Jon Bon at Joseph's House Shelter...

Jon Bon Jovi, Camden officials, open Joseph's House shelter

 

CAMDEN — Michael Reider of Blackwood was an auto mechanic for nearly 30 years.
He also collected and cashed in scrap metal.

“Scraping sometimes leads to stealing,” Reider said. “Most places we had permission to take scrap metal, but some places we weren’t cleared to be there.”

Reider was arrested and charged with third-degree theft and unlawful taking, and housed in the Salem County Correctional Facility for six months.

“I served my time, and when I came out, I found myself in a homeless position,” he said, standing outside of Joseph’s House of Camden, a new 75-bed homeless shelter on Atlantic Avenue.
Reider has been spending his nights at Joseph’s House since March 4.

“This is a truly needed service for the people of Camden,” he said. “What a blessing this place is.”
Though Joseph’s House of Camden opened its doors to those in need in late January, the shelter celebrated its grand opening April 1.

“When Jesus was born, they couldn’t find a home for him,” said Monsignor Robert McDermott, pastor at St. Joseph’s Pro-Cathedral. “A homeless shelter is a place for people without a home to come to.”

Partially funded by the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, Joseph’s House holds a special place in Jon Bon Jovi’s heart.

“Today I feel a little more alive,” Bon Jovi said at the grand opening celebration. “Just being here makes me feel like we’re participating in life.”

"Jamaica," a regular guest at Joseph’s House, shared part of his life story and how he ended up at the shelter.

“Homelessness is a challenge that has existed for a long time, and will exist for a much longer time,” Jamaica said.

Jamaica said he has dealt with homelessness twice in his lifetime, the most recent culminating with a tragic accident on Oct. 23.

“On Oct. 2, I had a heart attack at work and was hospitalized. I was removed from work for two weeks,” he said.

Once out of the hospital and recovering, Jamaica was at a train station headed to New York on Oct. 23 when he passed out, fell onto the train tracks and was run over by the train, losing both legs in the accident.

“One day I was employed and functioning, the next day I was unemployed and a double amputee,” Jamaica said.

The doors at Joseph’s House open every day at 9 p.m.

“They leave at 9 a.m. unless they are staying to see a provider,” said John Klein, executive director at Joseph’s House.

In addition to providing shelter to those in need, Joseph’s House connects homeless people with local social service providers who can offer more permanent solutions to homelessness, including veterans services, connection to benefits, counseling services, job and housing referrals, and medical and prenatal care.

“We hope to get to a point where the guests trust us so we can build a rapport with them and we can help them one person, one connection at a time,” Klein said.

Bon Jovi said Joseph’s House is filling a gap in homeless services which has already been witnessed by the high volume of homeless people who have utilized the shelter.

“This is a testament of what can happen when we put the power of ‘we’ to work,” he said.
Joseph’s House is located at 555 Atlantic Ave., in Camden.

For more information, visit www.josephshouseofcamden.org.

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