Shelters of Saratoga hosts gala to celebrate a year of successes
SARATOGASPRINGS, N.Y. >> A large crowd turned out at Longfellow’s Restaurant in Saratoga Springs Thursday evening to support the work of Shelters of Saratoga and celebrate at its gala, “Brighter Days – Help, Hope, Humanity.”
The program offers safe shelter, support services and sustainable strategies to put an end to homelessness in the greater Saratoga region. Last year saw the addition of 720 square feet to the SOS location at 14 Walworth St., with half the space being used as a conference and computer room and the remaining 360 square feet being used for much-needed storage, including a large walk-in freezer and cooler.
More importantly, SOS executive director Michael Finocchi said its outreach program was a huge success in 2016.
“We helped 10 people get off the streets and into shelters in 2016, with three others entering into rehab,” he said.
During 2016, SOS expanded its once a week drop-shelter to two days per week. The drop-in is a place where homeless people can come to take showers, do laundry, get a hot meal and meet with counselors if they are ready to take that step.
Finocchi said that Outreach Coordinator Deanna Hensley also runs the dropin center. Finocchi said that Hensley has formed relationships with the people on the streets, which has been a factor in the increasing number of people using the drop-in center. In a count taken prior to the November 2016 Code Blue “season,” Hensley reported that 51 people, most of whom were born and raised in and around Saratoga, were living in tents.
“Many of them come to the drop-in center to see Deanna,” said Finocchi,.
In addition to staff and volunteers with SOS, a rotating schedule of people are on hand at the drop-in from other organizations, such as Catholic Charities, Veterans’ Health and other groups. The hope is to provide the right kind of support services and counseling to the homeless population. The other big news for SOS, which came in February, was the announcement that Ed and Lisa Mitzen, honorary event chairs, would pay the costs of a new, permanent Code Blue shelter to be built on the property adjacent to the 14 Walworth St. location. Bonacio Construction is handling the permitting and construction, with assistance from the LA Group, and they are committed to keeping costs down and forgoing any profit from the project.
“We expect to break ground by the end of May or early June, and we plan on being opened in November 2017,” Finocchi said.
Ed Mitzen was presented with a signed plaque from
the staff and guests of SOS and Code Blue, thanking him for his gift to the people and the city.
Mayor Joanne Yepsen was also present for the gala and said the Mitzens have always been supporters of SOS and Code Blue. She said their gift of a permanent Code Blue shelter is a boon for both the homeless population, as well as for the entire community.
“The certainty that it ensures is great. There are no more unknowns or tentative plans for where our homeless people can go each year,” she said.
Finocchi agreed and added that it adds a level of stability that the community had been searching for. He also said he and his staff will have regular meetings with members of the surrounding neighborhood, to keep them fully informed and ensure that everyone’s safety and security will be addressed and accommodated.
Saratoga Springs Police Chief Gregory Veitch, who has been with the department since 1995, was also an honorary chair of the event. He noted that the city does not have violent crime associated with the homeless population.
Veitch has been a strong supporter of SOS and Code Blue since their inception. During his remarks, he spoke movingly about his own calling to law enforcement, saying that “the call” doesn’t care how or why events occur.
“It is how I behave and respond to those events that is important,” he said.
In what he called the “great tragedy” of police work, and said that it could
be applied to the larger community. He called it the danger of allowing noble causes to become lost causes, and he talked about never losing faith.
“This community has demonstrated incredible generosity, with volunteers, workers, EMTs, the fire department. They all go down to the river each day and swim upstream,” he said.
Veitch extended thanks to SOS “For offering that hope” which allows people to do the hard work each day and help people who need it today, “as well as those who will need it tomorrow,” echoing a statement made frequently by Mike Finocchi that we are all “just one paycheck away from being homeless.”
The highlight of the evening was a musical performance by Donny Petersimes. For many people who live and work in Saratoga, Petersimes is a familiar face. He has struggled with alcoholism and mental illness for several years and has been on and off the streets. This past year, with the help of SOS and The Giving Circle, he entered rehabilitation. With one year of sobriety under his belt, Petersimes now lives in affordable housing and is making his way, with the help, love and support of many people from the community.
He talked about these people, who have helped him on his journey.
“A year ago, I was sleeping in the dirt behind Price Chopper, with newspapers covering me, and hugging a bottle of vodka because I thought that was all I had, When I had no hope, they said, ‘ That’s okay, use ours. We’ve got enough.’”