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Giving the homeless a little faith
By Jamie Larson
HUDSON - Columbia County and city of Hudson officials will soon be meeting to hammer out a potential deal to turn the old Charles Williams school on Third and Robinson streets into a transitional housing facility for homeless women and families.
County Board of Supervisors Chairman Art Baer, R-Hillsdale, has said he would like to see the Charles Williams purchased by a third party, leased to the county and run by a nonprofit faith-based organization. He has consulted with the co-presidents of the Hudson Interfaith Council for input on this complicated issue.
Council President Father John Perry of Christ Church on Union Street in Hudson and Capt. April Griffiths of the Hudson Salvation Army spoke with the Register-Star Wednesday about the role religious institutions can play in helping address the county’s growing homeless problem in the face of an economic recession.
Perry said the council is not interested in getting involved in the politics that currently surround the transitional issue, or the county plan to move the Department of Social Services out of Hudson, but can help offer moral perspective and guidance to the discussion. Perry said the Charles Williams offer from the city was a great step toward addressing the homeless problem, especially after the county and city’s relationship was strained over the now extinguished plan to use the St. Charles Hotel on Park Place for transitional housing and DSS satellite station.
Perry went on to say that he doesn’t see the council, which meets once a month and not over the summer, administering homeless solutions, and that the important job should be the responsibility of an organization with a structure and track record of results.
“I’m always glad when they include us in the conversation,” Perry said, adding, “I’d be even gladder if they looked to us for moral leadership. We can’t just say no to everything, we have a responsibility to solve this problem.”
As part of that moral leadership, Perry said, the Hudson faith community needs to remind citizens of the city and county not to have a “not in my back yard” attitude. He said issues that affect the community need to be addressed within it. “That’s why I was so glad about the Charles Williams (plan),” Perry said. “This is exactly what we want to see. Charles Williams doesn’t solve the whole problem but it can be a model.”
If the Charles Williams buy comes to fruition it would house only women, children, and men in intact families. According to city officials it could realistically house around 25 individuals. This will still leave a large number of the eligible homeless population, around 74 in June, in the current system of county-rented motel rooms. Perry said Hudson and the rest of the county’s municipalities need to step up and start smaller housing facilities where there is recognized need.
“It needs to be in our backyard,” he said. “It needs to be in all of our backyards. (The homeless) can’t be thought of as ‘those people.’ Those people are us.”
Perry said the Interfaith Council does not have any plans to meet on this issue in the near future, but welcomes consultation.
At the Salvation Army soup kitchen, on Third Street in Hudson, Griffiths has seen firsthand the way the faces of homelessness have changed since the economic recession took hold. Before December the kitchen was serving around 1,500 free meals a month. Since the economy collapsed and the KAZ factory closed its doors, that number skyrocketed to 2,000 meals a month, where it has remained.
While donations to the organization are down, she said, the need has dramatically increased.
Griffiths said not one week goes by where one or more people and families come to the kitchen with questions about finding housing or rent assistance. Griffiths can provide food, clothes and shopping vouchers, but does not have the resources to assist in housing, sending the people off to DSS for more complex services.
Griffiths said she too thinks Charles Williams is a positive option and thinks a faith-based management could offer the women and families a more complete level of care in a location much closer to services, businesses and schools. She said emotional support is a valuable companion to a place to sleep, as the homeless are often suffering with depression and are disheartened, having trouble coping with their extremely difficult situation.
“I’m just thrilled the topic is being discussed,” Griffiths said. “We’ve known this is an issue for a long time. Now that its out there, there are a lot of people who are not going to let it go away.”
Griffiths said she is seeing more and more people coming through her door homeless, or on the verge, who aren’t the type the populace would traditionally imagine in that category. She said there are young families coming who have never asked for help before, and people who used to be middle class but lost their jobs and have bills piling up. She said she feels that all homeless need help, but this new demographic should be noted by those who think there shouldn’t be housing in their community.
