(WNY News Now) Olean Mayor Aiello has reported that the Homelessness Task Force has made strides in comprehending the community’s homelessness problem.
Olean Mayor Aiello is happy to report that the Homelessness Task Force has convened twice and is collaborating to better understand the nature of the issue and its scope in our community. The task force’s members are drawn from a variety of networks that support the homeless and the vulnerable across the County. The taskforce members possess a practical understanding of the situation and its causes in our community.
Casa-Trinity, the Cattaraugus County Department of Social Services and Community Services, the City of Olean Code Enforcement, the City of Olean Common Council, the City of Olean Fire Department, the City of Olean Police Department, Connecting Communities in Action, Genesis House, Greater Olean Area Churches, the Olean City School District, the Olean General Hospital, St. Bonaventure University, SUNY JCC Cattaraugus Campus, and a representative from Governor Hochul’s office are all represented.
Members of the group acknowledge that homelessness is increasing across the country. They talked about a few potential underlying causes of homelessness in the area, such as the state of the economy, a lack of available housing, substance abuse and mental health issues, and individuals escaping domestic abuse. It was found that the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and the Point in Time (PIT) Count are two data sets that can be utilized to assess the extent of homelessness in Cattaraugus County.
As mandated by HUD, the County takes part in the PIT Count each January. Every year, the number of homeless people who are either unsheltered or housed in emergency shelters, transitional homes, or Safe Havens is counted on a single night. The number of homeless individuals in Cattaraugus County PIT increased by 6%, or four, from the previous year to 69 in 2024. Six individuals were unsheltered, whereas 63, or 91%, of the PIT total were sheltered. Additional statistics from the 2024 PIT Count can be found here.
Additionally, the Task Force got information from the HMIS, which includes information on homeless people who have received services through the local Continuum of Care, from Jodi Fuller, the Chief Operating Officer of Transitional Services for Connecting Communities in Action. Unsheltered homeless people are not included in the statistics if they do not seek services.
According to the data, 378 persons used the shelter system in 2023. Six (2%) were unknown, 20 (5%) were from other states, 26 (7%) were from Pennsylvania, and 326 (86%) were from New York State.
Of the 326 individuals, 260 (80%) were from Cattaraugus County, 20 (6%) from Allegany County, 14 (4%) from Erie County, 10 (3%) from Chautauqua County and 22 (7%) came from other counties including Livingston, Broome, Monroe, Genesee, Nassau, King and Niagara.
Of Cattaraugus County’s 260 residents, 142 (55%) lived in Olean, 48 (19%) in Salamanca, 12 (4%) in Allegany, and 58 (22%) in other county zip codes, such as Delevan, Steamburg, Gowanda, Portville, Great Valley, Machias, Hinsdale, Perrysburg, Killbuck, South Dayton, Limestone, Ellicottville, Little Valley, Franklinville, Randolph, and Weston Mills.
Additionally, Ms. Fuller extracted data for the first three quarters of 2024, which showed a similar trend. According to her, out-of-state visitors typically have a purpose, become stuck, and must use the shelter system until they can return to their long-term residence outside of the state. Representatives from the Cattaraugus County Department of Social Services and Genesis House provided instances to support this. The organization added that people who are homeless and traveling from other places often have ties to our county; they may have grown up here, gone away, and then come back.
Members of the Task Force are now organizing the City of Olean’s PIT Count for early December. Olean Police Chief Ron Richardson has provided a map of currently known encampments to aid volunteers with the count. Doing a count in December, before winter sets in, will get information on available services, especially Code Blue, to the vulnerable unsheltered homeless.
This has been an interesting learning experience and I credit all the members of the task force for helping the City get a better understanding of what leads to homelessness, and how extensive is in our community, said Mayor Aiello. I look forward to continuing our discussions as we seek humanitarian solutions to homelessness in our region.