Letter: County Needs to Do More at Kingston Motel. A Lot More

Letter By Michael Berardi and Jason Kovacs To the Editorial Team: We recently introduced a bipartisan resolution concerning Ulster County's continued use of the Kingston Motel for... To the Editorial Team: We recently introduced a bipartisan resolution concerning Ulster County's continued use of the Kingston Motel for emergency housing. That resolution was defeated in the Housing and Transportation Committee of the Ulster County Legislature. While we are disappointed that the committee majority chose to maintain the status quo, we believe it is important to explain why we introduced the resolution, what it actually proposed, and what can still be done to improve conditions for the individuals and families living at the motel. Our resolution did not call for families currently living at the Kingston Motel to be immediately removed. It did not call for anyone to be put out on the street. Instead, we proposed a measured and humane course of action: stop making new placements at the Kingston Motel and begin an orderly transition away from using the property as an emergency-housing facility. We introduced the resolution because we believe the conditions and incidents associated with the property have reached a point where continuing to place additional vulnerable individuals and families there can no longer be justified. Recently, a serious fight involving approximately 10 individuals at the Kingston Motel required the response of three separate police agencies. That incident should concern every elected official responsible for deciding whether Ulster County should continue placing vulnerable individuals and families at this property. One argument raised against relocating families is that children would be forced to change schools. That is not what the law requires. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act and New York State Education Law, children experiencing homelessness have strong protections allowing them to remain in their school of origin when that is in their best interest, even if their temporary housing location changes. New York law also specifically addresses transportation in situations where a child is placed in temporary housing by a local social services district. In those circumstances, transportation can be provided so that the child may continue attending the appropriate school. In other words, moving a family from the Kingston Motel does not mean that a child must be pulled out of his or her current school. The law already anticipates this problem. An orderly transition can protect both the child's safety and the child's educational stability. Families experiencing homelessness are among the people with the least ability to choose where they live. They cannot simply check out of a motel and find somewhere better. Many do not have reliable transportation. When Ulster County places a family into emergency housing, government becomes part of that decision. With that decision comes responsibility. We understand that emergency housing is difficult to find. We understand the tremendous challenges faced by the employees of our Department of Social Services, and our resolution was never intended as criticism of the dedicated county employees dealing with homelessness every day. But the scarcity of emergency housing cannot mean that there are no standards. A roof alone is not enough. We continue to believe that the best course is to stop new placements and begin an orderly transition away from the Kingston Motel. But if our resolution is ultimately not adopted, that cannot mean doing nothing. There are practical steps the county can take now to improve safety and provide better services to the people who are presently living there. The county should explore establishing a controlled security gate or access point at the property to better manage access to the motel. The Ulster County Sheriff's Office should provide regular patrols of the property, creating a visible law-enforcement presence that can help deter disturbances and criminal activity. And perhaps most importantly, the Department of Social Services should establish regular on-site hours at the Kingston Motel, with county personnel visiting at least weekly to meet directly with residents, connect families with available services, address problems before they become crises, and assist residents in moving toward more permanent housing. For many residents, something as basic as meeting with DSS can require traveling to the county's Kingston office without access to a car. Bringing services directly to the motel would remove that unnecessary obstacle while giving county employees regular, firsthand contact with the families the county has placed there. These measures are not substitutes for the orderly transition we proposed. But they would represent meaningful improvements over simply accepting the current situation. The committee vote should not be the end of this conversation. Whether one supported or opposed our resolution, we should be able to agree that the safety and well-being of the people living at the Kingston Motel, particularly children, deserve our continued attention. Reasonable people can disagree about the ultimate policy. But we hope everyone can agree on one fundamental principle. If Ulster County is going to send a child somewhere to sleep at night, we should be willing to stand behind the conditions in which we are asking that child to live. We remain committed to that principle. Whether through our original resolution or through immediate improvements in security, law enforcement, and on-site social services, we intend to continue working toward a better and safer situation for the families living at the Kingston Motel. Jason J. Kovacs Ulster County Legislator, District 3 Michael Berardi Ulster County Legislator, District 4