NORWICH – The Chenango Housing Council - in collaboration with numerous local, state and federal agencies - is taking extensive measures that may result in a new homeless shelter in the county.
The Chenango Housing Council (CHC) - an agency that addresses substandard housing and homelessness in the area - plans to apply for funding for a 12-bed homeless shelter through the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP), an initiative sought over by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). According to a proposal from the CHC, the $4.298 million dollar development project would help rural homeless families and individuals get back on their feet and strive for self-sufficiency and housing security through available support programs and case management.
The CHC is comprised of partnering Chenango County housing agencies, including: the Department of Social Services, the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, Area Agency on Aging, Chenango County Code Enforcement, Chenango Housing Improvement Program, the United Way, City of Norwich Code Enforcement, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Habitat for Humanity, Norwich Housing Authority, and Opportunities for Chenango.
Although the proposition of a homeless shelter in Chenango has been discussed by the CHC in previous years, this time is much different, explained Catholic Charities Community Outreach Director and CHC affiliate Gary Quarella, because the agency has the figures to support the need.
“I don’t believe too many people understand that there really is a need,” Quarella said, citing statistics obtained by the CHC. In 2010, Quarella, under direction of Catholic Charities, helped administer the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid-Rehousing Program, a statewide initiative also funded by the OTDA. Although program funding ran out last year, it provided substantial figures that the CHC says warrants additional funding for a permanent homeless shelter.
Through the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid-Rehousing Program, the CHC found that: 564 families were served through homelessness prevention services in 2010, and 76 families that had lost their home were served through re-housing services. Those numbers climbed in 2011, with 663 families served through homelessness prevention and 76 families served through re-housing programs.
