UPDATE: Though (approximately) 60 men live in this one building, BFCC management hasnt posted a single recommendation for how to keep safe during the current you-know-what other than a note warning residents to cover our faces when we pick up mail or pay our rent. Guess who the note does not apply to? Staffers. Go to the lobby for anything and 9 times out of 10 you get to see the entire face of the person youre dealing with. Management did decide it was important to post multiple signs warning us not to use the main stairwell to get to the lobby, because, yknow, RULES. Nice set of priorities there.There are crazy rumors (see that other, really strange review) floating around regarding this place, so as an 8-year (plus) resident, I thought Id address them in a sane way.A news story from 2009 confirms that BFCC management decided to sever their ties with the Ys organization. But some of the Ys rules still apply here, while some dont. The Y and BFCC have the same rules regarding visitors: theyre not allowed upstairs or in your room. Windows here are sealed shut and residents are not allowed to open them, same as the YMCA. But at the Y, residents have access to the gym facilities. BFCC residents do not have that privilege. And BFCC residents must enter through a side door, never the main entrance (this is stressed when you move in). Though our rents are (obviously) the single biggest source of income for the BFCC, we are nonetheless treated like second-class citizens.Aside from the women who make up the day staff and management, the other employees here are men who are also (generally) residents and they do their jobs pretty well. The place probably could use a professional security guard in the evening and on the weekends but no ones hanging around inside the building and intimidating/harassing others.The number of toilet and shower stalls seems good for the amount of guys we have living here. Ive never needed to \"go\" and found myself stuck for a spot. The bathrooms could be cleaner, but thats not really the fault of janitorial staff. Some residents here are lazy slobs + some are just not able to take care of themselves. Why BFCC management allows them in when they do not have staff on hand to clean up behind them is a question I have no answer for, but this contributes to the messiness of the bathrooms.The rents cheap considering the location (Hudson-Bergen Lightrail station is right across the street). The building is pretty solid - sound doesnt carry for the most part, though heating and air conditioning piping that runs through the rooms can sometimes carry noise from one room to another. My fellow residents are retirees, gentlemen with medical disabilities + a small number of guys who would be better off in a nuthouse. Maybe a third of the residents are gainfully employed (raises hand). If youve got a job, you may find yourself living next door to some joker who doesnt work and who watches television at all hours of the night, which you may have to listen to, depending on how the pipes are connected between your room and his. Just a warning.A person looking for a cheap room could do a lot worse than the BFCC. Its not great, but its decent. If youre a single guy who cant afford a studio apartment in the current market, the BFCC is still a better deal than most rooming houses in NJ. more ... hide ...
