Only in New York state is coming up with an acceptable letter to send to state officials about an unacceptable situation considered progress.

But that’s the situation we’re in when it comes to housing the homeless in hotels.

Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Andrew Molitor put together a roundtable discussion with about 20 local elected officials, police officials and county officials to discuss alternatives to housing the homeless in hotels like the Quality Inn in Falconer or the Comfort Inn in Ellicott on the outskirts of Jamestown. Borrello said during the meeting he hopes the group can come to a consensus on a letter that can be sent to state officials demanding help for the situation.

How is it possible state officials don’t realize there is a problem here? Mayor Kim Ecklund’s State of Emergency in 2024 should have sent enough red flags about the homeless issue in Chautauqua County that a letter isn’t necessary. Ecklund did everything except camp out on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office floor to get the state to pay attention to the issues in Jamestown. The complaints Falconer Mayor Jim Jaroszynski has been raising constantly since at least 2023 about the issues Falconer and Ellicott officials have faced with the homeless being housed at the Quality Inn should have been enough to put the issue on the state’s radar.

And then, there’s this little factoid courtesy of a Spectrum News report from November 2025. According to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the state spent $47,600,000 from April 2018 through March 2019 on hotel housing for the homeless. Six years later, that amount has increased almost 400% to $172,600,000. How is it that the state is simply writing checks without asking how to improve this situation? If they don’t believe Ecklund, Jaroszynski and the rest of those who attended the roundtable last week, perhaps they’d believe the state office with control of the proverbial checkbook. .

To give credit where it’s due, Borrello and Molitor brought up some interesting ideas during the roundtable discussion including the use of closed correctional facilities to house the type of transitional housing that can help people change their lives rather than bouncing in and out of hotels. Borrello mentioned a sheriff in Albany County who is using part of his jail to house the homeless and provide wraparound services. It’s the most concrete idea we’ve heard publicly since the homeless population began to explode in the Jamestown area back in 2022 that didn’t involve simply putting the homeless into hotels or building shelters.

This isn’t just a Chautauqua County issue. It’s statewide. And the proof is in the OTDA spending. The state needs to pursue a new solution for housing the homeless in all counties, but especially in rural counties like Chautauqua County where access to services is limited. Instead, the state is content to keep writing checks in support of a system that everyone can see isn’t working, leaving local officials to write letters trying to get the state to come to the table and help fix this problem. .

All we know is this – a quick fix isn’t coming if this is the position we find ourselves in.