OLEAN, N.Y — Genesis House of Olean's mission has always been to support the unhoused residents of Cattaraugus County. Their latest effort is a new resource center that those in need can turn to.
Located at 315 W State St., the Housing Outreach & Peer Engagement (HOPE) Center offers traditional resources like clothes, food, blankets, tents, first-aid supplies, and more. However, the center offers more than material resources.
"It's a place that unsheltered people can come. They can meet with somebody; they can engage with somebody," Genesis House Executive Director Melissa Yaworksy told WKBW. "If they don't want to come in, they will meet with them in parks; they'll meet with them in the Department of Social Services office. They'll meet with them kind of where they're at."
Outreach Coordinator Cassie Stives elaborated further.
"A resident is somebody who stays in our emergency shelters a little longer term while we're working with them to get into that stable, secure, permanent placement," Stives said. "A guest is somebody who might come in for the day, or they might come in for an overnight, maybe during Code Blue, or come into our outreach center to get connected with us."
Stives says that in the weeks since the HOPE Center's opening, turnout has been steady.
"At 9 a.m., there's usually already some people hanging out out front waiting for me to unlock the door." Stives said. "That's also a really sad part of it, right? There's pretty much consistently two or three people always waiting for help and connection, but it's great to be a part of."
According to a Point in Time Report conducted by the Cattaraugus County Department of Social Services, around 97 people experience homelessness within the county. Both Yaworksy and Stives noted simple improvements any community can make, not just Olean.
"What we need more of in the area is affordable housing, and appropriate affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, would be fantastic," Yaworksy said. "Housing stability to make sure that they're stably housed and that they stay housed instead of going through it, going through a cycle of housing and then being unhoused and then getting housed and then being unhoused again."
"Safety is really important for everybody, but the misconception that everybody who is struggling and unhoused are these dangerous people being brought in from somewhere else, I think is the biggest thing we need to overcome," Stives said. "The folks who are struggling with housing right now are struggling with housing for the same reasons that we're struggling to go to the grocery store, right?"
Stives continued, "Be good neighbors. The folks who are unhoused in your community are still your neighbors. Build the community, talk to each other, do the things."
As first reported by the Olean Star in August, the Olean Common Council voted in favor of prohibiting camping or sleeping in public spaces in a bid to "encourage homeless individuals to find help."
The HOPE Center is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 3 pm. You can contact Genesis House of Olean at any time at 716-373-3354. This number can be used by those seeking shelter and/or looking to make a donation towards their cause as well.
