A community effort is assisting the homeless person at the center of controversial Dunkirk Common Council comments.

Several people emailed the OBSERVER to notify the newspaper that Melissa Barnes was leading an effort to help the man.

She subsequently offered these comments:

“Yes, I did offer some assistance to Derek, as did quite a few other community members. All last week Derek and I worked with a few different government agencies to secure temporary housing along with Dunkirk Police Chief Chris (Witkowski) who supplied a document that would allow Derek to get his birth certificate. We are still working on getting him a photo ID and Social Security card which has been a battle in and of itself,” Barnes wrote.

“Others in the community supplied him with food, clothing and even a brand new bike for him to be able to get around,” she added.

“I think it’s important to mention that by no means was this a one-woman show,” Barnes concluded. “The outpouring of care and genuine concern for Derek by our community, especially in a world with so much uncertainty and hate, has been a breath of fresh air…. one that I know Derek needed.”

Council members’ comments on the man a couple weeks ago led to a social media ruckus. A Buffalo TV station even came down late last week for a story on the issue.

Councilwoman Natalie Luczkowiak, who opened the discussion, took heat for suggesting that the city take his possessions until he leaves town. She later apologized for her comments and resigned from the board of Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc.

Comments by council members Nancy Nichols and James Stoyle also garnered criticism – Stoyle’s comment that it’s illegal to feed deer, but not homeless people, drawing particular ire.