P-J file photo A discussion was held recently in Dunkirk regarding the housing of the homeless in hotels in the county. Jim Jaroszynski, Falconer mayor, was among those attending. Jaroszynski is upset with the shift of more homeless into Falconer after the Ellicott code officer shut down a portion of the Clarion Pointe hotel on Route 60 that had been housing homeless county residents.

It appears that more homeless people are being housed in downtown Falconer after a motel near I-86 has been shut down.

This move is upsetting to Falconer Mayor James Jaroszynski.

Jaroszynski stated in a news release that he, Falconer School Superintendent Stephen Penhollow and Ellicott Town Supervisor Janet Bowan, have been meeting quarterly with the Chautauqua County Department of Social Services regarding the temporary housing/code blue services in the Town of Ellicott and Village of Falconer. Specifically, they met with Carmelo Hernandez, director of Community Mental Hygiene Services over issues that have been brought to their respective boards’ attention regarding hotels that Chautauqua County contracts with for these services, including the Quality Inn/Falconer Inn on E. Main St. Ext., Clarion Pointe on N. Main St. Ext., both in the town of Ellicott, and The Budget Inn on E. Main St. in the village of Falconer.

“In this meeting, ideas were exchanged on how to address the frequent occurrences of theft and trespassing by individuals placed at these locations and being provided with DSS services. Commissioner Hernandez proposed that anyone accepting DSS services would be required to sign an agreement regarding standards of behavior expected of the individual in order to continue receiving benefits and if found to be in violation, would receive expulsion from services for 30 days,” Jaroszynski stated. “In addition to these measures, officials also expressed the need for private security at these facilities to mitigate the complaints mentioned above. Of the three locations discussed, only the Quality Inn/Falconer Inn has attempted these initiatives.”

According to Jaroszynski, officials continued to reiterate the need for additional follow-up services for individuals using blue code/transitional housing, including mental health support, alcohol or drug addiction services, parenting and financial education.

Another meeting is currently scheduled for May 4 for updates from Hernandez on progress being made on these initiatives.

Jaroszynski said that what has become “extremely troubling” is the news that the Town of Ellicott Code Office has shut down the portion of the Clarion Pointe Hotel, formerly known as the Comfort Inn on Route 60, that houses DSS clients.

“When Chautauqua County DSS was notified of this they made the decision to move the individuals currently being housed at Clarion Pointe to other locations that the department uses, including the Quality Inn/Falconer Inn and the Budget Inn. This is unacceptable. The Village of Falconer and the Town of Ellicott are already overburdened. The hotels are already full to capacity. The residents of the Town of Ellicott, the Village of Falconer, and the Falconer Central School District, should not have to deal with this influx on an already strained and broken system,” Jaroszynski stated.

In a phone interview Hernandez admitted more homeless individuals have been placed in Falconer but not that many.

“We only sent, quite honestly, less than 5% to that motel in Falconer. It was no more than seven folks,” he said.

Jaroszynski has complained to county officials about homeless individuals staying at the local motels in the past. “As Mayor of Falconer, I have spent years attending county legislative and committee meetings to make them aware of these issues, including the lack of follow-up services and the unhealthy conditions for families in these hotels. Superintendent Penhollow and Supervisor Bowman immediately got involved in the conversation as additional hotels started being used in their district and town for transitional housing, as this problem is now affecting not only the village of Falconer, but the broader communities,” he said.

Jaroszynski said he has reached out to the New York State Governor’s office and spoken to them about the concerns discussed with the commissioner. They are willing to meet and discuss these issues further with the Town of Ellicott, Village of Falconer, and Falconer Central School District.

“It is not a secret that homelessness has increased dramatically in our county since COVID ended. Nonetheless, putting families and individuals with varying backgrounds into hotels to live without proper support is a tragedy waiting to happen,” he said.

Hernandez said he understands the frustration regarding the situation, but added that he is working with the owner of the Falconer hotel to ensure problems are limited as much as possible.

“I was told they have two security guards and that they doubled their housekeeping staff and front end staff. That was the briefing I was given. I’m going to be going in person to ensure that those things are actually happening,” he said.

Hernandez said it’s difficult to find housing, particularly emergency housing, as required by the state.

When they look outside Chautauqua County, the costs increase significantly.

“If we place folks out of the county we still have the fiduciary responsibility. … If we have to place individuals out of county, meaning another county or counties, we’ve got to pay for the transportation, we’ve still got to pay the hotel rate that we’ve given that other hotel, and we’re still responsible for all of the case management,” he said.

At this point, Hernandez said he does not have any contracts with Jamestown hotel operators.

“I don’t know if they would like to get into this line of work,” he said.

During the CHQ Chamber breakfast, County Executive PJ Wendel touched on the issue.

He said that while a hotel may charge $129 to $139 for a night, the state pays a hotel owner $101 to house homeless people.

“Economically, they (hotel owners) would rather take that money than hold off for the higher rate,” he said.

Wendel admits that some homeless individuals have damaged the hotels, however he feels that the owners aren’t re-investing back into their hotels.

“I have personally driven around and seen some of these hotels and the owners have not taken care of them. They have not done what they need,” he said.