Erin Healy, a Saratoga Springs native and national expert on collaborative problem solving and homelessness, has been invited to spend the week of Sept. 23 in the Spa City to assess the city’s current homeless system, design a collaborative action plan and recommend next steps.
She was invited by Shelters of Saratoga to help the city shift the homeless system from its current crisis-response mode to a more cost-effective system, one focused on housing and prevention. This is expected to not only save lives, but public dollars as well. Many studies confirm that ending homelessness through the provision of supportive housing is less expensive than maintaining homelessness through a patchwork of disconnected crisis systems.
“Having spent nine months now in my role as executive director of Shelters of Saratoga, and with the backing of my board and key partners, I feel very strongly that the Saratoga community is ready for a new approach to homelessness – the old models are not working and are not sustainable,” said Karen Gregory, executive director of Shelters of Saratoga. “A collaborative process bringing together diverse stakeholders, even those with opposing motivations, can get to a true, long-term solution that actually gets people back on their feet and brings our community together in common purpose. Erin’s message is not an invitation to do business as usual. It’s an invitation to re-vision what’s possible and to solve complex problems through collaboration, iterative problem-solving, and a bias toward action over processing and planning.”
During the week, Healy will meet for small group discussions with 12 different stakeholder groups, to gather information on the current homeless system, community impacts of homelessness and assess the city’s readiness to form a broad collaborative that will work to end homelessness.
The week will also include an event at Skidmore College. “Can We End Homelessness in Saratoga?” will run from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26, at Gannett Auditorium, Palamountain Hall on the college campus, 815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs.