(Credit: Steve Thurston, 2022)
Shelters of Saratoga Executive Director Duane Vaughn at his desk with his dog, Oliver. SOS will be developing more initiatives to fight homelessness this year.
A forum to stem homelessness and panhandling in Saratoga Springs will explore solutions to the issues such as low-income housing, assimilating the homeless back into the workforce, and a stronger cooperation with outreach programs, officials tell FoothillsBusinessDaily.com.
“It’s about taking a proactive approach,” said Mayor Ron Kim. “There’s not just one solution to this issue. Alternative solutions for each individual must be considered to get at why homelessness has reached this level.”
Saratoga is home to about 204 homeless people, according to caresny.org, the majority are white males over 30.
“Productive partnerships [between] politicians, outreach groups, and businesses is vital,” Kim said. “I will defer to the experts. They will lead the way, and we’ll act accordingly.”
The forum will be held in May. No specific date yet announced.
Homelessness is not new to Saratoga Springs, the region or the country. According to usafacts.org, homeless populations have gradually increased across America for over a decade, to more than a half-million today.
Among the responses to the problem in recent years is the RISE Community Outreach Court in Saratoga Springs.
Started in 2020, this program that keeps people out of jail as they deal with homelessness and substance abuse was universally supported by candidates in last year’s elections.
“The Community Outreach Court was designed in response to the concern by Saratoga Springs City Court officials of an increasing pattern of individuals experiencing street-homelessness and frequently failing to appear in Court or re-offending shortly after being convicted,” said Harlan Hall RISE's clinical director.
The issue of homelessness rises each spring as homeless people panhandle from others as everyone heads outside more often.
“Spring enhances the homeless issue,” said Duane Vaughn, the executive director of Shelters of Saratoga. “The weather is beautiful, people are outside and those in need become all the more visible.”
From November to April, organizations such as Shelters of Saratoga open their spaces, under the “Code Blue” designation, to provide safe overnight accommodations when the temperature drops below 32 degrees. The Shelters of Saratoga was open 155 nights during this last winter season, where volunteers served 5,000 hot meals to over 300 people in need, Vaughn said.
Winter shelters such as this diminish homeless visibility.
Woodlawn Avenue, two blocks west of Broadway, is a well-known homeless refuge among locals. Several homeless people are seen there at any time of day due to the Salvation Army’s close proximity.
An increased visibility could potentially pose a problematic question for local business. The prospect of panhandlers deterring shoppers on Broadway is a concern. Many business leaders have contacted outreach groups to see what they can do, Vaughn said.
At the same time, he thinks panhandling "is an economic decision" by the individual panhandlers. They congregate and panhandle where they think they will get money, he said. It is no different than an entrepreneur choosing a specific corner to open a business.
Rather than try to fix the entire problem all at once, Shelters of Saratoga will be implementing changes throughout this year, focusing on the basic needs of individuals. They are looking to change homelessness one person at a time, building a relationship with a homeless person, looking at what that person needs and addressing those issues, Vaughn said.
Shelters of Saratoga has also engaged two Skidmore students to research the cause of homelessness in surrounding communities and to organize their findings and present ideas for solutions to the mayor and business leaders in the city. They are not discussing their findings yet, but could be announced at the forum in May.
“Officials and business leaders are always working with us to find a solution,” Vaughn said. “They really do care about their community. It’s on all of us to work together to develop programs to combat the issue.”