(Credit: Jai Gil, 2023)
At their first meeting, the task force on homelessness members paused for photo March 2, 2023.
The first meeting of the Saratoga Springs Homelessness Task Force Thursday March 2 considered many topics including whether code blue emergency homeless shelters — open only during the coldest months — or low-barrier, full-service homeless shelters are needed to best help the entire homeless population in the city.
Those on the task force who wanted to focus mainly on the code blue shelters argued that organizations such as Shelters of Saratoga do all they can to help the community.
Task force member Stephen Towne supported the work done by code blue and gave the most pushback against low-barrier shelter, though he and most members of the task force acknowledged the complexity of the issue and problems with any single answer.
“Yes, things right now are unacceptable, but what are other alternatives to something like low-barrier shelter that might be deemed more acceptable to the rest of the community?” he asked.
The statement was a referral to the recent attempt by the city to create a low-barrier shelter in the former senior citizen center on Williams Street. Parents from the Saratoga Central Catholic School next door pushed back and Shelters of Saratoga, a homeless advocacy group, stepped out of the planning for the Williams Street location, a move that angered Mayor Ron Kim.
Since then other news outlets have reported that the mayor has met with school officials to talk about using the Williams Street location.
[Read our coverage of homelessness, including about the Williams Street plan, here.]
On the other hand, concerns over whether or not full-service homeless shelters will provide enough incentive for attendees to become independent were brought up and met with some applause from the crowd.
However, multiple panelists said that any low-barrier shelter’s goal is not for attendees to stay, but to create a stepping stone for the homeless population on their way toward other kinds of supportive housing.
Task force member Maggie Fronk pointedly added that the alternative — what she called a failed DSS placement model, which moved the homeless into motels — had already been tried.
Sherie Grinter, another member, also helped to emphasize the low-barrier model’s ability to allow those in need to get proper sleep, a key factor in allowing homeless individuals to begin supporting themselves on their own. According to her, code blue’s current physical layout promotes unsafe living conditions that aren’t conducive to proper individual care.
Fronk posed a central question during the meeting: “How do we help folks who don’t have the time or energy to deal with their trauma?”
People who work with the homeless population often say that trauma — being unsure of sleeping arrangements or where a next meal will come from — often affect the way homeless people interact with others in the community.
The task force considered hybrid options that would incorporate features of both models, involving the loosening of certain standards at code blue that make it difficult for those who are unhoused to find shelter.
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One community member recounted a time when she could not help a blind, homeless man find shelter for a night due to code blue’s inability to let in someone who was legally from Schenectady. Many panelists followed this up by restating the importance and need for a new, “housing-first” model in Saratoga Springs.
Finally, they agreed that the topic was complex and scheduled their next meeting for March.
More discussions on the topic will take place biweekly, on Thursdays at 6 p.m., until a recommendation is made to the city council on July 8.
Mayor Ron Kim formed the homeless shelter during the Feb. 9 City Council meeting. Among the charges created for the task force:
- Recommend a suitable site for an all-day, year-round homeless shelter in Saratoga Springs.
- Recommend an agency that can provide a administration and help in that homeless shelter and navigation center in Saratoga Springs.
The task force: Aneisha Samuels-Sanford (Senior Planner, City of Saratoga Springs); Andrea Love Smith (appointed by Supervisor Tara Gaston); Stephen Towne (appointed by Supervisor Matt Vetch); Kate Halliday (appointed by Commissioner Jason Golob); Maggie Fronk (appointed by Mayor Ron Kim); Rev. Kate Forer (co-chair, appointed by Mayor Kim); Tom Roohan (co-chair, appointed by Mayor Kim); Hannah Hurley (appointed by Commissioner Minita Sanghvi); Sherie Grinter (appointed by Commissioner Dillon Moran); Lindsey Connors (appointed by Mayor Kim).