Street outreach continues to be a crucial part of ensuring that those in need are able to be connected with the proper services to help meet their needs.

In Chautauqua County, much of this street outreach is performed by a dedicated group of volunteers. With the winter season coming in full force, connecting resources to those that need them is becoming more crucial.

Street outreach in the area is coordinated by the Chautauqua County Homeless Coalition. The homeless coalition organizes a variety of different groups from the area including their very own Chautauqua Opportunities Inc. These outreach teams go out and visit encampments, or unhoused individuals and groups, to inform them of services that are available. These street outreach workers are essentials to helping provide harm reduction services, breaking down barriers to housing, and giving referrals to the necessary groups and services. With such brutal snowy conditions arriving, it is crucial to continue street outreach to prevent people from grave danger in these conditions.

Amanda Straight, COI director of home, business, and asset development, detailed the ways that the street outreach teams typically collect information through.

Straight stated that the group gets emails notifying them of homeless groups from Mayor Kim Ecklund’s office, emails and calls from community members, and emails from other assistance agencies in the county. These groups notify the team of homeless groups, or even singular individuals. Straight stated that once the organization receives a notification about an encampment, the team sends out a group to that location to gauge needs and give information about services.

With reports to the coalition alleging that there is a rise of encampments in Jamestown once again, the need for street outreach volunteers is only increasing. Currently, there are about 10 agencies from across the county that are involved in the street outreach initiatives. These organizations include Chautauqua County Mental Hygiene, Chautauqua Opportunities Inc., Evergreen Health Services, the Mental Health Association, Recovery Options Made Easy, Safe Point Lighthouse, the Salvation Army, Southern Tier Environments for Living, UCAN City Mission, and the Veterans Affairs of Western New York.

“I want to encourage people that are experiencing homelessness to reach out if they are comfortable,” said Straight. “There are resources available, and the agencies in this community really want to help anybody that is dealing with a crisis.”

Community members that are interested in assisting the street outreach efforts are encouraged to reach out to Chautauqua Opportunities Inc. Information on encampment locations can be reported to (716) 951-6100, or to Homeless Coalition Board Member Gina Ward at wardg@stel.org. For more information contact (716) 661-9430.