Helping Our Friend Joe

You know our neighbor Joe. He has been a treasure to so many of us in northeast Hoboken. Since the pandemic began, many of you have asked about his well being and offered your support to help him. Two years ago, when we were in the throws of COVID, everything was shut, and the ferries were not operating, we saw that Joe was struggling because he relied on interacting with generous neighbors and selling them much appreciated water on hot (and not so hot) days.

 

With the generosity of many of our neighbors, I raised a gofundme last year for Joe that provided him with approximately $250-300 of steady monthly income he could rely on during the pandemic as well as a new mobility escooter that a generous family paid for. I closed that gofundme once we achieved our goal and on September 15th I provided the last of those dollars that we raised.

 

I speak with Joe regularly and help him with many issues he has contended with like restoring his medicaid and routinely bringing my tools to his house to fix his mobility scooter!  And now helping him to find a new mobility wheelchair.  What we learned last over the past year and a half, is that his disability check covers all of his monthly expenses, but leaves little room for extras.

 

Right now, Joe has a large PSEG bill that is outstanding - approximately $2,000 - that I would use the funds to pay.  I have spoken with his sister who said this is the best way for us to help him.  Once I raise this amount, as before, I take on the responsibility to make sure it gets to the right hands - PSEG. 

Thank you in advance for considering helping our neighbor Joe. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at 201/208-1674 or [email redacted] .

 

Tiffanie Fisher

Hoboken City Council, 2nd Ward