate themselves on community events.
We are disappointed to see that no invitation was given to anyone who wished to speak on behalf of the homeless, of which was the topic of discussion.
If you read the last paragraph of the article, first, you see again, Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton claiming shelters are being worked on, this time, in another place. Thornton, this is not helping anyone, please stop.
The article begins with numbers that are based on county statistics that are not an accurate depiction of homeless in Cape May County. Yes, our hotline callers do overlap with county hotline callers, but there are those who don’t fit into Code Blue or one-night accommodations given in the form of vouchers.
Others simply have distrust in their hearts, so they turn to alternative means for emergency or simple, social support, at which point, Cape Hope screens callers and sets up an intake for those we can potentially help, somehow.
Below is an accurate depiction through a list of the last three months of callers, desperate for hope. Please keep in mind that all of these cases go on despite all the good work done by county and state offices. They are truly the exception, not the rule, the voiceless.
Abbreviations used for apparent reasons. Redacted files available for review.
- WA – Wildwood
- ZS – Middle Township
- Ger – Wildwood (Pine Avenue)
- Dav – Wildwood
- JJ – West Wildwood
- AS – Lower Township
- Lady – Wildwood Crest
- Fam – Wildwood
- KO – North Wildwood
- JV – Wildwood
- DB – Middle Township
- JB – Wildwood
- MS – Lower Township
- AM – Middle Township
This list does not support the notion that only three municipalities are to be held responsible; to the contrary, it only supports one notion and that is that homelessness has no borders! Also, the list shows a fair share of intake clients from Middle Township, but they carry an unfair portion of the burden, without complaint.
The notion that only those three municipalities are to be held responsible, or that another municipality can “take care of its own,” is hard to compute and raises several questions, like how do we separate those who qualify as a member of “our own?” Is there a list? Will there be a wall?
What happens when a citizen from a non-participating municipality needs help? Will there be a surcharge?
Honestly, Thornton’s theory has many glaring problems, but mostly, it lacks humanity. Whatever happened to the Golden Rule, where we treated others in a manner that we would have them treat us? God forbid this misfortune should fall upon us or our family members.
We at Cape Hope believe that the natural directive of county government is to handle those issues that are common to all the municipalities. The answer, my friends, is to gather community support first and come together as a village that cares for all of its citizens, including the misfortunate!
ED. NOTE: Montgomery is assistant director of Cape Hope.
