A new campaign has launched in Saratoga Springs as a first step to connect those experiencing homelessness to existing housing and human services in the area.
As part of the new effort, so-called Saratoga Cares cards will be shared with local businesses.
Todd Shimkus is President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, which is helping distribute the cards.
“Right on that card, as you know, if you look at it, it’s got a list of agencies, services, their address and their phone number. It can easily be handed to everyone and hopefully they’ll take advantage of those services,” said Shimkus.
The new campaign, in partnership with the City of Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County Alliance to End Homelessness, is actually a strategy that was tried before. Again, Shimkus…
“I want to say, six or seven years ago, when we first started seeing more aggressive panhandling in the downtown and customers were complaining to business owners and the public wanted to do something – and we wanted to do something to help – and when we talked to a number of the agencies back then, and the same thing is true today, they all said, ‘What we gotta do is get these individuals who need help and support to the agencies that can provide those services,’” said Shimkus.
The effort comes after the Alliance to End Homelessness, a collaborative effort between several regional non-profits, hosted a public forum in June. During that meeting, which served as a reintroduction of the non-profit community’s efforts to the public, several residents and business owners complained that they didn’t know the best way to engage with panhandlers and unhoused residents.
First-term Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim is a Democrat…
“It was realized that we really need to have a resource that people can refer to as to where to go for services,” said Kim.
Andy Gilpin, co-chair of the Alliance and Executive Director of CAPTAIN Community Human Services, says the Saratoga Cares cards accomplish more than one goal.
“It not only, I think, answers some of what the city and residents and tourists are thinking about how to best help folks experiencing homelessness, but at the end of the day it does also encourage all the non-profits working in this sector reach more of the individuals who need help,” said Gilpin.
There are bigger goals, too. Seeking to address chronic homelessness in Saratoga Springs, many residents, non-profit leaders, and city officials have come together around the idea of establishing a daytime drop-in center.
With sky-high real estate prices and a lack of housing supply, Saratoga County, the fastest growing in the state, has struggled to address a problem exacerbated by the pandemic.
With the Saratoga CARES cards as a small step, Gilpin says the Alliance is staying focused on the ground.
“We’re going to continue to work through our mission of preventing and ending homelessness by pursuing additional funding to support the efforts, continue our strong collaboration, work on continued awareness – not only for the public on what it looks like and what the services are – but also to the residents experiencing homelessness,” said Gilpin.
