A proposal to extend the city’s RealFix outreach model to Passaic and Clifton via a shared‑services arrangement failed at Thursday’s meeting for lack of a motion, prompting a public exchange among the provider, council members and residents about how the program operates.

The item (agenda item 46) did not receive a second and was formally recorded as failed for lack of motion; the council asked the administration to return to a workshop with fuller documentation and performance metrics.

RealFix’s chief innovation officer and director, Ed Bozzi, said the city had provided the council with a written presentation in early June and again on Friday before the meeting but that only a few council members had opened the materials by the meeting start. Bozzi emphasized that the proposed shared‑services agreement would not send Paterson clients to Passaic or Clifton; rather, the neighboring cities would use Paterson’s case‑management tools to enroll and manage their own residents and would provide additional capacity such as rapid Medicaid enrollment and billing capabilities.

Public comment and council reaction
The public comment period included people with lived experience who credited RealFix with helping move individuals off the streets and into treatment; others criticized the program’s results and questioned whether Paterson should export its tools before local needs were fully addressed.

Council members asked for performance metrics, evidence of how many people RealFix places into treatment, and documentation of cost savings. Several council members said the item should come back to a workshop and asked administration and RealFix to present clear data and a plan for accountability before advancing a shared‑services agreement.

Outcome and next steps
- Item 46 (resolution, RealFix shared‑services to Passaic and Clifton): failed for lack of motion. Council leaders directed the administration to place the item on a future workshop agenda with supporting documentation, including performance statistics and written answers to council questions.

Why it matters
RealFix is a city‑funded outreach and referral program for people experiencing addiction and street homelessness. The proposed shared‑services arrangement would have enabled neighboring municipalities to use the software, intake and billing practices Paterson developed, with administrators saying it could speed enrollment into treatment and create Medicaid billing revenue for certain services. Council members and the public signaled they will require concrete performance data before supporting expansion.