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In the on-going conversation around homelessness, a recurring theme emerges with local leaders, community advocates, committed groups and individuals, and those agencies tasked with developing meaningful solutions.
That theme is: It takes a collaborative and coordinated approach to prevent and end homelessness.
It is not the singular effort of one person or agency, and responsibility doesn’t lie with one sector or organization, it is the collective effort with purpose that creates and sustains movement forward and progress.
For many years Saratoga County has benefited from the collective effort of the Saratoga – North Country Continuum of Care (CoC). This is a collection of agencies funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide housing solutions across the entire spectrum of homelessness: chronic, youth, families, domestic violence victims, veterans, and all others experiencing a housing crisis. The CoC serves a large region encompassing Saratoga, Warren, Washington, and Hamilton Counties; however, there is a subset of the full CoC, a local planning body known as the Saratoga Housing Alliance, that provides a committed local presence with years of experience and countless stories of success.
Just last month, the Saratoga Housing Alliance formally combined efforts with the Saratoga Collaborative to End Homelessness to become a more cohesive and organized group that will be called the Saratoga County Alliance to End Homelessness. This new group now combines the efforts of over 12 different agencies and organizations, several faith-based partners, the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, Department of Social Services, the City of Saratoga Springs, community advocates, health sector partners, and many others, which in practice and purpose meets the vision of the community-based response to collaboratively address and prevent homelessness for all. This presents an opportunity for coordination on an entirely new level, breaks down barriers of perceived responsibility, and sets the stage for implementation of new funding available to Saratoga County to make significant change and impact on homelessness.
On March 27, 2020 Congress passed and President Trump signed H.R. 749, the CARES Act. Included in that legislation is an emergency allocation of $4 billion to be used specifically to address the needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, or at risk of homelessness, that have arisen as the result of COVID-19. For Saratoga County, this allocation amounted to $975,000. Under the direction of, and in collaboration with, Saratoga County DSS developed a comprehensive community-wide plan to implement the funding with 8 different non-profit organizations, and named CAPTAIN Community Human Services as the lead agency tasked with coordinating those programs and services. The collaborative agencies include Legal Aid of NENY, Prevention Council / Healing Springs, Salvation Army, Shelters of Saratoga, Transitional Services Association, Veterans and Community Housing Coalition, and Wellspring.
The funding will be directed toward increasing on-the-street presence of trained professionals for Street Outreach, strengthening and supporting Emergency Sheltering services, providing access to permanent housing for homeless individuals and families, and preventing evictions and homelessness through financial assistance. This funding allows for implementation of innovative strategies to increase access to housing and permanency in a collaborative and cooperative model that is client-focused, which ultimately benefits the entire community by decreasing the opportunity for community-spread of this debilitating disease and increasing the wellness of the most vulnerable.
Further, the City of Saratoga Springs Community Development Office received funding to create a program to address homelessness, or those at-risk of homelessness within City limits, due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program provides additional funding for housing services, which are administrated through partnerships with local non-profits. Those non-profits work with eligible clients to provide security deposits, rental assistance, case management, and other supportive services to help homeless individuals and families attain permanent housing or maintain their current housing by preventing evictions.
The combination of these new funding sources and the enhanced collaborative, community-based approach, Saratoga County is poised for opportunities for real and lasting positive impact on homelessness.
More information will be available to the community on how to access these resources and eligibility for assistance in the coming weeks, but information can be found by contacting CAPTAIN Community Human Services at 518-371-1185, or on the City of Saratoga Springs website at: saratoga-springs.org/2577/COVID-19-Emergency-Housing-Assistance-Pr
