ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — If you feel like you’ve seen more people sleeping under bridges and begging for money, you’re right. Our community is experiencing a surge in homelessness and the agencies they try to help them, are running thin on resources.
“We are finding encampments in places we never have, we are finding people sleeping in their cars in Fairport and Webster and Irondequoit places that have never really had homelessness,” explained Nick Coulter, the CEO of Person Centered Housing Options, “it’s pretty alarming and it’s something we need to address as a community.”
Person Centered Housing Options (PCHO) is the organization that people, police agencies and municipalities call when they’re trying to help men and women who they find living on the streets. This year, PCHO says it’s seen a 50% increase in the number of calls for assistance and a 20% increase in the number of people they’ve served, “there are new people out there, there’s younger people out there and there’s a lot more heroin associated with that,” Coulter explained. Learn more