Residents press Toms River council for shelter solutions after homeless woman's death; citations against volunteers debated
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Summary
Residents at the Toms River Township Council meeting urged action on homelessness after a woman froze to death; speakers criticized recent citations against volunteer group Just Believe and called for county coordination and clearer local shelter plans.
A steady stream of residents urged the Toms River Township Council on Tuesday to act after a woman who had been homeless died in her car, pressing officials for immediate shelter options and clearer cooperation with county services.
During more than an hour of public comment, several speakers described gaps in shelter capacity and contested recent municipal citations issued to Just Believe, a volunteer group that provides outreach and aid to people experiencing homelessness. "A woman died. A woman that was homeless died in her car, mister mayor," said Michael Rizzuto during public comment, describing the stakes to the council.
Council vice chair (speaker 6) told the council that code-enforcement citations were filed against Just Believe—"They have a February 12 court date"—including a criminal-trespass allegation and municipal ordinance violations related to use of the municipal parking garage. Council members and the mayor said the Pick Building shelter is at capacity and that placement resources have been strained by the recent storm.
Residents and social-service professionals urged the council to coordinate with Ocean County and with nonprofit partners on short-term warming options, a county point-in-time count, and longer-term shelter capacity. Several commenters suggested temporary measures such as warming buses or church-run emergency spaces; others urged exploring federal facilities as potential sites but noted security and logistical hurdles.
Councilors and the mayor pushed back against some characterizations of the municipal response, noting that county and township responsibilities differ and that prior ordinances changed enforcement options. Officials directed residents seeking documents about placement or environmental reports to file Open Public Records Act requests where appropriate.
The meeting produced no new formal direction or vote to create a local shelter; speakers from the public and several council members said they would pursue coordination with county officials and other jurisdictions. The council will revisit shelter and county coordination options in future meetings; no formal policy was adopted during the session.
