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The Housing & Homelessness Coalition of Central New York held its Annual State of Homelessness event at Syracuse’s Palace Theatre on Wednesday night, highlighting efforts to combat the increase in people experiencing homelessness throughout central New York.

The event featured leaders from local community organizations. Speakers highlighted the increased number of homeless people in Onondaga, Cayuga and Oswego counties, underscoring the region’s ongoing housing crisis.

New York State Senator Rachel May started the event by stressing the need to reduce homelessness, demanding immediate attention. She said her policies to combat homelessness have been to increase access to housing vouchers and affordable housing.

“That is just one of the fundamental problems right now, is the extreme increase in the cost of housing,” May said.

The HHC reported in January 2024 the rate of homelessness in CNY increased by 75% from 2023. The Syracuse City Court also issues around 160 eviction warrants each month, and many of the evicted tenants end up homeless.

Megan Stuart, the director of HHC, led a presentation using data collected in January to create a “one-day snapshot” of people experiencing homelessness. The data measures the specific number of people experiencing homelessness and the number of beds dedicated to housing people experiencing homelessness.

“We need affordable housing, we need that housing to be safe for folks,” Stuart said. “I think that gets lost in the mix but it’s critical that we’re providing wraparound service, that we’re promoting programs that help folks experiencing homelessness.”

Since 2021, the total number of people experiencing homelessness in Onondaga, Cayuga and Oswego counties increased 150%, Stuart said.

This is the first year since 2009 the number of people in families in homeless shelters exceeds the number of people there alone. Family homelessness in these three counties has increased by 192% since 2019, Stuart said. She also said people are currently homeless for 79 days on average before they find temporary or permanent housing. HHC wants to decrease that number to around 30 days.

Katie Weaver, the director of development for A Tiny Home for Good, said she attended the event to learn about HHD’s data. Weaver’s organization builds homes on vacant lots and renovates rundown properties in Syracuse specifically for individuals and families who face homelessness to rent.

“Homelessness is a serious problem in the area, but there’s also a lot that’s being done and can continue being done to help support the issue,” Weaver said.

Stuart closed by highlighting some of the accomplishments of HHD this year, including the organization’s assessment of over 1,400 households for permanent housing placement. The coordinated entry system ensures the most vulnerable individuals are given priority to housing programs, which contributed to the assignment of 300 of those households.

HHD also raised $12.7 million in local funding for permanent housing projects, Stuart said.

Following Stuart’s talk, panels of local experts fielded questions about the topic. Amber Vander Ploeg, the chief program officer of the Rescue Mission Alliance, highlighted some of the positive aspects of Syracuse’s response to homelessness.

Ploeg said Syracuse’s police have a better response time and efficiency compared to nearby cities. The number of available emergency shelters and other permanent housing options increased from 2023 to 2024, according to a pamphlet handed out at the event.

“I think it’s worth mentioning how incredibly the community has responded to unsheltered homelessness,” Stuart said. “We have teams out there who are out there seven days a week, handing out food, going back over and over again.”

Published on November 21, 2024 at 2:43 am

Contact Henry: hdaley@syr.edu