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“This started after my administration began in June 2022 to collaborate together to try to reach out to those who are at risk of being homeless or are homeless to give them opportunities to accept services, housing or job placement,� Reynolds said. “The homeless population is the most vulnerable because they are victims of crime, witnesses of crime and they are committing low-level crimes just to survive. They need the opportunity to lift themselves up and they need someone to help them get there.�

Reynolds has made it his mission to eradicate the issue in the resort since stepping into the position two years ago.

Of the more than 38,000 people who live in the resort, Reynolds estimates about 250 are homeless. The outreach program sees about 20 each sweep, but the group has seen as many as 60 in the past.

Erin Bowes, director of the Atlantic Homeless Alliance for Jewish Family Service, which was established 10 years ago, said the agency has seen more than 1,100 people throughout the county come in for help since January.

“Around 575 said they were experiencing homelessness either sheltered or unsheltered,� Bowes said. “That number has increased compared to the Point-in-Time study from last year, but the biggest increase we’ve seen is the amount of people that are at risk.�

The Point-in-Time study is conducted yearly by Monarch Housing Associates and counts the homeless population in every county in the state with the goal of allocating services to prevent and end homelessness.

This year’s study found that more than 12,600 people across the state were experiencing homelessness Jan. 23, the day the count was conducted.

More than 420 people were reported to be homeless in Atlantic County, while in neighboring Cumberland and Cape May counties, more than 200 people said they were experiencing homelessness.

Kasey Vienckowski, senior associate at Monarch, said as the homeless population in the state continues to increase, vacancy rates for rental properties continue to drop, which adds to the problem.

“There was a 24% overall increase in persons experiencing homelessness since 2023, and a 14% increase in households with children experiencing homelessness,� Vienckowski said in a statement. “The data also shows that vacancy rates drop from 3.7% in 2022 to 3.1% in 2023. This creates a crisis for persons in the state with low or very low incomes.�

The city has taken several steps in recent years to address the homeless situation, including passing an ordinance that banned sleeping on the streets and developing a Boardwalk Improvement Group.

However, homelessness remains a major issue in the city, and encampments started a spate of Boardwalk fires earlier this year. One of them killed a 67-year-old man who was sleeping under Central Pier in April. The fire damaged the pier and forced it to be closed all summer.

Reynolds regularly attends homeless outreach events with other representatives from his office, a city police officer and a representative from Jewish Family Service.

A recent morning sweep began with participants gathering at Arkansas Avenue and the Boardwalk before heading toward Bally’s Beach Bar to search for homeless under the Boardwalk and to speak to two people sitting on the boards with several bags admiring the view of the ocean.

Throughout the two-hour walk, the group stopped to talk with homeless people who were at Brighton Park, behind a building on Indiana Avenue and sitting on the Boardwalk near Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. Each person was wearing a jacket, and some were bundled up under several blankets with items such as shopping bags, tents, suitcases, umbrellas and beach chairs surrounding them.

A hypodermic needle was lying in the middle of the Boardwalk near one person but was quickly discarded by a sanitation worker.

Reynolds said homeless people shelter in various locations throughout the city and some will move when they know members from the outreach program are coming.

“We have found them in the bus station, Brighton Park, City Center Park, under the Boardwalk and the parking garages and inside the towers for the casinos,� Reynolds said. “Those places can be protected from the elements, and they can close doors to get some sense of privacy in those areas. I describe the casinos as a “lifeboat� for them because they have access to heat, water and food.�

This year, officials broke up two large homeless encampments, one along Route 30 near the Marina District and the other in Galloway Township along the White Horse Pike.

Reynolds said there haven’t been many issues with large groups of homeless people outside those encampments.

“We were able to get those people off and out here,� Reynolds said before looking over at a homeless person he recognized. “There hasn’t been large encampments since the one at Borgata. It seems the groups are under five. When I first started, there were concentrations of people under the pier near Caesars. I think they know it brings attention to themselves when they coordinate together, so it hasn’t been an issue recently.�

When approaching a homeless person, an officer asks them multiple questions, including what brought them to the resort, how long they’ve been there, whether they have family in the area and what can be done to help them. Unemployment, drug addiction and mental illness are among the top reasons people are homeless in the area, Reynolds said.

Bowes said the services for individuals vary depending on their situation.

“We start with an assessment to figure out basic needs,� Bowes said. “Some people come in and need medical intervention, human trafficking or domestic violence, so we try to connect them to those resources immediately. Then if it isn’t an immediate safety concern, we figure out their history and go from there.�

Reynolds said a homeless person can be in the area anywhere from a few days to more than two decades. He said the number of people who accept help varies from day to day.

“I would say a third do,� Reynolds said. “There are days where we’ll get like 10 in a row and others where we’ll get no one. It all depends on the person and if they want to go. It’s an ongoing struggle and is a case-by-case basis.�

Reynolds recalled a moment when he encountered a young couple sleeping next to Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and got them bus tickets home to Florida within a few hours.

“They were probably both in their mid-20s and struggling with addiction,� Reynolds said. “They were sleeping on the Mississippi Avenue side of the building. It was pitch black outside, and they looked up and said, ‘We’re willing to go.’ That day, we had someone get them to the bus station, get them on a bus and buy them a cellphone. Then they confirmed with us later they got back to Florida. That all happened in a couple hours, so it’s pretty interesting people are willing to do it.�

Bowes said a traveler’s assistance program funded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has reunited 77 people from in and out of the state with their families.

“We try to connect people back to where they came from,� Bowes said. “If someone is not from here, we do explain that there are limited resources for them because we primarily focus on our own community. We do offer suggestions for resources they could use, but we do tell them that they don’t have a lot of shelter or financial options. So that’s why we use low-barrier resources like Greyhound to get those who are from other counties in the state or are from another state back home.�

Reynolds hopes a more coordinated effort between his office, police and agencies in the city will allow for the homeless population to drop.

“The ultimate goal would be to have a single point of contact with stable housing,� Reynolds said. “We want people to be able to come in to one place no matter if it’s for wound care, social services or mental health. Then at the same time, we need a social worker to get them a place to lay their head down and lock their belongings up.