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The timing couldn’t have been worse to find out two emergency warming shelters in Jamestown weren’t going to reopen this winter.
News broke just as the nights began turning colder and, to make matters worse, came during a transition from one mayoral administration to another.
Give credit, then, to County Executive PJ Wendel and his team for moving quickly to step into the void to find short-term solutions to the homeless shelter problem. Wendel has found two potential warming sites with trained staff. Another large site is being discussed as a potential short-term site for this year while longer-term options are developed.
The county had to be part of the discussions for solutions to the homeless problem, though that problem seems to center largely on Jamestown. The county has Medicaid funding and safety net programs that can be brought to the problem – and county lawmakers increased funding for both programs. It is also the county that handles transitional housing programs that have come under fire in Falconer. Wendel and his team needed to be at the table.
But the speed with which the county moved to solve the Code Blue shelter program is more than simply being at the table for discussions. Wendel will need to remain engaged with Mayor-elect Kim Ecklund and the Chautauqua County Homeless Coalition so that better, permanent arrangements can take shape. But, today, give Wendel credit for moving quickly and aggressively to help a population that desperately needed a helping hand.
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