Homelessness comes in many forms and affects individuals from all walks of life.  A housing crisis can happen to anyone at any time, but in certain circumstances it is much more difficult for an individual to overcome and handle.  Individuals living with developmental disabilities are a vulnerable population that are very susceptible to a housing crisis and becoming homeless without the right supports and interventions tailored to their needs when a crisis arises.  Raising awareness of the challenges and having the right resource available is critical to ensuring everyone is cared for and supported in our community.  The following is an example highlighting the housing challenges faced by individuals living with a developmental disability and the great work of agencies dedicated to serving them.

My name is Derek (not real name).  I have ADHD and mild Intellectual developmental Disability.  My Mom drank before I was born so I also have fetal alcohol syndrome.  I am 27 years old and have struggled to live in homes run by the State that are meant to supervise me.  Because I don’t have to stay, I often leave my residence when things don’t go my way.  I know I need some help but like to make my own decisions, especially about my money and my relationships.

I can work and love doing landscaping jobs.  I do have a driver’s license, but it is suspended. I have been in trouble with law enforcement and sometimes have issues with relationship boundaries.  This makes it tough to live with other people; so I often prefer to be on the streets, where I can feel no one is telling me what to do.  Without any support, however, I can sometimes make bad choices.  Recently I lost all my spending money when someone took advantage of me on the street. 

I am sometimes afraid to be homeless but want to be on my own.  I worry about the upcoming winter if I can’t afford my own place or can’t stay because I don’t follow the rules.  Being out on the street is hard but sometime better than being controlled.  I want to trust people but have been hurt in the past.  

Derek is one of so many people supported by and working with AIM Services, located and operating in Saratoga County.  Formed 1979, AIM Services, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing residential and community-based supports to people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, including those with traumatic brain injuries and those who are looking for nursing home transition or diversion.  AIM Services, Inc. is dedicated to supporting the “power of potential” in people of diverse abilities and helps raise awareness of the housing needs and issues faced by persons living with a developmental disability. 

AIM Services, Inc. is an active and committed partner of the Saratoga County Alliance to End Homelessness and they works collaboratively with over 18 other agencies and organizations committed preventing and ending homelessness.  The work and mission of AIM Inc., supports of all of the hard-working groups coordinating housing and support services for some of the most vulnerable in our community like Derek.

Today, Derek is living independently with support from AIM; he still struggles to hold down a job but has been employed continuously for several months now.  The job, along with counseling and housing assistance, have allowed Derek to find an apartment.  These developments have Derek hoping to avoid homelessness in the future, which right now looks very bright.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — An unexpected gathering by members of the Proud Boys in Saratoga Springs Aug. 5 resulted in condemnations from city officials and calls initiating a report to learn what, if any, advance notice was provided to the public safety department, and whether any laws had been broken.    

“On Saturday afternoon a group known for their misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic, and anti-immigration views, and propensity for violence – including on Jan. 6, 2021 when its members stormed the United States Capital – briefly marched in Saratoga Springs,” the mayor said, in a statement released Aug. 7. 

A handful of social media posts, apparently made by random passersby, depicted approximately three dozen masked people draped in black or yellow T-shirts, standing in front of parked cars on the west side of Broadway in Saratoga Springs while a tape recording of the “Star-Spangled Banner” played. A yellow pickup truck festooned with American flags and bearing a sign that read Law & Order atop its cab, stood on the west side of the Caroline Street and Broadway intersection. The postings were minimal in scope and did not provide extensive context of the event. 

“This is not a normal group of individuals seeking to influence public debate,” Mayor Kim said, “(they are) a hate group known for acts of violence against people based on their vile, despicable, white supremacist views.”

The report – requested by the mayor of the Commissioner of Public Safety, specifically queried whether information was provided to the police department prior, during, and/or after the event, if any police actions were taken by the department, whether laws were violated by the march, and recommendations to prevent a repeat incident in the future. 

Public Safety Commissioner Jim Montagnino responded with a four-page report indicating no advance information was provided to the department prior to the gathering, and that police were alerted to the march via a call from a citizen. 

An officer subsequently “responded to the scene, interviewed one or more of the members of the group, and recorded the license plate(s) of at least one vehicle,” according to the report. Police dispatch was also directed to notify other area law enforcement agencies of the group’s presence and the direction of their travel. 

In Ballston Spa, Village Trustee Liz Kormos reported via a social media post that she was informed by a resident that members of the Proud Boys had marched in that village, also on Saturday, Aug. 5.  

Surveillance videos and other images captured of the event in Saratoga Springs are being reviewed to identify members who participated in the march. 

“We have a license plate, we’re following leads and are looking into identifying some of the participants,” Commissioner Montagnino said Aug. 9.  

While unaware of any offense committed under state or federal law, Montagnino offered that the march qualified as a parade, and as such, a permit would had to have been issued in advance of the gathering. With no known permit granted, Montagnino recommended organizers and participants of the gathering be charged with violations of the City Charter. 

“It’s basically treated like a violation, a petty offense, under the penal law,” Montagnino said. “My recommendation is that we proceed – and since it’s a Code violation it would be prosecuted by the city attorney, as opposed to the district attorney – which would be a county official.” 

According to a police Incident report filed in connection with the gathering, a man identified as the group leader handed the officer a business card for “Uncle Sam’s Proud Boys” and said the group was based in Troy. 

