Destiny’s Bridge officially becomes a Non-profit for Ocean County Homeless

Destiny's Bridge is now a 501c3 organization after recently being approved by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit organization, according to Minister Steven Brigham, advocate for the former Tent City homeless camp in Lakewood. 

It took nearly ten years to achieve non-profit status, which Brigham said opens a very big  door.

"We can apply for government grants, which are available to 501c3's, and also it opens it up to the private sector. People can donate, and at the end of the year use it as a tax write-off." said Brigham.

Brigham estimated about one-million-dollars is needed for Destiny's Bridge to be able to  create a "tiny homes" neighborhood for the homeless.

"The core principles are that it be a community-type shelter of tiny homes," Brigham said. He added the people living there will be required to learn viable skills. "They will learn a trade and hopefully we'll find retired professionals who will be willing to teach the homeless a particular trade, they'll learn that trade, they'll practice that trade within the community. It will be like a micro-town, and then after two years, they'll be able to use those skills that they've learned and branch out into the broader community, and use those skills to be able to support their living," he said.

A location for the project in Ocean County is still needed. Brigham pointed out Tent City had existed for 8 years in Lakewood, until being legally forced to close a year ago.

"We're hoping that we could in some way convince the powers that be, that there is a need for a shelter. We had over 80 people in Tent City at the end, and so the need was demonstrated, that there's a need in suburbia, in this area for some type of shelter system," Brigham said, adding Destiny's Bridge would help fill that gap in Ocean County.

The idea of a homeless shelter has been met with concern. County officials have expressed opposition to the government having to take on the responsibility of operating such a facility, as opposed to a non-profit group being more suitable to running a shelter.

"We're going to develop this wherever we can develop it, but it has to be, I believe, somewhere close to this area," Brigham said. He noted Lakewood is a good location because of its proximity to Route 9 and public bus access.

"It's got a typically poor population. At least 70 percent of Lakewood is on some type of government assistance and so it shows there's a concentration of poverty in Lakewood, which would make it a good setting," Brigham added. "Or we could go a little further south and centralize in the population center of Ocean County."

Brigham said Destiny's Bridge is still gathering board members and hopes to meeting in the near future to plan fundraising strategies.

"We're very hopeful and thinking positive we're going to be able to achieve what's needed for the homeless of Ocean County soon," he added.