Chautauqua County is eyeing consolidating some of its social services in the city of Jamestown.

On Wednesday, the county legislature will be voting on a resolution to rent 2,180 square feet on the third floor of the Jamestown Municipal Building on East Third Street for the county’s Department of Mental Hygiene and Social Services.

Trish McClennan, the Deputy Director of Community Mental Hygiene Services, spoke about the resolution during the legislature’s Audit and Control Committee meeting.

She noted the county is likely going to have to make changes in 2026 due to changes at the state and federal levels of government.

“We are choosing as a county to be proactive and reactive, not to wait to be told what to do but to make sure we are being efficient and innovative in our choices,” she said.

Currently the county’s Mental Hygiene Department has its clinic operate out of the fifth floor of city hall.

The county’s Health Department is also using part of the third floor.

McClennan said the plan is to move the county’s mobile crisis team from its current location in Warwick Plaza in the town of Ellicott to the third floor of city hall.

They want to move the new integrated Mental Hygiene-Social Services home base community outreach program there.

There will also be a spot for the newly funded Office of Mental Health Court Navigators, which are being hired this year.

There will be a spot for the new Care Coordinator as well as the county’s Homeless Unit.

McClennan explained the rationale.

“When you look at those names … what they all have in common is that they do outreach in our community to ensure and to help make sure that we’re reducing our emergency room visits, that we’re helping use Medicaid effectively, that we’re helping to make sure homelessness is addressed, and the social drivers of health are addressed,” she said.

McClennan noted the various departments have to work together but have never had an opportunity to be close to one another.

“We’re looking at new innovative ways to partner together, to maximize revenue and new ways to be more efficient,” she said.

McClennan said the changes will not impact the 2025 or 2026 county budget. The reason for this is they’re taking lease money paid elsewhere and redirecting it to this new location.

McClennan believes that social services needs may increase should things like the Home Energy Assistance Program be eliminated.

“That could impact some families to say ‘We can’t afford our apartment or our house. We need emergency housing.’ That’s what’s going to cost the county,” she said.

Legislator Tamara Dickey, R-Jamestown, expressed her support for the resolution.

“I will definitely support centralizing those services so that you can be more efficient and your team can be more efficient,” she said to McClennan.

The Audit and Control Committee approved the resolution which allows for the full legislature to give its final approval at its next meeting.