A Paterson woman is single-handedly keeping dozens of families off the streets. She is helping them navigate government red tape and fighting evictions when no one else will.
Paterson woman pulls families back from the brink
Jamie Jacobs lost her home in February after her landlord failed to secure permits for a rooming house. The 47-year-old spent only a few nights in a hotel before social service officials moved her to another rooming house.
James “Knowledge” Braxton, 55, survived on couches and cars after his release from jail in 2024. He finally received a rent voucher for an apartment, but when he qualified for social security benefits.
Dondray Goodwin, 56, who sometimes struggles to walk due to deep vein thrombosis, received his eviction papers just weeks before Christmas. Like Braxton, he lost his rent voucher after qualifying for social security.
All three say they would be on Paterson’s streets today if not for the Tenant Assistance Program Services (TAPS). This is also includes the fierce, knowledgeable advocacy of its leader, Barbara Martinez.
Goodwin said Martinez helped him navigate government red tape. This is to remain in his home despite the pre-holiday eviction threat.
“I love the fire they have when they fight for people and help us get what we deserve. They don’t let anybody push us around or away,” Goodwin said
Martinez’s own shelter past fuels her fight
Many TAPS clients are street-smart people who have navigated the criminal justice system. They know how to hustle for food and short-term shelter in Paterson’s poorest neighbourhoods.
But they often lack experience dealing with government bureaucrats and social service agencies. That is where Martinez steps in.
Braxton said Martinez coached him on exactly which words to use to extend his rent voucher after his Social Security benefits kicked in. Martinez insists she did not learn her advocacy skills in a college classroom.
“It all came from my own experience. I was a single mother with four kids,” she said.
In another development, U.S. missionary Alex Barbir has rebuilt 35 homes in Yelewata after a violent attack displaced residents and destroyed property. The reconstruction followed months of insecurity in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, where residents fled their homes.