PORT JERVIS – A warm home, soft bed, shower, food, transportation, health care, time with family – simple things most people experience daily – were the focus of a recent nationwide survey and are the focus of Port Jervis’ Warming Station. Those without such life-basics were the emphasis of America’s annual homeless Point in Time (PIT) surveys, conducted last week in Port Jervis and throughout the nation.
Twenty-one sheltered or unsheltered individuals, each with no steady living quarters, were spoken to in Port Jervis on one day last week. Most who live in harsh, unsheltered conditions are not there by choice, but have hit personally insurmountable problems and see no clear path to gaining such creature comforts in life.
Port Jervis’ PIT Coordinator Jack Austin, who is also a founding member and Operations Manager for Port’s West Main Street Warming Station, said 19 of the 21 surveyed on January 27 were overnight Warming Station guests on the eve of America’s PIT count. The other two were encountered at Burger King, where homeless individuals often seek temporary warmth.
“We provided information to the two individuals, whom I had not never met before. They have since become regulars that we are trying to help through the Warming Station,” Austin said. “Once we achieve a level of trust with individuals, many of whom are very cautious, we are able to help them work step-by-step toward solutions.”
Austin and others at the Warming Station say individuals can become so immersed in the depth of problems that guidance is needed to begin to find positive ways out. A common first major problem often includes lost IDs, which are needed for nearly every next step.
“They may have lost their Social Security card, license, and other ID. We’ve driven individuals with no car to Monticello to get replacements the same day,” Austin said. “Once they have an ID, they can apply for other things, like rent assistance, an apartment, jobs, and medical care. We also help them address such issues as getting to work on time, having a place to shave, bathe, do laundry, and receive treatment for health concerns. They can even work on getting their GED through a program at the library.”
Problems described by Austin and others at the Warming Station are exactly what those who offered to share their situations publicly have encountered. A handful of recent Warming Station guests, each of whom were also part of Port’s January 27 PIT count, expressed appreciation for the hot meals (prepared and delivered daily by community volunteers), guidance, and warmth received at the Warming Station.
None had chosen homelessness as their preferred way of life.
Benji: “I lost everything when I separated from my wife. I have no ID, and I procrastinate. I feel like this is all my fault, but I’m trying to figure it out and not give up. I appreciate the help I’m getting to replace my documents and find more than the random jobs I’ve been working,” said 27-year-old Benji, originally from Middletown. “My family told me that I’m of age and it’s on me, and they’re right. So, for now I just walk around all day trying to stay warm while working on fixing this.”
Trying to stay warm is a major concern each day for those living outside in extreme weather. While the Warming Station is open from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day, only temporary stops may be found during the day.
David: “You can stay at the Warming Station from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. I then go to Burger King for a while, or the Salvation Army is open from 9 to 3. I then go to back to Burger King or the library until 5, or some days the library is open until 6 or 9,” said 25-year-old David, an Orange County Army veteran who was
spoken with at Burger King during the PIT count. “I have odd jobs, just not enough to get an apartment, and I have no family in the state. Jack (Austin) and Brian are both great. They’ve been helping me a lot.”
David said he plans to go to a Peekskill shelter next week, and then apply to HUD for Section 8 help in getting an apartment. He said he would love for this to be in Port Jervis but is grateful for any help.
HUD (Housing and Urban Development) is the sponsor of the PIT count, as administered through Orange County’s Continuum of Care (CoC) partnership to assist homeless individuals. CoC Director Michelle
Herrera was personally part of PIT’s count in Middletown, Newburgh, and Port Jervis. She was reached again by phone while checking on known unsheltered individuals during this week’s extreme cold.
Although the number of individuals living in wooded areas in Port Jervis has dropped in recent years, Herrera said other Orange County numbers have risen.
“There are a lot more than normal in some places, especially in Newburgh. Many are undocumented homeless, as well as those who are U.S. citizens. We spoke with them in parks and at gas stations and other places where they’ve found their way into communities and are homeless. Some had no coats,” Herrera said. “We’ve given out coats, snacks, and other help while trying to get them into emergency shelters and warming stations.”
While the official PIT count will not be fully calculated until around May, those who take part in it annually are grateful to be part of what they feel is vital outreach.
Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden and officers of his department are part of PIT’s outreach each year in Port Jervis, and also routinely check on those living outside to see if they are in need of help.
Past locations have included camps along Port’s railroad tracks, river banks, and wooded areas, and at times a bench inside City Hall by the Police Station.
Justin and Alexis: Thirty-four-year-old Justin and his wife Alexis, 23, have warmed up at times on that police bench and at other local places. They are frequently out in the cold. Spoken with during the PIT count while pushing a shopping cart full of their belongings along Hammond Street, the couple said they became homeless last July when their finances were not enough to keep their apartment.
While currently saving money and being guided through programs to find an affordable apartment, Alexis said much of each day is spent trying to stay warm and dry.
“We go into the bagel shop, Burger King, Salvation Army, and other places, but the hardest part is once the library closes. If you’re not spending money, you get kicked out of places like Burger King,” Alexis said. “We’ve been saving our money, and I think we’ll be able to get a place once we find one. Right now, we haven’t been able to find one.”
Anthony: One 60-year-old man, Anthony, was spoken with at Port’s Warming Station. He said he lived in an apartment building on New Ball Street for six years, until it was found to be unsafe by a building inspection last December.
“I’ve been homeless since the building was ordered to be shut down. I appreciate Jack, and Brian, and everyone here at the Warming Station, but the system just works against me,” Anthony said. “After I lost my apartment, I hired a mover who was supposed to take my stuff to W. Virginia – where I wanted to move to – but instead he took all of it to the Bronx. I have a car, but nothing else. I spend my days in my car, at McDonalds, or at the library, and nights at the Warming Station. I’m waiting for an FHA loan to come through.”
Hopes and dreams are part of most homeless individuals’ suppressed thoughts, according to Austin.
While they may see no path to achieving their dreams, they do have hope in solving problems – and one day accomplishing them.
“Some are transient individuals, just spending one or two nights while passing through. Others are chronically homeless. They may have mental health or substance or alcohol issues, or an array of contributing factors that make them lose sight of how to look ahead, regain initiative, and believe that
they can do it,” Austin said. “That’s what we try to help them with, gaining ambition and an awareness of how to develop a plan. Once we achieve a level of trust, we start working step-by-step to find a consistent direction.”
Kim: Kim is a 33-year-old mother whose five-year-old son is currently in foster care in Monticello. Her goal is to regain custody once she finds an affordable apartment and a way to support the two of them.
Born in Port Jervis, Kim has had difficulty living with family members in the past. She is seeking a more sustainable living situation for herself and her son.
“I’m a slow learner, but I’m working on getting my GED. I want to find a job that I am able to keep, but
with my health problems I am back at square one. I’m homeless,” said Kim. “I’m not moving in with family again, because it hasn’t worked out in the past. I’m trying to do what is best for me and for my son. I’m hoping to get an apartment through Section 8, and I’m glad for the help I’m getting through the Warming Station.”
Austin and others are envisioning what they hope could one day become an all-year program to help with such things, a way to continue help found in winter months at the Warming Station.
“We have Social Workers, volunteers, and others to help with the basic steps. While there’s no solid plan, we would really like this to become year-round,” Austin said. “We, and others working on this issue, would like to help everyone find a safe place to live where they can sit on a soft sofa, cook a meal, have creature comforts, and follow their wishes and dreams, but who may just not be aware of how to develop and follow a plan toward these ambitions.”
