County may again use hotels that were shut down for homeless
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Two hotels in the county that had unhoused residents pulled from their facilities due to poor conditions may once again house homeless people, but only if the living facilities improve.
In September, the Chautauqua County Legislature's Human Services Committee met with Diane Anderson and Charlene Johnson, both with the Department of Social Services.
At that meeting, Johnson said at that time there were about 20 families that Chautauqua County had been housing outside the county limits. Some were in Erie County, N.Y., while others were in Cattaraugus County.
Chautauqua County began housing people outside the county limits earlier this year after DSS would no longer house their clients at the Clarion Pointe Hotel, formerly known as the Comfort Inn on Route 60 just outside of Jamestown, and the former Econo Lodge on Route 60, Fredonia.
The decisions were made, in consultation with local building inspectors, due to poor condition of the facilities.
During the committee meeting, county lawmakers asked Anderson and Johnson if there were any new places for homeless people for the upcoming winter.
"Within Chautauqua County, there aren't very many," Anderson said. "We're waiting for the two that we used previously to get their code violations fixed before we can start putting people back there."
Johnson added that should the local code enforcement officers OK the properties for occupancy, DSS wants assurances that the properties will be taken care of.
"It's a discussion to work with them to ensure the facility is going to remain in proper condition while people are housed there," she said.
She also said that if the facilities don't pass inspection, the county won't use them.
"We just wouldn't place anybody there if there were violations, and they won't get that money," Johnson said.
In an interview with The Post-Journal that ran last weekend, Director of Community Mental Hygiene Services for Chautauqua County Carmelo Hernandez noted how the state requires counties to pay 71% of the cost of mandated housing requirements and the state pays 29%. He said that caused Chautauqua County to spend $10 million in 2025 and are preparing to budget $12.5 million next year.
He also predicted that a new single male shelter would reduce hotel use for the homeless by 60%.