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Passaic mayor announces same‑day housing for homeless veterans, previews winter service changes
Summary
Mayor announced a new partnership with a Veterans SOS program to place homeless veterans into hotel shelter the same day and previewed winter service changes: continued leaf pickup, suspension of most road work until spring, and ongoing parking and traffic safety projects including a 300‑space parking deck and studies for additional spaces.
The mayor of Passaic told the city council on Dec. 5 that a new partnership with a Veterans SOS program and county partners will allow the city to house homeless veterans the same day they are identified, moving them from street outreach into hotel placements when appropriate. "We are able to immediately house homeless veterans the same day," the mayor said during his regularly scheduled update.
The mayor also urged residents to continue to put out leaf bags for DPW collection during the extended leaf season and provided the public works contact for questions. He said most routine road repairs will be suspended during the winter and will resume in the spring, noting the administration paved a record number of streets this year, including work on Jefferson and Brook avenues.
On holiday and community events, the mayor recapped a recent tree‑lighting and announced a Parade of Lights scheduled for the coming Tuesday after 5 p.m. He credited city public safety and department chiefs—including Chief Patrick Trenicos of the Fire Department and Chief Luis Guzman of Police—for collaborating on event logistics.
On parking and traffic infrastructure, the mayor highlighted progress on a downtown parking deck that will add roughly 300 spaces and said staff are studying additional opportunities that could yield another 100 spaces in denser neighborhoods, subject to traffic studies, legal reviews and funding. He said some smaller traffic and pedestrian safety projects were extended this year because of unusually warm weather in November.
The mayor framed the homelessness work as part of a web of county and state partnerships and emphasized that the city does not own congregate housing to transfer to nonprofit operators: instead, he said, the administration will connect providers to state and federal funding and local resource centers. He added that, in recent months, initiatives such as a mail‑service program at Dignity House helped more than eight individuals secure permanent housing by enabling receipt of benefits and correspondence.
The mayor said the administration will continue to coordinate with human services, police, fire and emergency responders to mitigate risks tied to extreme cold and other emergencies. The report closed with the mayor thanking council members, department directors and residents for their participation.
