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Morris County highlights Project Homeless Connect, point-in-time outreach and surge in SNAP fraud reports
Summary
Officials reported an expanded Project Homeless Connect event and point-in-time outreach; staff described motel displacements due to property damage and said about 100 residents reported SNAP card fraud last week, with no immediate state mechanism to replenish benefits.
Morris County officials reported results from recent homelessness outreach and described an increase in reports of fraud targeting SNAP electronic benefits.
The county's Project Homeless Connect event on Jan. 31 brought together more than 40 community-based organizations to provide services including health screenings, vaccinations, clothing, personal-care items and housing assistance, officials said. The outreach tied to the event included a week-long point-in-time count organized with nine outreach teams coordinated across the county; county staff and partner nonprofits participated in shifts to cover different geographic areas.
Casey, the county's director of payment service (as identified in the meeting), told commissioners that the county responded this week to a motel-displacement incident in which occupants of a Red Carpet (motel) location had to be evacuated because of water damage and a suspected roof-stability issue. Staff arranged placement for affected households and coordinated emergency assistance: nonprofits delivered food and supplies, and county staff used gift cards and partner programs to meet immediate needs.
Casey also said that the county received a surge of reports of theft and fraudulent use of SNAP benefits; "about 100" people reportedly walked in last week to report lost or skimmed SNAP funds, she said in the meeting. Officials said there is currently no state mechanism in place to automatically replenish stolen SNAP benefit dollars and that county staff are coordinating with local nonprofits (including Nourish New Jersey and other partners) to fill short-term needs with gift cards, food bags and direct assistance. Staff urged residents to change PINs and take precautions to protect electronic-benefit cards.
Separately, the county noted a recent installation of an opioid-rescue box (Narcan) at Milestone House in Dover supported by 2025 opioid-settlement funding; Morris County's addictions coordinator, Mackenzie Bosco, was present for the installation, officials said. The workforce development board also received competitive state funding for an adult-literacy and ESL initiative in partnership with local providers.
Commissioners and staff said they plan continued coordinated outreach, including additional regional veteran- and homeless-services sessions and online distribution of a recorded veterans session. Officials emphasized that the homelessness outreach and the recent spike in SNAP fraud reports are ongoing issues requiring coordinated response among county departments and nonprofit partners.
