The first step is admitting you have a problem.

That’s the first thing that came to mind this week when Chautauqua County officials sent a news release outlining solutions to decrease burdens on emergency housing. The release comes after months of complaints from Falconer officials and residents about increases in crime and disturbances around the Budget Inn, a facility that is often used by the county for emergency housing.

But let’s not call this a solution or a plan. It’s a vision statement — and a vision statement is woefully inadequate at this point.

The total number of homeless, and those at risk of homelessness, greatly increased post-pandemic in Chautauqua County, with Chautauqua Opportunities Inc. reporting from over 800 individuals in 2020, over 1,000 in 2021, to now nearly 1,500 in 2022. While the homelessness problem has grown, other underlying issues like mental health and addiction have been lurking beneath the surface for years largely untreated. And let’s not forget this isn’t the first time issues with emergency housing — particularly at the Budget Inn — have been raised.

We are woefully late in coming up with a vision statement to fix problems with emergency housing. We’re already spending millions of dollars on emergency housing. It just appears that we’re spending it stupidly, and that’s especially disappointing when one considers Jamestown had $28 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding available to help with these problems and Chautauqua County had another $24.6 million. Resources were available in the past two years that largely aren’t available now. That makes the work harder, but not impossible.

No one should take this week’s vision statement as a firm plan from the county. Concerned residents need to see a plan with some meat on the bones — costs, locations, services, plans to better reintegrate people into society when they’re released from jail and advocacy for the type of relatively inexpensive and supportive housing that is needed.

It’s time to revamp the county’s transitional housing system. The county’s statement is a start, but more work needs to be done.