Community Leaders: Lack of Affordable Housing a Barrier for Homelessness
By CASSANDRA MILLER
ONEONTA
More than 100 people attended a public information session on homelessness on Thursday, March 6 at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center. Community leaders and service providers discussed challenges such as a lack of affordable housing, as well as current activities, including collaborative approaches to identifying and helping individuals.
“I was really impressed with the event’s turnout and how positive it was; so many showed up from the community to learn together about homelessness in Oneonta,” said Oneonta Ward 1 Councilor Elayne Mosher Campoli, who serves on the Common Council’s Community Wellness Committee and the Greater Oneonta Homelessness Coalition. “I think it’s especially important for the public to know how hard our local nonprofits and other organizations are working to address homelessness, with limited and sometimes shrinking resources, and at the same time they are also collaborating to find long-term solutions that will be effective.
The event was the third in a series of public forums organized by the City of Oneonta around topics related to the future of the city. The first focused on childcare and the second on downtown promotion and small-business collaboration.
