DUNKIRK, N.Y. – New York State Senator George Borrello and Assemblyman Andrew Molitor today hosted a roundtable discussion with local officials, law enforcement leaders and school administrators to examine the growing use of hotels and motels as emergency shelters and the impacts these placements are having on communities across Chautauqua County.

The discussion brought together representatives from county government, local municipalities, law enforcement agencies and school districts to share firsthand perspectives on how the rapid rise in homelessness is affecting public safety, schools, municipal resources and county budgets.

According to the New York State Comptroller, homelessness across New York more than doubled between January 2022 and January 2024. Upstate cities have experienced significant increases, including Buffalo (81 percent), Syracuse (67 percent), Rochester (41 percent) and Albany (38 percent). In Chautauqua County, homelessness increased by 103 percent between 2022 and 2024, including a 150 percent increase in homeless families and a 141 percent rise in children without stable housing.

As shelter capacity has been strained, counties across upstate New York have increasingly relied on hotels and motels for emergency placements. While these placements provide temporary housing, participants in the roundtable noted that hotels are not designed to function as shelters and typically do not provide the supportive services needed to help individuals and families transition into stable housing.

Local officials also discussed the downstream impacts these placements can have on surrounding communities, including increased calls for police and emergency services and concerns raised by school districts located near hotels used for emergency housing.

In the Village of Falconer, for example, school officials and local leaders have raised concerns about incidents connected to individuals staying at a nearby hotel used for emergency placements, including individuals entering school property and safety concerns raised by parents and school officials.

“Homelessness is rising rapidly across upstate New York, and counties like Chautauqua are being forced to manage the consequences largely on their own,” said Senator Borrello. “New York law requires counties to provide emergency shelter, but the state leaves local governments to figure out how to do it and how to pay for it. As the scope of this problem grows, that model is becoming increasingly unsustainable for rural counties.”

Participants also discussed potential alternatives to the current reliance on hotels, including models that combine housing with structured support services.

One example highlighted was Albany County’s Sheriff’s Homeless Improvement Project (SHIP), which provides transitional housing and services within unused space at the county jail. Since launching in 2019, the program has served 497 individuals and expanded to include housing for women and children.

Borrello noted that Western New York already has several vacant or partially vacant correctional facilities that could potentially be part of similar solutions. Unlike roadside hotels, these facilities already include infrastructure such as commercial kitchens, meeting and classroom space, and areas for counseling and workforce training, allowing services to be delivered on-site rather than simply providing a temporary room.

“Hotels were never designed to function as shelters,” Borrello said. “Facilities that already have the space for support services, training and community resources could provide a more structured environment focused on helping people transition into permanent housing.”

Assemblyman Molitor said the goal of the roundtable was to bring together local leaders who are directly experiencing the impacts of the homelessness crisis.

“Local governments, law enforcement and school officials are on the front lines of this issue,” said Assemblyman Molitor. “Their insights are critical as we look for solutions that both support vulnerable individuals and protect the stability and safety of our communities.”

“We all share the goal of helping people move out of homelessness and into stable housing,” Molitor said. “But the current system places too much responsibility on counties and local communities while the problem continues to grow. As homelessness rises across the state, Albany must play a stronger role in developing solutions that help people transition to permanent housing and give communities the support they need.”

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