NORWICH – While the mild, albeit wet temperatures of summer are a welcomed respite from the inevitable months of snow and cold that lie ahead, a local benevolent association recently did its part in aiding a segment of the population that often time goes unnoticed in the summer months – Chenango County's homeless.

Robert E. McNeil Council #211 Knights of Columbus members Bill Loiselle, along with Grand Knight Steve Ryan, presented funding to Catholic Charities Homeless Intervention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HIRRP) administrator Gary Quarella.

The $1,000 check will be utilized to purchase hotel vouchers which will be used by homeless individuals or families in dire need of temporary assistance while they seek more stable and sustainable housing.

Said Quarella, “We work very closely with the Emergency Services Unit at the Chenango County Department of Social Services (DSS) to offer assistance to community members that may fall though the cracks.”

According to Quarella, DSS has a substantially larger funding pool to battle the homelessness epidemic that plagues the county, but often times individuals may be ineligible for those funds due to mandated regulations imposed by state and federal government.

“The government is very specific about how agencies such as DSS is able to utilize those funds. While DSS has funding available, if a customer is over the income eligibility, lacking documentation or under a current sanction with DSS, there's nothing that they can do to resolve the issue immediately – and that’s where we come in,” said Quarella.

In January of 2014, Catholic Charities participated in a county-wide homelessness survey that was mandated by HUD. The results of the study found that on the day it was issued, 109 individuals were homeless. According to NOAA records, the mean high temperature for the month of January 2014 in Norwich was 28.5 degrees.

“We see homeless people every day, and we're very limited to the resources that we have at our disposal,” said Quarella. “Donations like this have a huge impact on our budget and will help assist several individuals and families seek temporary shelter.”