Code Blue without a shelter in Fulton County
FULTON COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -When the weather hits 32 degrees, Social Services Commissioner Anne Solar says just like any other county, Fulton has to provide shelter for those in need.
“People who are homeless or living outside are placed in a warming shelter. To do that, Fulton County uses hotels in the local area.”
The City of Gloversville had a shelter of its own run by the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless (IPH). But IPH posted to Facebook that it won’t be operating in the area this year.
Instead, IPH looks to create permanent housing by potentially buying units from the YMCA to offer, “long-term stability and resources that go beyond what a seasonal shelter can provide.”
“There are a few resources for youth,” explained Solar. “So sometimes, we would use CAPTAIN or SAVE, Inc. but in general, people are placed in hotels and motels.”
The amount of unhoused people living in Fulton County has gone up. But many of these people are enrolled in the area’s regular emergency assistance. There’s 47 families cared for by standard programming and less than six people staying in area hotels during Code Blue.
“It would be somebody who has not followed the rules and so has been sanctioned from the program that is eligible for true Code Blue” stated Solar. Fulton County is looking to hire another caseworker for its standard housing program. Anyone interested can click here.
NEWS10's Anthony Krolikowski reached out to IPH to find out when permanent housing could be offered. Officials would not comment further.