Dutchess County is improving homeless shelter: Why it got to this point
The carpets covering the floors of the homeless shelter in the city of Poughkeepsie are faded and worn. The bathroom stalls have black residue and there is rust and chipped paint on the wall behind the water fountain.
Known as the PODs, the emergency housing facility which sits behind the Dutchess County Jail on North Hamilton Street was originally meant to house inmates. However, in 2020, as the pandemic spread, the PODs were turned into a temporary homeless shelter.
During June's Dutchess County legislative board meeting, at which legislators debated over the next steps for the shelter, photos were disseminated by an unnamed source of the PODs showing a neglected shower stall with a broken floor and walls with chipped paint.
Since that meeting, the county has been working to improve the PODs. The list of issues includes fixing running or out-of-service sinks, a hole in the floor, a shower not draining, issues with the HVAC system and a bathroom floor that need replacement. Some of the issues were known to county officials and they were working to remedy them, while others were added to the list after legislators toured the facility and the commissioner for the county's Department of Public Works paid a visit.
Democrat legislators called the situation "horrifying" and "inhumane" and questioned why the PODs had been neglected to that extent.
William F.X. O'Neil, the Republican county executive, described the PODs as on the verge of becoming "unusable," which is why they were trying to close them and find a new location.
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Those who manage the PODs say the makeshift shelter wasn't meant to be in use for this long and the state of the facility is the usual wear and tear that comes with a highly trafficked area. The PODs, with its carpeted floors, were meant for inmates, not for a growing population that walks in and out of the space tracking in dirt.
"It's disheartening because I think a lot of the language comes from individuals who have not visited the PODs," Felecia Elting said regarding the rhetoric coming from elected officials surrounding the shelter. Elting is the manager of emergency housing and outreach services at Hudson River Housing and manages the PODs.
Some of the guests say the situation is intolerable with overflowing toilets and no toilet paper. Others commend the staff and say the shelter is a "blessing" because it's a place to sleep and eat two meals a day.
Lack of privacy results in lack of progress
Throughout the pandemic, a growing number of homeless gather on Main Street, sleeping in storefronts and on front lawns. Historically, the county has sheltered about 75 individuals at night in the spring. The recent census for the PODs is 115 individuals, according to the county. The now-defunct plan for a permanent shelter with wrap-around services to be located at the Oakley Street location would hold only about 100 beds.
During the day, men gather out front of the jail waiting for the bunk areas to be opened and dinner served. They sit on the grassy lawn, some with mental illnesses, as residents and teenagers walk by. The jail, which the county is considering turning into a temporary shelter in order to close down the PODs, sits on a street lined with houses and small businesses.
The shelter has become more of a holding station for those without homes. During the day they can sit in the communal area watching TV or drawing. Mental Health America and Hudson River Housing joined together to figure out how to provide services for the homeless population when the PODs first opened.
However, what the PODs lack is the privacy necessary to do the case management work that may put some of these individuals on a better track. Most of the interviews with guests take place in the open area of the shelter.
"(Privacy) does make a big difference in your ability to engage with people," said Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services Commissioner Sabrina Jaar Marzouka. Without privacy, guests are not willing to share their stories and needs.
People such as Daniel Green, who suffers from schizophrenia, go back and forth between the hospital and shelter. During the day, when he leaves the shelter, he'll sometimes take a blanket and sleep at a bus stop. Guests are not allowed to use the shelter's bunk area during the daytime hours.
Green used to be a successful comic book artist, he says. Born in Detroit, he moved to Brooklyn where he met his wife. He ended up homeless after losing his house. During his recent stay at the PODs, his medication was stolen.
Green has been trying to connect with his brother in Georgia, where he has family. He's never told that to any of the staff in the shelter.
"I forget. I'm old," Green said, who said he was going back to Mid Hudson Regional Hospital that night.
Saba Ali: Sali1@poughkeepsiejournal.com: 845-451-4518: @MsSabaAli.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Dutchess County PODs homeless shelter in Poughkeepsie getting repairs
