PERRY, N.Y. (WKBW) — Local organizations have stepped in to provide affordable food and housing to the hundreds of Wyoming County residents living below the poverty line.
According to the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS), 9.2% of Wyoming County residents live in poverty.
Tuesday, the ribbon was cut on a renovated apartment space in Perry for those people in need, Silver Lake Meadows.
A place that Assemblywoman Majorie Byrnes said was in desperate need of repairs prior to these recent upgrades.
“[We’re] preserving the housing that we have that has strong bones, but just needed improvements and modernization to keep it going for more generations,” Byrnes said.
Finding places to rent in Perry is difficult, which provided more reason to keep these apartments in their community.
A Thursday search on Zillow.com for 'Perry apartments for rent' returned zero results.
“All of our rural communities are struggling mightily,” Byrnes said.
Christine and Kyle Lawton have lived in Perry for years, and they shop at the Community Clothes Closet -- a store designed for people who need things at a discounted price.
“It helps people that don’t make enough money,” Christine said. “I come here to help my family get clothes for them and help other people that are in need.”
This small-town store also runs the food pantry for the village of about 3,500 people.
September, it had 65 people use its emergency food pantry, which was a roughly 19% increase from the month before.
“I think we have a lot of low-income people in the area and that brings the need for more food,” said store volunteer, Nancy Monteleone.
The store will continue to provide food, and on Thursdays offers ‘Dollar Day,’ where every item is just one dollar to combat the growing number of those in need.
