Homelessness increases in Hudson Valley

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Total Homelessness by County in the Hudson Valley (Source: US HUD)

COUNTY
2017
2016

Columbia/Greene
144
116

Dutchess
388
363

Orange
350
343

Westchester
1,832
1,750

Rockland
170
141

Sullivan
167
163

Ulster
411
328

NEW YORK – Homelessness is up by 6.7 percent year over year in
January in the Hudson Valley, according to the latest US Department of
Housing and Urban Development statistics.
The annual report to Congress also found a 23.3 percent increase in unsheltered or “street” homelessness, a 0.5 percent increase in chronic or long-term homelessness, and an 11.2 percent increase in family homelessness. Veterans’ homelessness was down by eight percent.
Hudson River Housing headquartered in Poughkeepsie operates the only homeless shelter in Dutchess County – the Webster House in Poughkeepsie – and HRH Executive Director Christa Hines said that 60-bed facility is full every night and often, her agency must send homeless people to facilities in other areas.
What is needed, she said, is additional federal dollars to fund more permanent housing opportunities.
“What we really need is more permanent affordable housing,” Hines said. We don’t want any more shelters; it’s not an ideal situation for folks, so we definitely want to be building more or retrofitting existing spaces for affordable housing for the very low-income people.”
Hudson River Housing has just received a statewide award from the New York Housing Conference for retrofitting the Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory building into 15 residential units and 7,000-square feet of commercial space. The entire building is occupied. 




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