Lakewood has been suffering from a persistent problem with car thieves and drugs, but one thought to have been mostly taken care of appears to be making a comeback: homelessness.
For years, the infamous homeless encampment known as “Tent City” was a scourge to Lakewood residents as its leaders and supporters fought legally to keep it at its location in the woods on Cedarbridge Avenue.
After finally reaching a deal to have it moved, many breathed a sigh of relief. But that relief seems to have only been short lived, as homeless individuals – many of them mentally ill – are taking up residence in Lakewood’s downtown, once a jewel of the township, now a wretched shell of its previous self.