“Charles Williams would take a while, but at least there’s a hope that something’s coming,” Griffiths said. “To have something here that is centralized, that’s awesome. The more we work on this issue the better.”
To reach reporter Jamie Larson, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
County Board of Supervisors Chairman Art Baer, R-Hillsdale, has said he would like to see the Charles Williams purchased by a third party, leased to the county and run by a nonprofit faith-based organization. He has consulted with the co-presidents of the Hudson Interfaith Council for input on this complicated issue.
Council President Father John Perry of Christ Church on Union Street in Hudson and Capt. April Griffiths of the Hudson Salvation Army spoke with the Register-Star Wednesday about the role religious institutions can play in helping address the county’s growing homeless problem in the face of an economic recession.
Perry said the council is not interested in getting involved in the politics that currently surround the transitional issue, or the county plan to move the Department of Social Services out of Hudson, but can help offer moral perspective and guidance to the discussion. Perry said the Charles Williams offer from the city was a great step toward addressing the homeless problem, especially after the county and city’s relationship was strained over the now extinguished plan to use the St. Charles Hotel on Park Place for transitional housing and DSS satellite station.
Perry went on to say that he doesn’t see the council, which meets once a month and not over the summer, administering homeless solutions, and that the important job should be the responsibility of an organization with a structure and track record of results.
“I’m always glad when they include us in the conversation,” Perry said, adding, “I’d be even gladder if they looked to us for moral leadership. We can’t just say no to everything, we have a responsibility to solve this problem.”
As part of that moral leadership, Perry said, the Hudson faith community needs to remind citizens of the city and county not to have a “not in my back yard” attitude. He said issues that affect the community need to be addressed within it. “That’s why I was so glad about the Charles Williams (plan),” Perry said. “This is exactly what we want to see. Charles Williams doesn’t solve the whole problem but it can be a model.”
If the Charles Williams buy comes to fruition it would house only women, children, and men in intact families. According to city officials it could realistically house around 25 individuals. This will still leave a large number of the eligible homeless population, around 74 in June, in the current system of county-rented motel rooms. Perry said Hudson and the rest of the county’s municipalities need to step up and start smaller housing facilities where there is recognized need.
“It needs to be in our backyard,” he said. “It needs to be in all of our backyards. (The homeless) can’t be thought of as ‘those people.’ Those people are us.”
Perry said the Interfaith Council does not have any plans to meet on this issue in the near future, but welcomes consultation.
At the Salvation Army soup kitchen, on Third Street in Hudson, Griffiths has seen firsthand the way the faces of homelessness have changed since the economic recession took hold. Before December the kitchen was serving around 1,500 free meals a month. Since the economy collapsed and the KAZ factory closed its doors, that number skyrocketed to 2,000 meals a month, where it has remained.
While donations to the organization are down, she said, the need has dramatically increased.
Griffiths said not one week goes by where one or more people and families come to the kitchen with questions about finding housing or rent assistance. Griffiths can provide food, clothes and shopping vouchers, but does not have the resources to assist in housing, sending the people off to DSS for more complex services.
Griffiths said she too thinks Charles Williams is a positive option and thinks a faith-based management could offer the women and families a more complete level of care in a location much closer to services, businesses and schools. She said emotional support is a valuable companion to a place to sleep, as the homeless are often suffering with depression and are disheartened, having trouble coping with their extremely difficult situation.
“I’m just thrilled the topic is being discussed,” Griffiths said. “We’ve known this is an issue for a long time. Now that its out there, there are a lot of people who are not going to let it go away.”
Griffiths said she is seeing more and more people coming through her door homeless, or on the verge, who aren’t the type the populace would traditionally imagine in that category. She said there are young families coming who have never asked for help before, and people who used to be middle class but lost their jobs and have bills piling up. She said she feels that all homeless need help, but this new demographic should be noted by those who think there shouldn’t be housing in their community.
“Charles Williams would take a while, but at least there’s a hope that something’s coming,” Griffiths said. “To have something here that is centralized, that’s awesome. The more we work on this issue the better.”
To reach reporter Jamie Larson, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
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