Volunteers, police officers, and social service agency professionals teamed up on Jan. 23 to take a one-day count of homeless people in three urban centers of Orange County.
As of Jan. 27, the local team has received preliminary responses from 90 unsheltered homeless people in Middletown, Port Jervis, and Newburgh, with more expected in the coming days, according to Patti Mack, communications director of HONOR, a major local nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness.
“We are so grateful to the community and those who supported this event, from advance preparations and promotion to the 17 individuals who came out on this cold day to conduct these surveys with our teams,” said Michelle Herrera, planning coordinator of Orange County Continuum of Care, which organizes the annual census.
Last year, according to data published by HUD, Orange County logged 779 homeless people in the count, the highest number it has seen in the past decade. Of those individuals, 664 found shelter, while the remainder lived on the streets.
On Jan. 23, at the Grace Episcopal Church, the first survey location in Middletown, census team members went to the second-floor soup kitchen and engaged diners in a voluntary conversation about where they were sleeping at night and their personal background.
“During [the COVID-19 pandemic], there was a huge increase [in the number of meals served here] that went down a little bit, but it has gone back up in recent months,” said Phyllis Guardino, director of the soup kitchen that’s been operating for 45 years in downtown Middletown.
In 2024, the number of meals served at the church jumped by almost a third compared with the previous year.
“People are having a hard time,” Guardino told The Epoch Times, noting that they have to choose between paying rent, visiting a doctor, or going to the grocery store.
Census team members also stopped by a small cluster of outdoor encampments along railroad tracks deep in the woods on the southwestern outskirts of Middletown.
There, homeless people converted the old remnants of several burned-down housing structures into makeshift shelters. On a typical day, five or six people could be found living there.
“Three hot areas we focus attention on are Middletown, Port Jervis, and Newburgh because they have so many resources that even if people live in outdoor encampments like these, they are still able to walk to a warm shelter on such a cold day,” Wilson told The Epoch Times.
Wilson’s small team of eight conducts daily outreach to the homeless, especially those who have addiction and mental health issues, with the goal of getting them into housing.
Several team members told The Epoch Times that the key to successful outreach is to keep at it and steadily build up trust with homeless people, many of whom have had traumatic experiences in the past and harbor a deep mistrust of society.
“That’s a challenge to overcome before you can even help the individual,” Victor Anderson, a peer specialist on Wilson’s team, told The Epoch Times.
“Since I’ve had this position, I’ve met at least three people that I thought I would never be able to gain their trust to do the work. But over a period of time, with being steadfast and being present, I’ve gained their trust, and we’ve been able to work towards some goals in life.”
Patricia Moore, a clinician on Wilson’s team, paid regular visits to people in the aforementioned outdoor encampments, sometimes bringing hamburgers and coffee, and successfully helped a few of them get stable housing and become productive citizens.
“HONOR works every single day to serve those most in need of help,” HONOR Executive Director Chris Molinelli said in a statement. “We work to address immediate needs, offer food and essentials, with the goal to transition homeless away from the streets and into the comprehensive services that [we] provide.”
