Clockwise from top: McDonald’s on Main Street; Family-owned and operated fast food restaurants in Passaic are places where the homeless go to get out of the weather, at least for a few minutes; Many ethnic choices for food are available in the city of Passaic; Dignity House on Broadway in Passaic. This facility is a source of pride for Mayor Hector Lora, providing temporary help to those in need. Photos by Mario Luna.
By Mario Luna
Homelessness has been a continuing problem in America, with over 500 thousand people being without a home according to the latest census conducted. Even with homelessness being a major national issue you do not have to travel far to see its effects. We are only a short 30 minute drive from one of the most homeless populated cities in the United States, New York City, so one does not have to travel far to see how devastating homelessness can be, but even then you do not need to go to New York City to see these things as they are happening in our very own neighborhoods. One good thing is that Passaic does not experience as much homelessness as NYC, but it is still a severe case as you would expect the city, a small city, to do something for them.
Homelessness in Passaic
Being a fast food employee myself, I noticed that when the weather was bad, whether it was very cold, or raining outside, many homeless people would come in the restaurant and settle down inside, so it really made me wonder, what exactly is Passaic doing to help these people?
Although Passaic is a very small city and it has a strong sense of community, it experiences and struggles with homelessness. Someone who is homeless most likely ends up living on the streets, believing they cannot rely on a homeless shelter for whatever reason. A lot can happen in these shelters, so most end up on the streets of Passaic asking for help, in the form of money and food.
Many believe that the government has failed them, others may be the result of a drug addiction or alcholism, often stemming from abuse as kids. There are many ways and circumstances one may end up in a situation where they do not have a home. Most of the time, homeless people in Passaic will roam around fast food places, or around big businesses. Many will also go into restaurants and ask if you have money, or will interrupt while someone is paying and ask if they can have the spare change. While this is a nuisance for those going about their business the issue is dire for those who are forced into this position.
In search of the story of what can be done to resolve homelessness and wanting to really understand this issue, I interviewed someone who has been homeless for a couple of years and only wishes he could feel safe and have a job in the town of Passaic.
Seeing the Issue Through the Eyes of the Homeless
The person without a home goes by the name of Jonathan and I started off by asking his name and age, how long has he been homeless, and if he had been homeless only in Passaic:
Jonathan: “My name is Jonathan, I’m 32. I’ve been homeless for about, like, 12 years, since I was 20. I was in another town, and it started as me just trying to go outside and make something outta myself and…being between a lot of things such as people who don’t got family [that] are homeless, and such as myself that don’t really got nothing and people that don’t appreciate things in this world. You try to make something out of yourself but people try to judge you.”
Mario: “So, you don’t have any family or anything like that?”
J: “I got my mom but my dad is not around, my mom basically kinda raised me but I was still in the streets. I was still outside. I was still with bad friends, bad company and which led me to being homeless as well.”
M: “So, you think it’s the bad friends and bad company that led you to that?”
J: “Yeah.”
M: “Where do you go to sleep, to eat? What is it like being out here?”
J: “I basically try to find warm spots anywhere that is open. Any stores that are open, try to get some sleep while you can, or you sleep in the train station or on buses. People build cardboard boxes, anything to keep warm from the winter”
M: “Do you feel the city helps you at all?”
J: “No. They give us crumbs. They expect us to be grateful with crumbs and it’s a lot of apartments that are vacant and they won’t sell us apartments because of our working bio. Basically there is not enough shelters that could really help people.”
M: “What is it like to be in a shelter?”
J: “Nobody feels safe in them because everybody is so “stiller” to the streets, some people are drug addicts, some people abuse people, some people are bullies… it’s not easy trying to help somebody that doesn’t wanna be helped.”
M: “How do you want the city to help you? What would you ask for from the city?”
J: “An opportunity to work and stay out of trouble and make a lot of money. An opportunity to help people who don’t really have IDs, family, money or support. To be in a better place so they can see what it’s really like to make money, and have good shelter.
M: “Finally, What would you ask the mayor?”
J: “I would ask him to put more people in job opportunities. I would ask the mayor for more shelters and more money towards “this” instead of just going to a foundation. Find them apartments and rooms [but] they lie to a lot of people that’s homeless because they don’t wanna help them.”
To sum things up, it seems like people who are homeless feel as if they are not receiving much help, or as much help as they need. People like Jonathan want to do better in life, but the only thing in their way is the fact that they feel the city does not take the necessary actions to help this group of people.
