Lack of affordable housing driving homelessness in Cayuga County, official says

Christine Bianco, commissioner of the Cayuga County Department of Social Services, commented on the spike at the Cayuga County Legislature’s Health and Human Services committee meeting April 3. At that meeting, she revealed the county spent $3 million to provide emergency housing to 455 adults and 175 children in 2023. 

The numbers of homeless residents assisted by the agency has grown over the years. In 2020, emergency housing assistance was provided to 249 adults and 89 children. 

Emergency housing is intended to be temporary, but Bianco said they are finding people are staying longer because they can’t afford to rent an apartment or home. 

“There is a huge problem with housing for very low-income individuals, not just in our county but all over the place,” she said. “The rent prices have gone up astronomically. The amount of money that folks are coming to the table with … is not enough for them to be able to secure an apartment.” 

Nationwide, there is an affordable housing crisis. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is a shortage of 7.3 million units for individuals with incomes at or below the poverty line or their area’s median income. 

The city of Auburn, which acknowledges that it has a housing crisis, is attempting to address the problem by pursuing a state pro-housing community designation. The city council adopted a pledge to encourage construction of all types of housing, including affordable units for low-income families. 

But with a lack of affordable housing options, the county is seeking a better way of providing emergency assistance to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Most of the residents who received assistance in 2023 were housed in local hotels. Bianco explained that hotels aren’t ideal because there is a lack of security and support services. 

It’s also a large expense to place residents in hotels. With nightly stays costing an average of $100, the county paid $2.5 million for hotel rooms in 2023. The county is fully reimbursed by the state for housing families, but only gets 29% of the costs back for helping individuals. 

That’s why the county is supporting a plan to construct a new homeless shelter at 290-292 Grant Ave. in Auburn. But that proposal is opposed by neighbors who think the shelter would be too big for the area. Critics also worry there would be increased crime with a larger shelter. 

An environmental review is being led by the Auburn Planning Board. The review is ongoing and no decision has been made about the Grant Avenue property.

Housing Visions, the Syracuse developer spearheading the project, sought an alternative site for the proposed shelter. It requested a use variance for the former Holy Family School on North Street, but that was rejected by the city of Auburn’s Zoning Board of Appeals. 

Although the shelter’s fate is uncertain, the homelessness problem isn’t going away. Bianco’s department has been busy assisting residents who contact them in need of temporary housing. 

“If we could move people out quicker, we would be able to have less numbers,” she said. “But we have seen over the last couple years that it’s very, very hard for individuals and for families to find affordable apartments, homes to rent.”