Temporary Emergency Shelter Plan
Two years ago on one of the coldest days of the year, The United Way of Hudson County’s President Dan Altilio received a distressing call from Hoboken Mayor Dave Roberts. A homeless person who had been living on the streets of Hoboken died from being outside in the cold. Mayor Roberts invited President Altilio to join a task force to take action so that something like this never happened again in Hudson.
After several failed attempts that included placing homeless people in hotels and the Multi-Service Center in Hoboken, Mayor Roberts, President Altilio and Hudson County Office of Emergency Management (HC-OEM) Director Jack Burns came up with the Temporary Emergency Shelter Plan that would be put into effect when the shelters are full and the temperature falls to 24 degrees or below. That’s when Director Burns will declare it a winter weather emergency and those who are homeless will be bussed to emergency facilities in Hudson.
Since 2006, the Temporary Emergency Shelter Plan has been put into effect, and now the directors of Hudson County’s three shelters coordinate with each other when the weather turns deadly so that no homeless person is left to die out in the cold.
