This week on In Focus, Albany Auditor Sam Fein details recent visit to Burlington’s Elmwood Community Shelter.
Fein highlights the housing model that could benefit Albany’s Capital Region. He shares how the shelter features 30 tiny homes, each 70 square feet, providing private spaces and community amenities.
Fein also discusses benefits of the tiny home housing model for the unhoused. Fein emphasizes the importance of private space and wrap-around services like mental health and substance use treatment. He notes the challenges of transitioning to permanent housing due to high housing costs and shortages.
Schenectady City Council President Carl Williams also talks about efforts to address homelessness and the housing crisis.
Williams emphasizes the need for innovative solutions like pod villages to provide safe, stable environments for unhoused individuals, enabling better access to wraparound services. He highlights the city’s resource-rich organizations, including Bethesda House, SCAP, YWCA and theCity Mission, which offer support for mental health, substance abuse, and job services.
You can watch the full interviews above. And be sure to tune in for a look inside the biggest issues impacting upstate New York, on In Focus with JoDee Kenney — every Sunday on Spectrum News 1.