WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – It’s an all out community effort to take care of tenants displaced from a Watertown apartment building, but it may just be a band-aid for a bigger problem.
The building at 661 Factory Street had been a hotbed of activity on Wednesday. Donations were dropped off, and a large tent was set up as a make shift shelter.
How did it get to this point? A Jefferson County official points to a couple of factors.
“I think it really speaks to the fact that we have a lack of emergency housing options here in the Jefferson County area,” said Tim Ruetten, director of Jefferson County Community Services.
Ruetten is helping coordinate efforts at 661 Factory Street, where some tenants are living outside after the building was condemned Sunday night.
He says a lot of motels social services works with to provide emergency housing are filling up, and one option went up in smoke last year.
“Rainbow Motel burned. That was one of the options that we no longer have,” Ruetten said.
Ruetten adds some of the tenants’ backgrounds have made it hard to find a place for them.
“The folks that live in this building are the ones who really have struggled, and there aren’t a lot of other options out there,” he said.
It has people like Watertown Urban Mission Executive Director Dawn Cole calling for community leaders to come to the table and tackle the issue of homelessness in the area.
“Talk about what does homelessness looks like, and what can we do to prevent it, to alleviate it,” Cole said.
It’s call county and city officials would be happy to take.
“I think it’s very important that all the partner agencies in the area do sit down and talk about mental health, and what the issues are,” said Councilmember Lisa Ruggiero. “How it’s associated with homelessness. I think it would be a great idea.”
Ruetten says what’s happening at the Watertown apartment shows the county is lacking something.
“I really think a homeless shelter is a dire need for our community,” he said.
But right now, he’s proud of the community pitching in.
“That’s a feel good out of this is that we really do see the collaboration and the working together. Unfortunately, we still have people living outside tonight, and we’re doing our best to make sure that they’re safe and as comfortable as possible,” Ruetten said.
The city is expected to escort tenants into the building on Thursday, to grab necessities like medications they had to leave behind.
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