Delaware Opportunities Executive Director Shelly Bartow (left) and Delaware County Department of Social Services Commissioner Keith Weaver discuss plans for a transitional housing facility in Bloomville at the Kortright Town Board meeting on June 16.
By Mary A. Crisafulli
KORTRIGHT - Residents of Bloomville, a small hamlet nestled in Kortright, are once again told that the county-owned building on the main corridor will become a homeless shelter. The proposal, presented by the Delaware County Department of Social Services (DSS), has raised concerns among citizens.
To develop a more efficient and supportive system for unhoused county residents, DSS plans to utilize the Bloomville home as a second-tier, short-term transitional housing facility. DSS Commissioner Keith Weaver explained that once individuals have been stabilized at the Delhi shelter, they will be shifted to Bloomville. At the second facility, individuals will receive further training and resources to empower them to become successful members of society.
According to Weaver, many homeless individuals move on to obtain housing but often lose it due to a lack of transportation, skill sets, proper documentation, or other barriers. Such individuals return to the system. The Bloomville facility would help ensure people have the resources needed to be successful and remain housed, he said.
To achieve this goal, DSS has partnered with Delaware Opportunities. Delaware Opportunities Executive Director Shelly Bartow joined Weaver in presenting the plan at the June 16th Kortright Town Council meeting.
Despite the optimistic goals of DSS, Bloomville residents have reason to be skeptical. In 2024, the facility was used as an emergency homeless shelter. If the weather drops below freezing, the county is required by state law to provide housing for those in need. During an intense cold spell, the DSS found itself with higher-than-usual numbers of unhoused individuals. The Delhi facility was being rebuilt after a fire and was not usable. The County placed several individuals at the six-bedroom home in Bloomville.
After two residents at the facility were arrested in March 2024 on drug charges, citizens raised concerns; with a daycare establishment just across the street and a playground up the road, safety was questioned. Residents do not want to have another similar situation, which they made clear at the town meeting.
While admitting the last use of the building was not ideal, Weaver said a lot has been learned from that instance. Communication with the town is critical, and other factors have been taken into consideration in the development of this program, he said.
The plan is designed to have one staff member on duty at the facility, ideally from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., said Weaver, and potentially another available shift from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The staff members will be responsible for helping individuals get proper resources and training. Another provision to ensure the facility is running more efficiently is to have strict criteria for becoming a candidate for placement in Bloomville.
Weaver assured attendees that those listed as level two and three on the sex offender list have separate facilities and would never be placed in Bloomville.
Resident Linda Lutz demanded that an emergency plan be presented to ensure that individuals like those arrested last year are never placed in Bloomville.
While stating that they would do their best to avoid placing these individuals in Bloomville, Weaver, and Bartow explained that the county would be forced to use any available resources during an emergency.
Several residents complained that DSS was not responsive to citizen concerns regarding drugs in 2024.
Bartow explained that Delaware Opportunities was not previously involved in the placement and assured residents that she was very responsive, even offering her phone number to remain available. She further noted that Weaver was not the DSS Commissioner at the time. She stated that the program's success depends on open, ongoing communication and transparency with the community. Bartow committed to providing quarterly updates and keeping Supervisor George Haynes informed on a regular basis.
In addition to safety concerns, residents believe the facility would be best maintained by the citizens themselves. A proposition to purchase the building has been presented to the county twice by Bloomville Community Pride. The group is a non-profit community organization. John Rockafeller said the house was once operated in collaboration with a local church and the county. In the 1980s, a very successful foster care facility was located in the building, he explained. Bloomville Community Pride would like to purchase the structure and replicate the event again. Or use the home to help young families starting out, as the group does with another building by charging low rent. In any case, the group feels the operation would be smoother and more successful if people from the community were directly involved rather than those stationed in Delhi.
Rockafeller further questioned the validity of the proposal, stating it came quickly after Bloomville Community Pride sent a letter requesting to purchase the facility. He noted that the county owns several properties that it doesn't use, which is a waste of resources.
The plan for a secondary transitional housing unit was budgeted for 2025 under the DSS line item services for recipients, explained Weaver. He notes that the county social services board has been discussing such a project for over a year with no specific location in mind. In addition to the Bloomville and Delhi locations, DSS oversees homes in Stamford, Hamden, Walton, and Sidney.
The two-bedroom home in Sidney is used as a foster family visitation center for children on that end of the county. If not for this facility, Weaver explained that children would have to be transported to Delhi for visitations. He noted that the home is relatively small and would not be sufficient for other uses.
In Hamden, DSS operates an emergency foster home for children without placement. The facility is typically used for those with complex or mental health needs, explained Weaver.
The home, located just outside Walton, with three or four bedrooms, is used as emergency housing.
The four to five-bedroom home in Stamford is currently unoccupied. This home, along with the one in Bloomville, was initially set for use as a foster home. However, Weaver reported that this model has been deemed unsuccessful. DSS is reviewing ways to utilize county resources, including the Stamford home, to assist the community best, he said.
Remaining wary of DSS plans, Rockafeller said it is clear the county is set on this program. He asked Weaver to consider the group's proposition if the program is unsuccessful.
Other concerns included the limited availability of resources in Bloomville, such as the absence of a grocery store, inadequate WiFi, and a shortage of job opportunities. Residents questioned how the placed individuals could become successful in such an area.
Bartow informed residents that Delaware Opportunities would help individuals residing in Bloomville access the necessary resources and support.
Weaver concluded by assuring attendees that they would be notified well in advance of any placement at the home, which is likely to be months away.
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