CATHOLIC CHARITIES HOUSING SERVICES CENTER RECENTLY RELOCATED TO ERIE BOULEVARD.

WITH NEARLY $14 MILLION IN FUNDING, THE ONONDAGA COUNTY NOT-FOR-PROFIT HAS EXPANDED THEIR SERVICES FOR HOMELESS MEN BY ESTABLISHING AN 80-BED EMERGENCY SHELTER, ONSITE HEALTH CLINIC, AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

TAKE A LOOK.

>> CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF ONONDAGA COUNTY IS A HUMAN SERVICES ORGANIZATION.

WE WORK WITH ABOUT 15,000 PEOPLE A YEAR RANGING FROM AGE FROM INFANTS TO SENIOR CITIZENS AND WE WORK WITH THE MOST VULNERABLE AND GREATEST NEED.

OUR MISSION IS TO BRING COMFORT AND RELIEF TO THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING AND IN GREAT PAIN, TO INSTILL HOPE, AND TO ACT AS AN INSTRUMENT OF CHANGE.

SO SOME OF THE KEY ISSUES AND STRUGGLES THAT WE SEE IN THE COMMUNITY, FIRST, THERE IS JUST A LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING WHERE INDIVIDUALS WHO BECOME HOUSING VULNERABLE CAN'T AFFORD THEIR RENT, BECOME EVICTED AND THEY ENTER INTO THE HOMELESS SYSTEM.

AND THEN WE HAVE CRISIS RESPONSE SERVICES AND FOOD PANTRY MANDELA SERVICES, ALL DESIGNED TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM BECOMING HOMELESS.

THE SECONDARY STRUGGLE IS WE SEE FOLKS PARTICULARLY IN THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY WHO STRUGGLE WITH ISSUES LIKE SUBSTANCE ABUSE, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, MOST OF THESE ISSUES ARE UNTREATED.

AND THAT LEADS TO A SERIES SERIOUS SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE THEY END UP WITH US AND WE BEGIN TO WORK WITH THEM TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES.

>> THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM IS ONE OF THE KEY STRATEGIES TO REDUCING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

AND ESSENTIALLY, WHAT WE DO IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN HOMELESS AT LEAST ONCE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS, AND HAVE A DISABLING CONDITION, THEY ARE ELIGIBLE, WHICH MEANS WE CAN MOVE THEM INTO AN APARTMENT.

WE WILL PAY THEIR RENT.

THIS IS ALL SUBSIDIZED THROUGH HUD.

WE WILL ENGAGE LANDLORDS AND WORK WITH LANDLORDS AND THEN PROVIDE CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS.

SO WHAT WE ARE ABLE TO DO ON PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS GET FOLKS OUT OF SHELTER AND GET THEM BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY AND PROVIDE THE SUPPORTS THAT THEY NEED.

OUR DATA IS VERY PROMISING AND OVER 95% OF THE CASES A YEAR LATER, AND LONGER, THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE STILL LIVING IN THEIR OWN APARTMENT.

THAT BEING SAID, IT REDUCES THE NEED FOR SHELTERS BECAUSE WE ARE ABLE TO MOVE FOLKS WHO WOULD OTHERWISE BE STUCK IN SHELTER AND HAVE TO STAY IN SHELTERS MUCH, MUCH LONGER, WE ARE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THEM AND MOVE THEM INTO THEIR OWN APARTMENT.

SO THERE ARE TWO FORMS OF FUNDING FOR THE HOUSING SERVICES CENTER.

THE FIRST SET OF FUNDS WAS REALLY TO CONSTRUCT THIS LOCATION.

THIS IS A $14 MILLION HOUSING CIVILIANSES CENTER THAT PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES AND FUNDS CAME TO US FROM NEW YORK STATE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, ONONDAGA COUNTY, THE CITY OF SYRACUSE AS WELL AS DONORS.

AND THAT'S JUST TO CREATE THIS FACILITY.

THE SECOND SOURCE OF FUNDS ARE REALLY OPERATIONAL FUNDS; HOW WE MAKE THE MACHINE WORK EVERY DAY.

AND THOSE FUNDS PRIMARILY COME TO US FROM ONONDAGA COUNTY, JUST THE SHELTER SIDE OF THIS OPERATION IS ABOUT A $2 MILLION COMMITMENT THAT THE COUNTY MAKES TO US TO SHELTER THE HOMELESS.

>> A FACILITY LIKE THIS IS NEEDED BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY, FIRST OFF, ALARMINGLY, IT'S ON THE RISE.

IT'S UP ABOUT 30% FROM LAST YEAR SO FACILITIES LIKE THIS, WHERE WE CAN PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES TO FOLKS WHO ARE HOUSING VULNERABLE AND HOMELESS IS AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO THE HOMELESS ISSUES AND CRISIS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

AND SECONDLY, WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE FOLKS WHO ARE REALLY STRUGGLING AND HELP THEM TO BECOME PART OF OUR COMMUNITY AGAIN.

SO THIS CENTER, THIS HOUSING SERVICES CENTER REPRESENTS ALL OF THAT WORK.