RISE is celebrating a year of success at the Adelphi Street Shelter in Saratoga!
The Adelphi Street Shelter would not be possible without the community support provided by Sonny and Julie Bonacio and Meg Kelly of Bonacio Development and the City of Saratoga Springs. Their initial assistance to secure funding for RISE’s HOMEBASE project was shadowed by their dedication to provide support for the area’s unhoused residents. Within a week of the first mention of helping, the Bonacios had a location that could be opened up as a 24/7, low barrier homeless shelter.
That shelter in one year has accomplished so much:
- Served 38,325 meals
- Assisted 160 unhoused individuals
- Moved 98 individuals to permanent housing
- Navigated 799 instances of services requested
- Executed an average of a 6 month stay for each individual
The shelter is able to house 34 residents, and there are more than 20 on a waiting list. But, on the first day the shelter opened, there was a waitlist of over 60 people––within just five hours. The shelter started with 30 beds, but quickly purchased more in order to accommodate individuals with imminent housing needs.
Of the individuals who have transitioned out of the shelter, it includes 23.7% of guests moving into fully independent apartments, 12.9% moving in with friends and/or family, 11.8% moving into housing for either mental health support, or substance use support, and 4.3% moving into Veteran Supported Housing. The average length of stay at the shelter for an individual moving into permanent housing is approximately 6 months.
“We so appreciate all that our community partners have done to support RISE in making the County’s first year-round, low-barrier shelter such an overwhelming success,” said Lindsey Connors, RISE Associate Executive Director. “We are eternally grateful to everyone who was able to join us in celebrating all the lives touched and personal progress attained at the shelter throughout the last year.”
“After being a part of RISE’s mission to provide street outreach services for individuals in Saratoga County, and seeing the imminent need of housing within the city, I was ecstatic for the opportunity to fill this need,” said Victoria Furfaro, Outreach & Advocacy Director. “With the help of MANY agencies, businesses, personal donors, private donors, restaurants, and others, the shelter was able to open quickly, and operate smoothly. With guidance from other low-barrier shelters in the Capital District, the Adelphi Street Shelter has been able to adopt procedures that “fit” for Saratoga County.”
Creating Community. Supporting Success.