Shelters see rising needs this winter

Shelters and agencies serving the homeless in the Albany Diocese are struggling to keep up with the increasing demands to house and feed those suffering from this year's frigid winter.

At St. John/St. Ann's parish in Albany, a joint effort with the Albany City Mission allows some homeless residents to come in from the cold.

After hearing that the City Mission had such an overflow that people were sleeping in chairs, the parish staff decided to open the heated foyer of the church for overnight stays. They placed cots, blankets and pillows there for the use of those who might need them.

"Our idea was to simply provide that space and those facilities for the evening, and give them coffee and juice and a roll in the morning," said Rev. John Kirwin, pastor. "It's from the old idea of sanctuary -- and one of the reasons for needing sanctuary is the cold, to be protected from the elements. It would be selfish on our part not to make it available to people when we're going to warm homes at night and we have a warm facility to worship in."

Expanding problem

The need for St. John/St. Ann's to open temporary housing echoes a larger problem that spans the tri-city area and beyond.

At St. Charles Lwanga House in Albany, for example, case manager Nancy Bugli reports a "difference in the number of meals served" to the public. In June, the soup kitchen and shelter for men served 1,364 meals; at the end of January, when thermometers were at their lowest, nearly 2,000 meals were doled out.

An Albany women's shelter, Mercy House, reports a similar increase.

"We've been a full house for the last six months," said shelter director Jean Dobbs. "With the coldness, we have so many people bringing in coats and a lot of warm clothing for the women. It's wonderful to have a community that really cares about women who are homeless."

Shortages

The Hilltowns Resource Center in Westerlo, which works with St. Lucy's parish in Altamont and its mission, St. Bernadette's in Berne, reports "an increase of people calling because they've run out of food and firewood."

Program coordinator Kathleen Speck said that calls for help among the area's working poor are becoming more frequent due to winter layoffs and a nearly two-month-long inability to reach firewood under two feet or more of snow.

"We're noticing new people coming in," she said. "We've really yet to see the backlash from the cold weather [as families] feel the effects of having to spend so much on fuel and staying warm."

Clothing and food

At Troy's Roarke Center, on St. Anthony's parish grounds, social worker Danielle Walter noticed that food pantry volunteers often give away gloves, hats, scarves and winter coats along with bags of food.

During the winter, the homeless in Rensselaer County have very few options, she said. From the Roarke Center, clients are referred to the Department of Social Services.

If clients choose not to enter the system or are denied assistance for some reason, their last chance is often the overflowing City Missions of Albany or Schenectady, or the shelter provided by the Homeless Action Committee, all of which are ill-equipped to serve women.

Ongoing problem

Sometimes, the Roarke Center refers clients to Joseph House, a shelter in Troy; but it's not always easy to get a spot there and not always because of the frigid temperatures.

"Weather doesn't create homelessness," said Kevin O'Connor, a Catholic who directs Joseph House. "The reality is that we've been running at full capacity in the last 21 months. We've been full because the poor can't keep up with the cost of rent. We're full because more and more people are being discharged from psychiatric units to homeless shelters. A number of folks who used to be on welfare are no longer receiving benefits."

The problems facing Joseph House residents move beyond frostbite, according to Mr. O'Connor, who calls poverty in Troy a "wicked problem, one that has been going on for a long time.

"A lot of things are wrong right now. We used to have a war on poverty. That's long gone. What we're doing this season is the same we do every season: We try to shelter those we can, and get them entitlements and into safe housing. Shelters are not the answer for homelessness. We have so many people homeless because we have changed how we treat the poor."

(02-13-03) [[In-content Ad]]