The City’s Point of View
Our next interview will be with Hector Lora. The mayor of Passaic, who presents and explains the opportunities and protocols Passaic has to help those who are the most in need:
Mario: “What does the homelessness situation in passaic look like right now?”
Mayor Hector Lora: “So, like most urban communities, we face the challenges of homelessness… We had temporary homelessness, and then we had more chronic homelessness. Here in the city of Passaic, I was able to develop a program with a structure on Broadway, which is called Dignity House. It’s a homeless resource center where prior to the pandemic we were already bringing individuals inside during cold or extreme frigid temperatures. In Dignity House, we had showers, and we continue to have them there once a week, homeless individuals can come in and take a shower. We put up mailboxes so individuals can receive correspondence… they can utilize this address as well as perhaps connect with family members or apply for jobs. Over the last two years, we’ve been able to get eight individuals who are homeless into permanent housing through these resources and programs. We also have laundromats in our resource center where individuals come in and just wash their clothes. The reason why I prefer a resource center instead of a shelter is it gives us more freedom to assist individuals without the restrictions that normally come with a shelter. We understand that there are individuals that face many challenges. Sometimes it can be battling mental illness, addiction, chronic sickness… However, we do not judge. Anyone who comes through our doors in need of help will receive help during extreme cold temperatures, extreme heat temperatures, or every single day. There is access to some kind of resource there, and we thank those that partner with us… Our issue with homelessness, again, I’ll reiterate it’s similar to communities like ours. We sometimes have individuals who can be found in the parks or by certain businesses, and they’re laid out, we cannot force individuals to come off the street. We can offer help, we can make sure that we’re doing everything that we can to provide a way off of the street, but we understand that there are certain issues that we cannot resolve. There’s not a single panel approach that we can provide that will cure everything. However, we are not limited by our desire to help. Sometimes we’re limited by resources, but we have to use everything that we can, available to us, to extend that help to the homeless.”
M: “I’m a fast food worker myself, and…I do find when sometimes I’m working, whether it be raining or extremely cold out, homeless people do come into the fast food restaurant and instead of going somewhere else. Do you think there is a certain environment, like Dignity House, where they don’t feel safe?”
HL: “I don’t know if it’s so much feeling safe as it is feeling welcomed in a fast food restaurant… So I think that when an individual comes in and they just want to use the bathroom or if it’s raining outside, obviously the convenience of proximity. We’re a city of 3.2 sq mi. We have fast food restaurants almost on every other block… So oftentimes a lot of the business owners, whether it’s a taco spot, whether it’s a traditional Caribbean food, Dominican, Puerto Rican or Peruvian or Ecuadorian Colombian, they’re restaurants that are owned by families, individuals that have struggled. When you consider the immigrant community, so many members of our community, and demographically speaking, we’re 75% Latino, when you consider individuals that have struggled and have come here with so little and worked so hard to open up a business, I think there’s that empathy, that ability to connect and say “ this individual may be struggling today, but tomorrow I may be struggling. So if I can let someone stay out of the rain and remember that when I came here to this country or there was a time in my life, even if I was born in this country, that I struggled” our community becomes a more compassionate community through government. I wish we could provide resources every single day. It’s not always practical. Some of the fast food restaurants, I think, are more conducive to receive people for a short period of time to bring them out of the rain. We try to address the extreme issues, but that day to day is often addressed by those who care in our community… I’ve dealt with many individuals on the streets and one of the things that they point out is that they feel invisible. People walk by and sometimes people forget that a good morning or hello or an excuse me while you’re trying to get through the street. Those interactions, those very human and compassionate interactions can mean the world to someone who has lost so much. But as to your specific question, yeah, fast food restaurants, I think it’s the individuals that work there sometimes they’ve been through a lot, they know what it feels like to not have a lot, the owners of some of these businesses have struggled and sacrificed. So it’s easier to empathize and care for others when you have been through something similar.”
M: “I’ve interviewed someone who is homeless, and asked if they feel cared for by the city. They felt they didn’t really get helped by the city. What is your message to those people who dont feel cared for?”
