Down and Out in Syracuse

James Breslin doesn’t give up easily.   The chairman of the Homeless Task Force in Auburn, New York, is determined to help the poor and homeless in his community.

Breslin said, “We got local state holders together, the local human service agencies, the department of social services, city planning, churches, concerned citizens, former homeless people them selves to get together and say hey what are the best practices.”

The national dilemma of homelessness and the increasing number of people living in poverty has been exacerbated by the recent economic recession and loss of jobs, as well as the housing and foreclosure crisis.  According to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 650,000 people are now homeless—a 20% increase in just five years. 

In Auburn, Breslin and the Task Force have a ten-year plan for addressing the issue of homelessness.  Breslin says it’s a crisis that can actually be prevented, through a combination of steps.  First, the community must determine the size and scope of its homeless population.  Then, it must insure that there are adequate resources to combat the problem; this includes making sure there are enough shelters to “rapid re-house” those who suddenly find themselves out on the streets.

Breslin says, “We really wanna connect with the people that have been out there the longest” and the goal is to get them off the streets.

Breslin and his staff say outreach is especially important.   They are out on the streets of their city nearly every day, approaching people who are clearly struggling and lacking the basics like housing and food.  On one recent day, Breslin visited Phil, who has been homeless for several years, often setting up a makeshift shelter for himself in a dark drainage tube or underneath the town bridge. During the bitterly cold winters, in order to survive, Phil wraps himself in several sleeping bags at night.  Breslin and his staff have so far been unsuccessful in their attempts to convince Phil to stay in one of the community shelters.  But that doesn’t mean they are giving up on Phil.

“When you know how big your problem is and what kind of demographic issues they face in Auburn we do look at it as a problem that can be solved,” said Breslin.