Senator Borrello speaking at the roundtable. From left to right, Rachael Tabelski, Batavia City Manager; Sen. Borrello;
Sheriff Joseph Graff; Chair of the Legislature, Christian Yunker and Matthew Landers, Genesee County Manager. (submitted photo)
Press release
BATAVIA, N.Y. – State Senator George Borrello hosted a roundtable at Genesee Community College to examine the growing emergency shelter challenge facing Genesee County and the broader upstate region, bringing together county officials, law enforcement, and community stakeholders to discuss the realities on the ground and explore potential solutions.
“This isn’t just a city problem anymore,” Senator Borrello said. “Homelessness has more than doubled statewide since 2022, and the burden of dealing with it is falling squarely on county governments, local law enforcement, and taxpayers, with only partial support from the state. That needs to change.”
According to a report from State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, homelessness in New York more than doubled between January 2022 and January 2024. Major upstate cities saw significant increases during that period, including Buffalo at 81%, Syracuse at 67%, Rochester at 41%, and Albany at 38%.
Submitted photo
In Genesee County, the challenge is compounded by placements from other counties. During Code Blue season, a designation that is triggered automatically when temperatures and wind chill fall below 32 degrees, there have been times when as many as 80 homeless individuals from outside the county have been placed in Genesee County hotels and motels.
County leaders said the influx places additional demands on local emergency housing resources and public services, while raising concerns that Genesee County could become the de facto provider of emergency shelter for the broader GLOW region, which is comprised of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties.
Borrello called on the state to explore repurposing vacant state correctional facilities, citing the proposal as a more sustainable, regional alternative to hotel and motel placements. Several closed facilities exist within the region, including Buffalo Correctional Facility in Alden, Rochester Correctional Facility, and Livingston Correctional Facility in Sonyea. Senator Borrello pointed to Albany County’s SHIP program, which converted a portion of a county jail into transitional housing with supportive services, as an example of what is possible.
“We shouldn’t assume the current approach is the only option,” Borrello said. “There are smarter, more cost-effective ways to address this that will alleviate the unfair burden being placed on counties. Today’s conversation is part of figuring out what that looks like for communities like Genesee County.”
Today’s roundtable is the second such discussion hosted by Senator Borrello, following a similar event in Chautauqua County earlier this year.
Although repurposing former correctional facilities has its merits, I wonder if they would be refurbished so they don’t look like prisons? Certainly, having a warm place to sleep during the winter is important. But, who would want to sleep in a prison cell? I hope the Senator can give us more information regarding what his vision is.