HL: “So I truly believe that the government is intended to provide a safety net, a safety net that rescues individuals out of emergency situations. However, and I know that this may come across potentially as callous, but I just want to be very real, that safety net was never intended to be a hammock, but a safety net, if you ever go to a performance, whether it’s a circus and event, those that do acrobatics, when they fall, they fall on the net. It rescues you, but no one pulls out a pillow, lays down, and stays on the net. For some individuals that are struggling with certain challenges, whether it’s addiction, whether it’s some other condition that’s preventing them from being more productive, if they’re looking for the government to provide everything, that’s not my approach. I want to help you come off the street, so I will help you to get a job. I will help you to connect to services that will assist you to overcome whatever addiction, whether it’s alcohol or drugs. I will connect you to medical services if you’re dealing with chronic illness, we will connect you to counselors and programs that you have a responsibility to attend them. If you believe the government is intended to provide you with a living space for free and enable whatever behavior or conduct that is resulting in you being homeless, no, I don’t agree. I’m not going to provide you with the space because we’re not in the real estate business, so I’m not going to give you a hotel room and pay for it with taxpayer dollars, especially if you’re not going to attend programs. But if you want to do your part, I will commit as mayor with whatever government resources we have to do our part to help you… You have the freedom and the liberty, the choice, if you want to be out there. Now there are times for executive orders, like during a storm, I don’t give you a choice. I will take you off the street and let you fight all you want, but I’m not going to have you wake up in the morning extremely sick or find that you didn’t wake up in the morning…. When we try to help you, if you’re going to continue an alcohol or drug use or crime, and not taking your meds or not going to counseling, no, we can’t fix everything. That’s not what the government intended, it’s a safety net, again, not a comfortable hammock.”
M: “Just to wrap this up, what is your message to the homeless of Passaic?”
HL: “We see you. The reason why I named the resource Center Dignity House was not just to identify and acknowledge your dignity, but to remind all of us there’s dignity in every life, no matter what stage or condition we find that life in. It is not enough to simply provide help on a holiday like Thanksgiving. Let’s provide meals to the homeless. This is a chronic issue that needs to be addressed with compassion, your hearts and a pragmatic approach in order to maximize the resources that are available, whether to state funding or personal contributions from individuals, homeless individuals. We want to help you. We understand that you’re dealing with a lot of families and individuals who want to help the homeless. We must be able to distinguish between help and enabling. If I’m bringing money and food to a homeless individual who’s in the park every day, there is really no incentive to leave the park. I will have individuals drop off food and give me the money that I need to continue in whatever condition. I would suggest that if we collectively address the root cause by saying the services are here, come and receive them, while also providing food and blankets and opportunities to shower and do laundry. But make it something that’s conditional on receiving the help. There’s assistance programs that you should have make your condition right or rescue somebody from a storm. I don’t care if you’re drinking, you’re on drugs. My goal is to get you safe. But in order to provide you with permanent shelter and programs and a job, I’m going to need you to do your part. Participate in the program. You’re going to have to try to overcome the addiction. You don’t have to be perfect, but you’re going to have to try. I’ve hired many individuals that were previously homeless into our Department of Public Works. They begin cleaning sidewalks, they get cleaned up, they get an apartment, they become a full time employee. It’s wonderful. If you do your part, we’ll do ours. So to the homeless individuals that may read or find this a story, come to City Hall for help and you will receive it. Ask those that have a heart for the homeless to try to coordinate efforts and be responsible and consider there is appropriate help and always do this in a safe manner… Working groups and teams and trying to connect with existing agencies and organizations to provide this help and together all of us doing a little bit united, it will have a huge impact.”
Where Does This Leave Us?
Through both interviews, it can be concluded that there must be some miscommunication between the city and the homeless community. As many homeless people feel like they aren’t being helped, there are programs that are able to help and restore lives. The mayor of Passaic gives an extensive explanation on what their program does and how it works. The mayor also explains what the city does when temperature rises or drops to an extreme point to help homeless people stay alive and lessen the chances of these people getting extremely sick.
On the other hand, although there are pre-existing programs, homeless people must not be aware of the big help that can benefit them. There can be a lot of things that lead to this, meaning some homeless people, when they reach for help, are either kicked out, cut off, or denied any services, or just do not know that there is help out there.
It is understandable how many homeless can find themselves helpless, and it can be between the idea that they aren’t welcomed or feel safe in general when there is genuine help around. It can seem strange and out of this world for them, like a shock.
As a result, the best way we can be able to help those who are in need is by assisting them and bringing them to help. Since many homeless don’t know about the help that is offered, one of the solutions to better the situation of homelessness is by guiding them to help, being there for them through their recovery journeys and always making these people feel like they aren’t visible.
As a community, we should all stick together and help each other. With the empathy that most of the community of Passaic holds within their hearts, we can all help people get off the streets and help people restore their lives to feel like a true person once again.