On its home page, the Uncle Sam’s Proud Boys website states: “We are proud Western Chauvinists who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world,” and lists as its core values:  “Minimal Government, Maximal Freedom, Anti-Political Correctness, Anti-Drug War, Closed Borders, Anti-Racism, Anti-Racial Guilt, Pro Free Speech, Pro Gun Rights, Glorifying the Entrepeneur (sic), Venerating the Housewife, Reinstating a Spirit of Western Chauvinism.”

A counter-rally, titled Not On Our Watch – Unity against Fascism, will take place 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 at the corner of Broadway and Church St, outside the Saratoga Springs Post Office branch. The rally purpose is: “all people are welcome, ideas and groups that foster hate and violence are not,” organizers say. The event is sponsored by Saratoga Peace Alliance, Veterans For Peace – Adirondack Chapter 147, Saratoga-Warren-Washington Progressive Action. 

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Public Safety Committee unanimously approved a measure this month that recommends a cooperative agreement be inked with Washington, Warren, Fulton and Montgomery counties to share tactical team personnel, equipment and resources. 

The five county sheriff’s offices have experienced a need for sharing resources or general police back-up within their jurisdictions during which a joint response would be the most effective way to deal with certain criminal cases, scenes and investigations, according to the resolution.  

The agreement between the five counties would create a cooperative contract and codify what has previously conducted joint services on a “handshake” basis. The agreement would see the sharing of “Sheriff’s Office personnel, equipment and resources.”

The proposed intermunicipal agreement is anticipated to be among the agenda items at the Board of Supervisors monthly meeting on Aug. 15. 

Saratoga Springs

City Council Meeting – 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15 at Music Hall, City Hall. 

Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting – 6:30 p.m., Monday, Aug. 28 at Council Room, City Hall.

Design Review Board Caravan – 4 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 30 at Council Room, City Hall. Meeting: Sept. 6.

Planning Board Workshop – 5 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 31 at Council Room, City Hall. Meeting: Sept. 7. 

Saratoga County 

Board of Supervisors – 4 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 15 at county complex in Ballston Spa. 

SARATOGA COUNTY —Three people aboard a sinking vessel safely reached shore after an incident on Round Lake Tuesday morning, Aug. 8. 

“At approximately 9:42 a.m., members of the Sheriff’s Office responded to Round Lake for a report of boaters in distress. Upon patrol’s arrival the vessel was submerged, and the occupants were being assisted by kayakers,” according to a statement released by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office. 

The two adults and one child were all wearing life jackets and were returned to shore by the members of the Round Lake Fire Department. 

The preliminary investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol indicates that the damage to the hull was accidental and resulted in the vessel filling with water. The damaged vessel was towed to shore by the Round Lake Fire Department.

In addition to the Round Lake Fire Department, the Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the New York State Police, Arvin Hart Fire Department, Ballston Lake Fire Department, Malta Ridge Fire Department and Malta-Stillwater EMS

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Sunday, August 13 at 10:30 a.m., Gloria May will lead a tour of the “Greenridge Cemetery & Civil War.” Come hear the “yarns and tales” of those who answered President Lincoln’s call to save the Union during the Civil War. This tour meets at the Sackett Gate entrance of Greenridge Cemetery located on Lincoln Avenue.

The following Sunday, Aug. 20, at 10:30 a.m., SSPF Executive Director Samantha Bosshart will lead “Summer Cottages of North Broadway,” a tour highlighting the architecture and the sharing of entertaining stories of those who built and resided in the grand residences. Meets at northwest corner of North Broadway and Van Dam Street in front of Witt Construction. 

All Sunday morning tours last approximately 90 minutes and require walking and standing on varied terrain. Tours are limited to 30 and tickets must be purchased in advance. Please check the Foundation’s website at www.saratogapreservation.org, to confirm if a tour has sold out. If tickets are still available the day of the tour, they can be purchased at the tour’s meeting location. The cost per tour is $15 for SSPF members and $20 for non-members. 

STILLWATER — Saratoga National Historical Park continues its 2023 special events program in August. Programs include: 

Saratoga Shooting Stars: Perseid Meteor Shower Watch Party. Saturday, August 12, 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. Location: Visitor Center Lawn. A night under the stars on the Visitor Center Lawn during a peak night of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Ranger Kristin will give a short presentation about our connections to the night sky, the majesty of meteor showers, a night sky tour, and how you can help to protect this disappearing resource. After the presentation, attendees will have time to watch the night sky for meteors. Under favorable night sky conditions, it is estimated that you can see around 100 meteors per hour. 

Limited space is available. Go to go.nps.gov/saratogastars and click the “Contact Us” link at the bottom of the calendar listing to register.  

Feeding an Army – Sunday, August 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Location: Visitor Center. What did British soldiers at Saratoga eat, and how did they prepare their food? Join us as we explore these questions through a sensory exploration and live cooking demonstration using historical methods, tools, and reproduction foods. Visitors will have the opportunity to touch, smell, and hear the culinary past. 

Elizabeth Huntley, Harpist – Tuesday, August 22, noon. Location: Visitor Center. Elizabeth Huntley is one of the Capital District/Saratoga/Lake George Region’s busiest musicians, showcasing the harp’s versatility by performing a wide variety of music. 

Fort Ticonderoga Fife & Drum Corps – Saturday, August 26, 2 p.m. Location: Visitor Center. Listen to stirring tunes that eased the drudgery of a long march, or the many calls that regulated activity in a fort. Explore how drumbeats, trilling fifes, and songs created an 18th-century world of military music. 

The entire Special Event schedule can be found at go.nps.gov/saraevents