Officials are trying to determine whether a Good Samaritan in New Jersey can have his welfare benefits restored.
James Brady was homeless when he found $850 on the street after leaving a shelter in Hackensack and turned it over to police in April. Police returned the money to him last month after no one claimed it.
The Hackensack Human Services Department denied General Assistance and Medicaid Benefits to Brady through Dec. 31 because he failed to report the income.
Bergen County officials are reviewing the rules to see if Brady's benefits can be restored.
Hackensack Mayor John LaBrosse tells The Record newspaper he would like to see the decision reversed.
“But I don’t know how we’re going to do that yet,” LaBrosse said.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
The local United Way chapter has already raised $3,500 for Brady, who recently found housing.
“Our intent is to use the dollars to make sure he doesn’t lose his housing and that he has what he needs in order to be safe and sound,” United Way chapter president Tom Toronto told the paper.
