May 30, 2007
Honorable Wanda Molina
Chief Judge
City of Jersey City Municipal Court
365 Summit Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306
Dear Judge Molina:
This office is assisting the Mainstream Resources subcommittee of the Jersey City/Hudson County Continuum of Care regarding establishing a Homeless Court Program in Jersey City and elsewhere in Hudson County, New Jersey. The Continuum of Care is made up of forty five governmental agencies and non-profit organizations which are working on the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in Jersey City/Hudson County.
The first Homeless Court in the nation was established in San Diego, CA in 1989. Today, there are 27 Homeless Court Programs throughout the nation. However, to date, there is no Homeless Court Program in New Jersey. Attached, please find three one page articles regarding Homeless Court Programs and a recommendation and report of the American Bar Association (“ABA”) House of Delegates adopted on August 7-8, 2006.
The ABA adopted the attached recommendation urging state, local and territorial courts to adopt Homeless Court Programs “as a means to foster the movement of people experiencing homelessness from the streets through a shelter program to self-sufficiency.”
The program is based on the assumption that people experiencing homelessness often receive citations for public nuisance offenses and then fail to appear in court. Homeless defendants fail to appear in traditional courts not because of a disregard for the court system, but due to their status and condition. Unresolved legal issues can ultimately preclude homeless people from accessing desperately needed services such as employment, housing, public assistance and treatment programs. To counteract the effect of criminal cases pushing homeless defendants further outside society, the Homeless Court Program creates an alternative sentencing structure which substitutes participation in meaningful homeless agency programs for fines and custody.
A Homeless Court Program provides benefits to our court system, shelters, homeless people who participate and, ultimately, to the community at large. Courts benefit by reducing the number of hearings needed to successfully complete court orders by integrating the shelter system. Shelters benefit by increasing the value of their agency programs to homeless participants, as well as by aiding their goal of moving people toward self-sufficiency by clearing their criminal cases. Homeless participants benefit because the program gives them the opportunity to separate their past, as represented by the cases before the court, as they move through the shelter program. The community at large benefits from the movement of homeless people towards gainful activity.
Based on the ABA recommendation and the model of other Homeless Court Programs, including the original homeless court in San Diego, attached hereto as Attachment A and B are brief explanations of two homeless shelter/agency programs in Jersey City and Hudson County which the Mainstream Resources subcommittee of the Jersey City/Hudson County Continuum of Care proposes as examples of alternative sentencing programs.
The Mainstream Resources subcommittee of the Jersey City/Hudson County Continuum of Care looks forward to our presentation to the City of Jersey City Municipal Court Judges on May 30, 2007, and the opportunity to provide information about this important program. We understand that our presentation will likely raise questions, and respectfully request the opportunity to provide answers to your questions regarding this important matter which holds much promise for making progress on the important issue of homelessness in Jersey City and in Hudson County.
Thank you, for your time and attention in this matter.
Respectfully submitted,
______
Northeast New Jersey Legal Services
By: Scott H. Pringle
Attorney-at-law
Attachments and Enclosures
ATTACHMENT 1
Jersey City Medical Center: Medical and Social Services for the Homeless (“MASH”) Program.
This is a 24 week substance abuse program. Participants may start by attending a minimum of two days per week, which ultimately scales up to five days per week. Three absences are allowed, after which a person is dismissed from the program. No lateness to any meeting is permitted. The group consists of between 15–25 people. Topics covered are relapse prevention, health issues, self-image, behavior modification, coping skills and anger management, and drug screening is given.
This program currently receives referrals of participants from the Hudson County Probation Department and DYFS, but also received independent referrals of participants form area homeless shelters.
At the conclusion of the program, successful participants are given a certificate of completion at a “graduation” ceremony.
ATTACHMENT 2
Communities of Faith and Housing’s The Hoboken Shelter: Integrated Living Program.
This program is offered directly at The Hoboken Shelter. The Integrated Living Program has been in operation since 1998. The program meets three days a week for two hours, as well as for classes on supplemental days.
The program consists of the following workshops: job and life skills, relaxation and anchoring, computer literacy, mentoring and tutoring, alumni support, visual arts, creative writing, drama, movie group, chess and yoga. In addition, assistance is provided to shelter residents working towards ESL or GED certification.
The program helps participants heal from the isolating, demoralizing experience of homelessness.