NJ Senator Goes Undercover at Homeless Shelter

A New Jersey lawmaker who once served as the state's acting governor has gone undercover to research conditions at a Newark homeless shelter.

State Sen. Richard Codey, who has worked for years to improve conditions at shelters, boarding homes and mental health facilities across the state, recently spent the night at the Goodwill Mission in Newark

Codey dressed himself in old clothes and a dirty hooded sweatshirt to appear down-and-out. He wore a fake beard, phony tattoos and had a makeup artist make his teeth look tobacco-stained and his face appear worn.

After being allowed in the shelter Monday night, Codey said he was given a thin bedroll - about an inch thick - and a thin blanket. He then slept on the floor in a room with 20 other men.

The Essex County Democrat told The Star-Ledger that he began researching Newark's homeless shelters last November. He has since discovered what he calls a broken system that makes it nearly impossible for homeless men with mental illnesses, or those who don't receive public assistance, to gain access to a shelter.

“The experience was better than I expected, but sad that your dignity is really taken away by having to sleep on a floor with a small bedroll and a blanket, and that's it,” Codey told the newspaper.

The overnight stay wasn't Codey's first undercover effort. In 1989, he spent the night at a state mental health facility to expose what he called shoddy hiring practices at state mental health facility.

Codey served 14 months as governor after Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004, and he's been mentioned as a possible challenger to Republican Gov. Chris Christie in 2013.