Temporary Cell Tower In Unpopular Spot

By Chris Lundy

TOMS RIVER – Local residents have a lot of hang-ups about a cellular tower installed recently. The tower is in the area of Route 35 and the pickleball courts at 6th Avenue. Ortley Beach res-

(Cell Tower - See Page 8) (Trust Fund - See Page 4)

DIRECT CREMATION $1995

Includes: arrangement conference, removal from place of death, alternative container Batesville ccbmdfc, transfer to crematory, crematory fee

“We are dedicated to exceeding expectations and delivering a standard of service that is 100% guaranteed.”

Trust Fund:

Continued From Page 1 acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of housing projects or units within housing projects that supply permanent affordable housing for homeless persons or families, including those at risk of homelessness.

“Per the Homelessness Trust Fund guidelines, the funds cannot be used by the County to build a homeless shelter,” Crea said. “They will be used to provide support services.”

The county will also create a task force to oversee the fund and serve as an advisory board to the commissioners.

“We are seeing increases in the under employed and families are having a difficult time making ends meet and keeping a roof over their head,” Commissioner Gary Quinn said. “We need to do more and this is one of the tools we have available to us to create a permanent funding source that can be used to help our residents.”

The funds can be used to interact with people coming in for shelter during Code Blue and get them the resources they need, he said.

“Nineteen percent of Ocean County households struggle with factors of housing insecurity,” Quinn said. “The creation of the Homelessness Trust Fund is in response to the changes we have seen in getting assistance to those who need it.”

The public hearing on the fund is scheduled for the July 6 Commissioner Board meeting held at 4 p.m. in Room #119 on the fi rst floor of the Administration Building located at 101 Hooper Avenue, Toms River.

Advocates for the homeless welcomed the creation of the fund. Pastor Sue Jones of the Toms River Housing and Homeless Coalition said it is a very positive step, not only in how to treat people in need, but it shows a change in how the homeless are being viewed. The fact that the county government is making this decision speaks volumes.

This will provide a continual source of funding that will help people in need immediately as opposed to something like a grant that’s not sustainable, she said.

There’s a stigma out there about homelessness; some people think all homeless people are mentally ill or addicts. The truth is that there are many different reasons that people end up in this situation, she said.

The majority of people calling their help line are not on the streets but one step away, she said. These are people whose landlords are giving them the boot illegally, for example. There’s also a large number of seniors, particularly women, whose spouse has died and without two Social Security checks a month, they can’t make ends meet.

The major cause of homelessness is the lack of truly affordable housing, and the lack of good-paying jobs with benefits, she said.

The people on the streets are the visible sign of homelessness, but there are many more that the average person doesn’t see, she said.

The trust fund is not the total solution to the problem, she said, because homelessness is a complex issue that requires a complex response.

“We don’t expect the county to do it all,” she said. “We continue to be working with the county and municipalities to see how we can do this job better.”

When the county creates the task force to oversee the fund, she urged them to seat members who are well-versed with the plight of the homeless here and have a track record of making a difference.

Past Controversy

In previous interviews, county leaders have said they didn’t want to create the trust fund. They compared the $5 fee on documents to a tax levied on residents. It is unclear what led to this change.

Up until now, the county’s dealt with the homelessness problem by putting them up in motels when available. Being a shore community, that means only half the year.

The Asbury Park Press reported recently that the county had to pay out $1.5 million to the estate of a homeless woman who they placed in a motel and was murdered. Alecia Perreault, 29, was just 89 pounds and disabled from rheumatoid arthritis, and had begged to be moved from a motel she said was too dangerous.

Ocean County is one of the only counties in New Jersey that doesn’t operate its own homeless shelter. This leaves nonprofits and houses of worship to open overnight-only shelters.

Advocates for the homeless sued the county to try to force them to open a shelter back in 2011. On a separate occasion, the Atlantic City Rescue Mission sued because Atlantic City was spending millions helping homeless people from Ocean County.

Nonprofit leaders have said that mayors have told them that they don’t want any shelter in their town. Some towns have been outright aggressive against the homeless. Lakewood’s government, for example, literally bulldozed a homeless encampment. They also removed trees from public areas to prevent homeless from sleeping under them.

Tour Catt us Island By Bike

TOMS RIVER – Cattus Island has a small amount of bikes to loan out for use within the park. The bicycles are free to use. 26-inch adult bikes and 20-inch children’s bikes and helmets are available. Helmets are required. You may borrow a bike for two hours, seven days a week between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Bicycles may not be taken out of the park. No baby/toddler seats are permitted. A member of the group must provide a driver’s license for the staff to hold until the bike is returned.

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Pride:

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82 Studio Theater home page. There were food vendors, shopping and various activities. ASL interpreters were present during all mainstage performances. Toms River Pride partnered with the Virtual Queer Library for a book drive during the day.

Some attendees noticed a religious group that attempted to drown out a speaker during the opening of ceremonies. The protestors were told by police to cease use of their bullhorn.

This wasn’t the first time a religious group came on the scene to heckle attendees at this event. The incident quickly passed and attendees were able to enjoy the rest of the day as intended.

Many that were present carried the rain-

Learners:

Continued From Page 1 with Georgian Court University to train teachers to oversee a cohort of multilingual learners in district. They would be at South Toms River Elementary, Washington Street Elementary, Intermediate South and High School South, which are the schools closest to where the kids live.

A cohort, according to GCU’s website, means a group of students who learn together as peers as they progress through their education.

The training would be supported by the federal funding from the American Rescue bow flags and wore rainbow attire including capes.

Pride Month originated in June in observance of the Stonewall Uprising, which was an important turning point in the struggle for LGBTQ+ equality. The incident involves members of the New York City Police Department who raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, during the morning of June 28, 1969. While raids were common, patrons fought back which resulted in several days of violent altercations in areas of Greenwich Village.

The situation sparked the observance of Gay Pride Day on the last Sunday of June. Later it evolved to include various events in June such as pride parades, parties, concerts, workshops and lectures throughout the nation and even internationally.

Within the Garden State, according to the Movement Advance Project (MAP), around

Plan, Gold said.

This program will also prevent staff reductions that are being forced by the state cutting aid, she said.

The district would also reach out to neighboring schools who may be in similar situation to see if they want to join in the training.

Manchester Superintendent John Berenato said that last year, there were 103 multilingual students, and 157 as of June 1 of this year.

“In Manchester, we have already completed a cohort for our teachers in partnership with Georgian Court University,” he said. “We offer a SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) in-house which equips non-

4.1 percent of the population - roughly 343,000 individuals - identify as LGBTQ.

The MAP tracks legislation targets. This year marks a large increase in legislation targeting LGBTQ rights, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. According to the ACLU, around 500 pieces of legislation across the country have been filed in their respective state legislatures in 2023.

For example, there are bills in the state Assembly that address LGBTQ issues. One would permit parents who object to curriculum or learning activities in public school to receive a voucher from their school district for their child to attend a nonpublic school while the other would bar transgender students from competing in girls’ or women’s sports at public or nonpublic schools and colleges. These bills have yet to be heard in their respective committees.

ELL (English Language Learners)-certified teachers with strategies and supports that they can use in the classroom with students who speak a second language.”

“We are adding additional ELL teachers to provide support, as well. We added K-2 at Manchester Township Elementary School to do our best to have our students at their home school. And, we also started Babbel (language software) as a team this year. We support ELLs through six levels of proficiency, based on how well the student understands and can produce the language. Part of the challenge is considering the level of instruction necessary to move students across the continuum of learning English,” he said.