As Camden runs out of emergency housing funds, displaced woman turns to CBS Philadelphia for help
The city of Camden in New Jersey has run out of money in its emergency housing fund, leaving a woman to live out of her car for weeks. Jewel Williams turned to CBS News Philadelphia for help.
Williams and her two sons lived in a house on Chase Street for three years, but last month the city of Camden posted a notice on the door that said, "This building is declared unsafe for human occupancy."
For weeks, Williams said she'd been sleeping in her car while her sons stayed with their father. When not working as a kitchen server at a senior living center, she said she was searching for housing and even applied for emergency assistance through the city but was denied.
Williams showed CBS News Philadelphia the letter from the Camden Department of Human Services, which said, "No available emergency funds for clients/tenants."
CBS News Philadelphia started asking questions, and the day after we met with Williams, Camden's Housing Bureau helped Williams find a temporary apartment at a low cost.
"I talked to you, and you said you were going to investigate and give them a call and find out what's going on, then apparently they told us to meet up here and that they was going to see if they could help us get housing," Williams said.
A spokesperson with the city of Camden said the city ran out of funds for emergency housing and they are "now waiting for the funds to be released" from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Williams said she's still looking for something permanent, but this helps her get back on her feet.
"It's a roof over my head. Me and my kids are together," she said.
The city said there's a waitlist for emergency assistance but could not give a timeline for when the federal funds would arrive and be distributed to people who need help.
