8/10/2019 Asbury Park Press front page Friday, Dec. 26 2014

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ONE LASTSTANDQuarterback Gary Nova is about to

take the final snaps of his college

football career, as Rutgers takes on

North Carolina in the Quick Lane Bowl

today. PREVIEW, IN SPORTS

TANYA BREEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Helping Hands, A3

PRESSREADERS

MAKEHOLIDAYMAGICAL

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VOLUME135

NUMBER 309

SINCE 1879

ADVICE JERSEY ALIVE

CLASSIFIED D10

COMICS JERSEY ALIVE

LOCAL A3

LOTTERIES A2

OBITUARIES A15

OPINION A18

SPORTS C1

WEATHER C12

WHEELS D1

THE INTERVIEWA BIG DRAW ATSHORE THEATERCine Grand Middlebrook 10 in Ocean

screens movie. STORY, A4

FRIDAY 12.26.14

LAKEWOOD TOT STRUCK, KILLED A3

Ring in the new year with

music,dancing and more.

JERSEY ALIVE!

LAKEWOOD Last Christmas, David Dixon spentthe holiday living in the woods.

This year, the Sayreville native planned to cook aham and serve it to his mother inside his Berkeleyapartment.

Ahh, I ate too much, Dixon recalls his mothersaying last month on Thanksgiving, after he servedher turkey, mashed potatoes, collard greens, stuffingand other trimmings. I told her, Ma, thats howyoure supposed to feel during the holidays.

But by next Christmas, Dixon fears he will be liv-ing outside again.

I dont know whats coming around the corner,said Dixon, 52, as one of his three cats stretched herlegs after emerging from under his couch. Im justtrying to appreciate what I have for the time being.

Dixon is one of dozens of people who were livinguntil recent months in Lakewoods Tent City ahomeless camp in the woods that the township emp-tied out this summer.

As part of a court order, the 125 who were counted aspart of an official census of the camp in 2013 were

entitled to a years worth of free housing, paid for pri-marily by Lakewood taxpayers.

But like Cinderella eyeing the clock as it approachedmidnight, people like Dixon know that their time insidea rent-free dwelling with heat and furnishings is tem-porary, a 12-month moment in time that will end soonerthan they would like.

For people who did not have a lot of skills or who haddifficult obstacles to overcome, it was not enough tojust afford them a place to live for a year, said MinisterSteve Brigham, who organized and oversaw Tent Cityfor several years. The system is really broken.

Those who were relocated out of Tent City were notsimply patted on the back and given the keys to anapartment, said Michael McNeil, executive director ofthe nonprofit Solutions to End Poverty Soon, or STEPS,which Lakewood tasked with the job of placement.

Rather, STEPS employees have tried to connect peo-

TANYA BREEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

David Dixon, a former resident of Lakewoods Tent City, discusses life in his new apartment in Berkeley on Monday.

INSIDE FORTHE HOLIDAYS

Tent Citys former

residents had a roof

over their heads this

holiday season. But

their free housing is

due to expire in 2015.

KEVIN PENTN @KEVINPENTONAPP

See INSIDE, PageA8

Holiday celebrates and teaches unity,

community building. STORY, A10

KWANZAABEGINS TODAY

CATHOLICS IN CUBA ENJOY MUTED DAY PAGE 1B