Onondaga County has seen a decrease in the overall homeless population of nearly 10% from 2018 to 2019. County Executive Ryan McMahon says it doesn’t stop there. He shared another positive improvement in getting people a more permanent solution during his State of the County address this week.
“The even better news is that 13 percent of our community members were moved to permanent housing. Thank you to our partners including the Housing and Homeless Coalition and especially our team at the Department of Social Services which help make this progress happen.”
The progress is meaningful to the Director of the Housing and Homeless Coalition of CNY. Megan Stuart says the county essentially has a first line of defense for people who need immediate emergency shelter and services
“They’re our first point of contact… the Department of Social Services. Definitely a strong team there trying to keep people from entering homelessness.”
Stuart adds the Executive’s plan to provide more critical funding for “A Tiny Homes for Good” program is necessary to provide more affordable housing.
“Housing isn’t one size fits all, so we need a variety of interventions and it’s great to see the county so committed to trying new and innovative ways to get people into housing.”
McMahon says two homes have already been built for veterans and another three homes will soon be finished for completion. But there’s more…
“And because the results continue to be on time and within budget, I’m happy to announce that we will be advancing and additional $180,000 this year to assist in completing 6 more housing units!”
Both the county and the City of Syracuse continue to work with community partners to focus on job training and education programs to reduce poverty and homelessness. They include Syracuse Surge, creating a regional STEAM High School and Worker Training Center at the former Central Tech High School and the Alliance for Economic Inclusion. For an indepth look at issues of homelessness and poverty in the Syracuse area, click here to visit our City Limits website.
