Community members criticized the city of Oneonta and Otsego County’s response to last week’s winter storm and ongoing freezing temperatures at the Tuesday, Feb. 3 Common Council meeting.
Confusion regarding where unhoused people could seek shelter came to a head during the winter storm, which lasted from Sunday, Jan. 25 to Monday, Jan. 26, if they were unable to get to the warming station at 291 Chestnut St. or be placed in a hotel.
Mayor Dan Buttermann said in his remarks Tuesday that the First United Methodist Church “stepped up” to shelter people.
Angela Eardley and her son Anthony Eardley spearheaded efforts to establish a 24/7 shelter starting last weekend at the First UMC.
Angela Eardley said at the meeting the church “takes pride in caring for people of our community,” adding that her son slept on the floor with the unhoused individuals for close to a week, as the church provided them with food, clothing and blankets.
“There are many people like this, and I know a lot of people think they are not worth it, but they are,” Eardley said. “They have families. They have brothers, they have sisters, they have children. They do deserve just what you and I have.”
The county Office of Emergency Services posted a notice to Facebook Thursday, Jan. 22 naming the city Armory as a warming shelter, but did not specify it would only open in the event of a long-term power outage or other infrastructure failure, sparking some of the confusion during the storm. It was unclear, council members said during the meeting, that this was only in the case of an event like a power outage.
Under state regulations, Code Blue goes into effect when temperature and wind chill is less than 32 degrees, requiring social services districts to take certain steps to ensure unhoused people have access to shelter, like putting them in a hotel. Buttermann said the Code Blue program has its limitations, which are “exposed” during extreme weather.
The city needs to take an inventory of the spaces that can be used during times where there are gaps in county resources, Buttermann said. He said First UMC pastor, the Rev. Casey Bradley, agreed to co-chair an effort with him to better prepare for the next time these emergency services are necessary.
“We live in a cold part of the country,” Buttermann said. “This is going to happen every year. If we don’t have a clear sight of the capabilities we have as a community, we are going to find ourselves struggling, and those that are vulnerable are struggling.”
Scott Harrington, R-Sixth Ward, said later in the meeting minus 30 degree windchills are expected again this weekend, and the city needs to push the county harder to ensure services are adequately provided. He suggested that the city should open the Armory and adequately staff it, adding that if the city needs to dig into reserve funds to do so, it should.
Shannon McHugh, D-Third Ward, said the city needs to take action now, asking what the city’s resources are for housing people to potentially staff the Armory. Buttermann said if the city activated the Armory as a shelter, the county would need to operate it.
Cecelia Walsh-Russo, D-Second Ward, said it is not clear to her what the council’s role is regarding emergency planning and would like clarity as to what her responsibilities were. She added that the city should hire a full-time emergency planning and sustainability manager.
“I think we have to have somebody full time who is thinking constantly and enacting the kinds of emergency training that we need,” Walsh-Russo said.
Elayne Mosher Campoli, D-First Ward, said she was assured by the county Department of Social Services, Opportunities for Otsego and the warming station, which is operated by Catholic Charities, that Code Blue can meet the needs of any person who presents at the warming station.
Individuals are being rejected at the warming station if they do not have a valid form of identification, said Len Carson, R-Fifth Ward. Mosher Campoli said she has been in contact with Chenango County Catholic Charities, which has a Safe Option Support Program. She said it provides “outreach to the chronically homeless,” including helping people obtain an ID.
During the petitioner’s period, Oneonta resident Charles Sherrard said after moving to the area three years ago, he has been moved by how his neighbors have shown up for each other in times of need. He said, however, he has not found the “spirit of community and cooperation” within city leadership, especially surrounding its response to the winter storm.
“I do not care whether this is city jurisdiction or county jurisdiction,” Sherrard said. “As far as I am concerned, this is community jurisdiction.”