To address the issue, like any issue, the first step is acknowledging it.

Thursday, for more than an hour, two prominent figures in Chautauqua County’s fight to address homelessness spoke to approximately 50 people that nearly filled a room of the Williams Center at SUNY Fredonia. The event was organized by the League of Women Voters.

Carmelo Hernandez, Director of Mental Hygiene Services for Chautauqua County, and Amanda Straight, Deputy Director of Housing and Community Development at Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc., each shared their expertise in supporting the unhoused, along with ways to help.

As of Thursday afternoon, 132 individuals are in temporary housing in Chautauqua County, including 63 single males, 32 single females and 36 families. A Chautauqua Opportunities youth shelter is also currently housing six individuals.

“This is the highest number we have ever seen,” Straight said. “We’ve never experienced this much homelessness in the county before.”

In 2019, there were 541 individuals receiving services from the county. In 2022, that number climbed to 816. The Department of Social Services office in Jamestown recorded more than 40,000 visits last year. The first step to receiving assistance is to visit the Department of Social Services, which has offices in Dunkirk, Mayville, and Jamestown.

Six individuals were identified in the county as “street homeless” and not receiving services from the county, but officials from the city of Jamestown claimed that number was far lower than the reality. Straight speculated the actual figure of street homeless individuals is closer to 30, not including those who are sleeping in vehicles or “couch-surfing.” Straight acknowledged many statistics regarding unhoused individuals are underreported. A reason for that is the inability to track those who are in need of services but do not reach out for assistance, including unhoused individuals living on the street or in vehicles, or those who are couch-surfing without their own residence.

“The number six is a very low number. For me, growing up in the city of Dunkirk, I see way more homeless people just by going shopping,” said County Legislator Marcus Buchanan. “That will be a concern of mine and I’m willing to do whatever we need to work on that.”

Currently in Chautauqua County, temporary housing for individuals in need of assistance is provided through several hotels and motels across the county, including the Dunkirk Motel, the Econolodge on Route 60, and the Thruway Motel in Westfield across the north county, and the Clarion Pointe in Jamestown, and two hotels in Falconer, the Quality Inn and the Budget Inn in the southern end of the county.

“The capacity for us to find places for them to live, it just doesn’t exist,” Straight said. “… There are places available, but they are very limited.”

The spaces also fill up quickly because neighboring counties send unhoused people to Chautauqua County when there is no more room in their own county. While Hernandez noted Chautauqua County has not had to resort to that itself, it has been close to that point “a couple times this year.” Hernandez said counties are “depleted” of services across the state.

Chautauqua Opportunities has two single-family homes in the city of Dunkirk and one in Jamestown. Chautauqua Opportunities also recently broke ground on a new facility, Hope Haven Women’s Shelter, which will house single women in need of housing. It is not designated as a domestic violence shelter, but rather as a place for single women to feel safe while receiving housing assistance.

In Chautauqua County in 2022, it was reported that $1.36 million was spent on temporary housing in the county. Chautauqua Opportunities has exhausted nearly all of its funding already this year, with 73 families assisted within the first quarter of 2024.

“There is always a need for more money, but the fact is that there is not enough housing. There is not enough affordable housing or safe housing,” Straight said.

The lack of available housing options was amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of the eviction moratorium, many landlords did not receive rent payments from tenants. Since then, rent has increased dramatically.

“The system, especially post-Covid, has become overwhelmed,” Hernandez said.

Prior to the pandemic, the fair market rent for a one bedroom apartment was $567 per month including utilities. Currently, that figure is $711, and the slight increases to public assistance allowance has not grown enough to cover the increase.

Chautauqua County is reimbursed approximately 70% on emergency housing costs. However, those funds are specifically allocated for uses such as hotels as emergency options, rather than more permanent solutions.

The cost for an individual to be housed in a hotel is approximately $85 per night, which totals more than $2,500 per month. The average length of stay for individuals receiving assistance in 2023 was approximately 65 days. Public welfare legislation at the state level limits the ability for more cost effective solutions.

“The way that everything was written years and years ago doesn’t match the reality,” Straight said. She noted that a leader in the State Bar Association is focused on homelessness to provide equitable solutions.

Straight also noted discussions with landlords to make rent more affordable as another major issue to address. Many landlords are out of town or out of state residents, which makes coordinating with the county much more difficult, especially without a personal connection to the area. Additionally, many properties are taken off the market because of the cost to manage rental properties, and other properties now operate as short-term rental properties rather than traditional rentals.

“It’s really, really tough to convince someone – who can get a ton of money – to lower their price,” Straight said.

In terms of major developers building a facility to address homelessness, Hernandez noted, “The biggest challenge is receiving buy-in from everyone.”

Straight also referenced the “benefits cliff”, where the assistance received surpasses the amount an individual can readily make when employed. Because most benefits are lost once an individual becomes fully employed, it is not beneficial for them to seek employment in the current system.

“People literally refuse more hours at work,” Straight said. “… They can’t afford to work.”

Straight noted that a variety of reasons lead unhoused individuals away from seeking assistance, including mistrust of law enforcement or negative previous experiences. However, a major factor is that individuals in the north county do not want to be relocated to Jamestown because the options are more available and less costly in the southern end of the county.

Straight highlighted the encouraging turnout Thursday at SUNY Fredonia because the majority of the discussion surrounding homelessness is often focused on Jamestown because of its more affordable housing options, more available shelters, and more mental health service offices.

“We help a lot of people, and there are a lot of amazing agencies and people in this community that are so dedicated,” Straight said. “… It’s not all dismal. The more that we are able to share and get people together, the better things will be.”

When asked by Mike Bobseine, the former chair of the Chautauqua County Legislature, on what is needed to be helpful to combat homelessness, Straight noted support from the county and from residents for affordable housing options to be made available. She also highlighted tolerance, emotional support and understanding for those in need of assistance.

“If you hear somebody talking about unhoused people in general … take a second to stop and remind them that they are human beings,” Straight said. “Everybody can make a mistake, and a lot of people are one paycheck away from an emergency. … A lot of the customers that we work with, they fell on hard times … but they still deserve a fair chance and they still deserve to have a house to live in.”