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| The presently-shuttered Barnabas House, 436 W. Garfield Avenue |
A crowd of over 100 Wildwood residents and property owners packed a county freeholders' meeting on Tuesday to voice opposition to the idea of a homeless shelter in town.
The matter originated when Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton made remarks at a January meeting of the Cape May League of Municipalities, suggesting the possible reopening of Barnabas House on W. Garfield Avenue.
Barnabas House, a former shelter owned by the Atlantic City Rescue Mission (ACRM) closed due to flood damage from Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano took center stage at the freeholders' meeting, speaking out against the notion of opening a new shelter and engaging in an emotional, at-times-fiery exchange with Thornton, chronicled here by The Cape May County Herald:
Several residents also spoke, echoing the consensus that placing a shelter in a tourist town where work is difficult to come by in the winter months would be a bad mix. Wildwood Chief of Police Robert Regalbuto stated that Wildwood's homeless population was nonexistent.
Thornton explained that the idea of reopening Barnabas House as a homeless shelter did not include the addition of a detox center, a rumor that had been making the rounds. He stated that he plans to put together a committee from Wildwood, along with Middle & Lower townships to further address the topic.
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