LIBERTY – During a period from federal fiscal years 2016-2018, the number of homeless cases rose from 707 to 920 in Sullivan County.
The number of cases in the 2019 fiscal year dropped to 810, but William Moon, the acting commissioner of the county’s Health and Family Services Department, which identifies the homeless and takes care of them, is still concerned.
“I’m worried about it because we need to be able to decrease it, and I think it’s a solve-able issue. It’s not too far out of control we can’t make a difference, but we need to come at it with a different aspect.”
Moon was part of a roundtable discussion about homelessness Thursday, hosted by State Senator Jennifer Metzger, and he suggested establishing an intake and processing center for homeless individuals and families. At its peak in the fiscal year 2018, 213 children were considered homeless with 707 adults.
“We need to develop programs beyond that are for our families,” said Moon. “We need a consolidated family program, which we don’t have.”
The roundtable included non-profit advocates and representatives from Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties, and the discussion looked at how the mentally ill cope with homelessness, transportation issues, and state programs that are overly restrictive to access housing assistance.
“People need to recognize that housing insecurity and homelessness are just not urban issues. It’s a rural issue, too. The challenges are a lot greater in rural areas in some ways,” said Senator Metzger. “If the housing is not accessible by public transportation, then like it’s not available.” And a hot economy combined with the region’s expensive housing market, have made it difficult for those working to keep a roof over their head.
“The economy has changed,” said Metzger. “Many of the people who are housing insecure, they are working not just one job, but two or three jobs, and they are just not making enough to survive.”
