Central New York’s largest homeless shelter is straining under the weight of an unprecedented need for housing. The Rescue Mission shelter, built for 190 people, has been consistently serving more than 200 people per night, sometimes rising as high as 220.
Rescue Mission CEO Dan Sieburg said that the demand is unlike anything he’s seen in his 18 years at the non-profit. “We've never been beyond this capacity before for such an extended period of time,” he said.
A poor economy for people on the lowest end of the economic ladder, a drop in federal support for homeless services and a decline in apartments low-income people can afford all play a role in the sharp rise in demand.
On the nights of highest demand, Sieburg said staff spread cots into spaces not intended for overnight housing. He said his conversations with leaders of the city’s other major shelters find a similar demand for space that outstrips the supply available.
There’s a huge need for housing and many housing projects have been announced in Central New York in recent months, but those projects tend to be for people with money – Syracuse University students and potential Micron workers. “When I see the dollars that are available to help create housing, it's really not dollars allocated for creating our kind of housing,” Sieburg said.
“I think organizations like ours need to focus on creating housing,” he said. “We need to own, operate, develop housing. That way we can maintain it for our housing stock in the community.”
Donations to the Rescue Mission can be made here: https://give.rescuemissionalliance.org/give/569202/#!/donation/checkout
