Citizen Merry Williams-Diers speaks to Jamestown City Council on homelessness (August 26, 2024)

Citizens are calling on the city and local organizations to work together on the issue, homelessness.

About a handful of people spoke before Jamestown City Council Monday evening on this topic, including Happy William-Diers from Jamestown, who said the recent clashes showed that people had lost sight of the problem.

She said the community needs to start with a “blank slate” and not remain on the defensive: “I think communication plays a big part in this so that instead of spreading misinformation through social media platforms and elsewhere, we all get on the same page and actively think about what we can do as city leaders, city officials, community members and nonprofits to come to a common position and hopefully reduce the number of homeless people in Jamestown before the snowfall.”

A resident of Frewsburg and nurse who works in alcohol and drug counseling, Sharon Donnelsonsaid she has seen an increase in the number of people seeking help but not knowing where to turn. “They go to DSS and then they get sent to our office to do an evaluation or to see if they qualify for drug and alcohol counseling, and they’re homeless. And they say, ‘So where do I go? I don’t have anything to eat. DSS won’t put us up in a hotel because I’m on drugs.’ They don’t know. It all has to come together.”

Several people asked if there are plans to Code Blue Shelter this winter.

Jamestown Development Director Crystal Surdyk said an organization is working with Chautauqua County to open a permanent site, but there is no information yet on where it will be located or how many beds it will have.

Recovery options made easy announced on Coalition of the Homeless At a meeting on August 20, it was said that they hoped to have the paperwork for a Code Blue shelter ready by mid-September.

Surdyk said organizations are working together on the issue of homelessness. “I want to make sure everyone is aware that while we can still communicate, coordinate and collaborate better, these very difficult conversations are happening. And I think there’s an urgency that wasn’t there before. There will definitely be more information coming in the next few weeks.”

mayor Kim Ecklund said that while the city has not received any funding to combat homelessness since the state of emergency was declared, the declaration has led to better cooperation between agencies.