A yearly count of the nation’s homeless was held this past week in towns & cities across the country, including the North Country, where officials say the problem is growing. Officials who gathered in Plattsburgh say things like the rising cost of living, an end to government benefits from the pandemic, and more people facing serious mental health challenges & addiction have all played a part in contributing to what’s become a growing homeless crisis here in the North Country.
Teams of volunteers with the ETC Housing Corporation, the nonprofit that conducts the Point in Time survey every year in Clinton County fanned out across Plattsburgh and the North Country this past week to get a count of the number of people who are homeless. And while it will take a few weeks to this year’s numbers, 2024 data show 289 people were homeless, over 100 more than in 2023 and nearly triple the number in 2022. Most are between the ages of 35 to 44 and split evenly between men and women. The overwhelming majority are locals. Only a very small percentage, maybe 1 or 2 percent are migrants. And a growing number of those becoming homeless have jobs.
Clinton County DSS Commissioner Christine Peters says a steering group is trying to find solutions, including the opening of the county’s first warming center on the MHAB Life Skills Campus in Plattsburgh, on the old Air Force Base, within the next few weeks. It’s a short-term option that Peters says will help offset the demand for emergency housing. Officials say long-term solutions will require more funding to add housing. Stakeholders are also encouraging the community to help by donating to agencies like the United Way and its Alice Fund, and the JCEO that help families struggling to make ends meet.
Learn More/Support JCEO & United Way ALICE Fund: www.jceo.org www.unitedwayadk.org