City leaders in Jamestown held a meeting Tuesday to talk about what they're doing to address the homeless population there.
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In July, the city declared a state of emergency to help get funding so crews can clear homeless encampments throughout the city. It has since been met with pushback by some who say not enough is being done to help those experiencing homelessness. That's why the Mayor held a meeting with the public, hoping to clear up misconceptions.
Kim Ecklund, Mayor of Jamestown says there are numerous challenges and, "Government for the city of Jamestown receives no funding for homelessness, has no department to address homelessness."
Ecklund says Tuesday's meeting was all about highlighting the extent of the homeless crisis in that community and what's being done about it. She explains, "I think there's a lot of miscommunication that we're not doing anything when in fact we're doing a lot of things behind the scenes."
A recent local count found 55 people living on the streets in Chautauqua County. According to the report from Chautauqua Opportunities Inc., 80 percent of those surveyed said they were living with a mental health condition, 70 percent admitted to using substances, 47 percent confirmed a physical disability and nearly 30 percent (29.2) said they experienced domestic violence.
"We don't want people living on our street. It's not healthy for them and it's not healthy for the rest of the community especially if there's drug addiction," says Ecklund.
Toni Taylor is the Chief Program Officer of Recovery Options. She says, "As a community, we are seeing the need grow." She says she continues to work with other agencies to make sure those experiencing homelessness know about the resources available. She wants people in the community to know, "we are all in this together and that the unhoused are our community members."
Josiah Lamp is also working to combat the crisis. He is Chair of the Chautauqua County Homeless Coalition and says they need to address the root causes. "It's not a hopeless situation. There are a lot of positive things going on. There are many people that are coming into emergency shelters who are moving on to permanent housing and who are finding success," says Lamp.
Lamp and the Mayor say they're optimistic that if they keep working together they will be able to help those experiencing homelessness. "It's trying to get them the services they need and deserve and that's our whole goal in this," explains Ecklund.
