Homeless Woman Saved In Hoboken Ahead Of Deadly N.J. Cold Snap

Hoboken, NJ – Hudson County’s homeless will face a tough weekend.

As Hudson County forecasters call for “bitterly cold temperatures” until Sunday, emergency responders are warning of “dangerously cold air” that has the potential to kill. For a homeless resident – or anyone else caught unprepared in the freezing cold – the wind chill can mean frostbite and hypothermia within 30 minutes, officials warn.

In a county that reportedly had the third-most homeless in the state last year, freezing to death is a serious danger when the temperature gauge dips too low.

• See related article: Hudson County Has Third-Most Homeless Residents In New Jersey

But thanks to the efforts of a good Samaritan and some well-timed donations from the local community, one homeless woman in Hoboken -and her cat - will have a safe place to ride out the chill.

Since first being launched a week ago, an online Go Fund Me campaign has raised more than $9,000 in support of an elderly woman named Joan, who was recently stuck on the cold streets of Hoboken with nowhere to go.

“I met Joan and Tux, a homeless woman and her cat, when I started working in Hoboken last year,” the campaign’s organizer Kerry Dunn wrote on Feb. 5.

“I would see them resting in the train station waiting room or spending time on a bench on Washington Street. I wasn’t sure how I could help them, but I had to figure out something. I got to know Joan and found that her story is heartbreaking. She worked for 47 years as a cleaning woman and was a contributing member of society. All of her family has passed away and she is all alone. Her only family is Tux, her black and white cat. Joan lived in affordable housing, but the building was closed and all of the tenants were forced to leave. She was unable to find someplace to live that she could afford. That was more than a decade ago and since that time, Joan has been living on the streets.”

Joan is now in her 70s and has health problems that are currently untreated, Dunn stated.

Things could have ended up very badly if the Hoboken resident had been left to fend for herself during this upcoming cold snap. But luckily, someone was there to step in and make Joan’s welfare their own cause.

“With the help of some amazing women, Joan and Tux moved into an Extended Stay America on Friday,” Dunn wrote. “It will take a few months for social workers to secure an affordable place for Joan and Tux and we would like to keep them in the hotel until housing is found especially during the winter months. Any additional money raised will be used to help Joan pay off medical bills and buy some things for her new home.”

The online campaign to raise $6,000 has paid off. Just one week after launching the fundraiser, organizers have raised more than $9,100.

“I spoke to Joan last night and she is so humbled by the outpouring of support she has received over the past few days,” Dunn wrote in an update on Friday.

“She wanted to say thank you and that she misses all of her friends in Hoboken. She is so happy that she and Tux won’t have to be outside during this frigid weather. She has been booked in the hotel for another 60 days and we are hoping that housing comes through within that time. Joan would love to find affordable housing in Hoboken because she feels such a sense of community in this city. Team Joan will keep doing everything possible to find her housing, so she and Tux will have a place to call their own.”

See the online campaign here.