An assembly line of double-masked volunteers gathered recently in Hackensack to stuff cookies, apples and water bottles into plastic grocery bags, knot them and add them to a growing pile of meals. The only sign the room used to house the homeless was a lone bunk bed and cot pushed against the wall.
The Bergen County Housing, Health and Human Services Center had operated a homeless shelter in this space since 2009, with 90 beds and room to accommodate 15 more people in the winter months.
But on April 15, 2020, leaders closed the shelter after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
So many people living in proximity to each other would have made the shelter a potential breeding ground for the rapidly spreading virus, so the county transported residents to four nearby motels, contracting with Christ Church Community Development Corporation.