ROCHESTER, N.Y. — After several violent incidents at the Civic Center garage in Rochester, Monroe County officials are taking action. They say it's less about moving homeless people along than it is about getting those who want it the help they need.
Especially during the cold winter months, the garage is a place where many homeless people congregate. Many sleep there to seek shelter from the weather. But the situation comes with problems. Urine and feces can be found in stairwells, with garbage strewn about. But more recently, several high-profile violent incidents have taken place.
Ongoing efforts to find people shelter and services are being stepped up.
“It just comes down to the fact that everyone deserves a home,” said Hanna Briggs, a homeless outreach worker.
On Tuesday, a team from Person Centered Housing Options walked through the garage, approaching homeless people with an offer to help them. Many are well-known to the outreach workers, and many do not accept assistance. PCHO teams regularly come to the Civic Center garage — and other places where the homeless gather — to try and let them know that they have options.
“Most importantly, we see if they're interested in housing,” said Briggs. “Some people are. Some people aren’t, but if they are we, we do what we can to get them into an apartment.”
Advocates say many who seek shelter in the garage deal with mental health issues, drug or alcohol abuse or trauma.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that there are serious trust issues,” outreach worker Calvin Barnes said. “And these people don't want to be bothered with nobody.”
Safety at the garage has become an issue, both for the homeless who live here and for people who park here — as highlighted by the recent alleged attack against a man who was beaten by another man with a hockey stick in front of his family. A passerby helped the victim escape. In another incident, police say one man tried to set another man on fire.
In response, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello announced an effort to get people the help they need.
“The Civic Center parking garage is not a safe or humane place for human beings to inhabit,” Bello said.
Bello says the county will pay for transportation and shelter — even a hotel room — for people living in the civic garage. Multiple county and city agencies and programs will work in a coordinated effort to line folks up with other services, such as addiction treatment and mental health counseling. Security has already been boosted in the garage.
“Every person now inhabiting the garage has a warm bed available to sleep in,” Bello said. “And sheltering in the garage is no longer an option.”
“There's so many different things that go into it,” Briggs said. “Each individual story is completely different from the next person.”
Advocates for the homeless say not everyone wants the help -- that’s the tricky part. For these outreach workers, helping someone find stability is most rewarding.
“When we help somebody to move along, especially getting into a place, it's just a blessing,” Barnes said. “I mean, we are part of something that's being done.”