When homelessness among families skyrocketed, New York took to hotels to provide temporary housing for them when shelters are full. However, the services in shelters are typically more readily available including food, laundry and case manager support.
For the two dozen families at the Salvation Army’s shelter in Syracuse, there are a variety of different services available to families in need, said Matthew Waldby, director of the emergency family shelter.
“We can have them pick out clothes. We can see if they haven’t eaten all day, then they can sit down for a hot meal,” Waldby said. “Eventually they’ll sit down with staff and go over paperwork, demographic information and all that and then they’ll be assigned a case manager within 24 to 48 hours.”
At their initial appointment, the case manager will work with the family to assess the reasons for their homelessness and a plan to get them out of it. On average, a family will stay in the shelter anywhere from three to six months, but the process moves quicker in the shelter rather than a hotel because of the 24-hour access to staff, Waldby said…