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Picente:
Oneida
County
Embarks on
Effort To End Chronic Homelessness
in
Oneida
County
Joined
by representatives of federal and local governments and community partners,
Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr., today announced the
beginning of a 10-year plan aimed at ending chronic homelessness in
Oneida
County
.
“Homelessness is a very real and serious
problem that requires long-term partnerships to develop solutions that can
help men and women who, for whatever circumstances, are left homeless in our
communities,” Picente said. “We need to look at homelessness as part of
a broader spectrum of issues that include substance abuse, mental health
issues, education, employment and issues such as domestic violence and
post-traumatic stress.”
Picente
thanked John Zegarelli of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness for
his presence and for his support of the local effort. “When the people and
agencies in this community put together a great project like this, it makes
it the kind of project that can show Washington how a community pulls
together on behalf of people in need,” Picente said. “
Oneida
County
is committed to working in partnership with our
community agencies to provide opportunities for individuals who are homeless
to access the support services they need to recover and rebuild their lives
and to work with agencies and residents to develop solutions that can reduce
and end chronic homelessness. This is a great opportunity to bring new hope
to women and men in need of a second chance.”
Referencing the report, “Homelessness
in Oneida County, NY: Understanding and Addressing a Hidden Social
Problem,” written by Social Sciences Associates in
support of the Mohawk
Valley Housing and Homeless Assistance Coalition and funded by
The Oneida County Department of Mental Health, Picente said that data
makes it clear there is a problem with chronic homelessness, and that the
problem of homelessness is intertwined with other social ills, including
substance abuse and chemical dependency, status as an ex-offender,
and the increasing number of family breakups caused by economic
stress, domestic violence and even transitioning back to the community from
military service. Picente noted that family breakups are also linked to
youth who are homeless.
“I want to salute the efforts of the Oneida
County Department of Mental Health, the Mohawk Valley Housing and Homeless
Assistance Coalition, ands the Oneida County Continuum of Care for all pf
the outstanding work they have done over the past five years to build a
strong community coalition to support programs and services that are helping
people who are homeless so that they can find a job, deal with chemical
dependency or find housing,” Picente said. “These partners have
developed a regional approach that combines every possible partner to help
those in need. This 10-year plan will require all of those partners to move
their efforts to the next level so that instead of just addressing the needs
of those who become homeless, we work to address the issues causing
homelessness even as we help the individuals in need.”
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