Here we are, once again, feeling the need to write about the homeless in Chautauqua County.

We’re moved to do so by a comment that may never have seen the light of day were it not for a lawsuit seeking to keep the former Econolodge on Route 60 in Fredonia that houses many homeless county residents open as the Fredonia Village Board seeks to vacate the hotel and possibly demolish it.

We’re frankly not concerned with the legal back-and-forth between the hotel’s attorney and Fredonia officials. We are concerned by the conditions described by Fredonia’s code officers, as we noted recently. Specifically, the village said a collapsing roof affects the entire envelope of the building with multiple rooms with tarps hanging from the ceiling, bathroom drop ceiling tiles gone or under water that has soaked them due to the roof leaking through the decking and no vent fans or windows in the bathrooms in violation of state building codes.

Those conditions, as we have noted in this space recently, are borderline unfit for anyone to live in, including the homeless. That remains true after reading the lawsuit documents, in our opinion.

But the more troubling comment comes in a letter from Dunkirk Hospitality’s lawyer to Fredonia officials. Richard Morrisroe, who previously served as Dunkirk’s city attorney and who ran for Chautauqua County Executive, asked if Fredonia officials had an ulterior motive for seeking to close the hotel that raised questions about the issues we have seen in Ellicott and Falconer in recent years.

“While the building certainly has some issues in need of repair, is that what this is really about?” Morrisroe asked. “Really? Given all the different types of violations cited at different dates, this smacks of desperation. I find the timing interesting. As a College Council member, I am aware graduation is coming soon. Are we afraid of the former EconoLodge scaring away parents and friends of 2026 graduates? Or is it a perception issue? Or is it NIMBY, as it is in Falconer?”

NIMBY, for those not familiar with the acronym, stands for “Not In My Backyard.” It’s a pejorative term for residents who oppose local developments – like affordable housing, shelters, or infrastructure – claiming they are selfish, hypocritical, or obstructionist. Give us a break. We understand Morrisroe is trying to drive home a point, but the issues raised by homeless advocates about conditions in some of the hotels housing the homeless and by local elected officials who see what’s happening in their communities is hardly obstructionist. There is nothing hypocritical about enforcing basic standards of livability, whether it’s in a home or a hotel room. Closing a portion of the Clarion Point hotel on Route 60 in Ellicott was forced due to poor conditions in the hotel, not a desire to simply move the homeless on to another hotel.

Ellicott and Fredonia officials are asking for the same things homeless advocates are asking for – an end to providing what is at some points barely adequate shelter at a volume that is leading to additional issues for neighbors to hotels and police agencies that are already largely overburdened. It’s creating real-life issues. Wanting to improve the situation isn’t NIMBY. It’s common sense.

What’s happening in hotels like the Clarion Point and Quality Inn in Ellicott and the former Econolodge in Fredonia are the symptoms of a system that hasn’t yet found a good solution for housing and helping the homeless. What are we going to do when there are no hotels left willing or able to accept the state’s money to house the homeless? In whose backyard are we going to house them?