WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. August 9, 2005: County Executive Andy Spano has sent a letter to White Plains residents, announcing the planned transformation of the Open Arms Shelter on West Post Road into a daytime drop-in center for the homeless. No further details are available.

The shelter will be transformed with a $2 Million grant for the program, Spano has titled “Project Trust.” Instead of being dropped on the streets after being bused from the County Airport Drop-in Shelter, residents would be dropped at the Open Arms Shelter (where they are picked up nightly each evening to be bused to the county drop-in shelter at the airport.)

Spano says the concept of the program was supported by White Plains’ Planning and Public Safety Commissioners when it was applied for by the county last year.

The Mayor’s Office of White Plains in the aftermath of the murder of Concetta Russo-Carriero, criticized the county for not monitoring homeless people during the day in White Plains, and advocated for a place for the homeless to spend time during the day, was asked by WPCNR for a comment as to whether it still supported such a day shelter to be in White Plains at Open Arms. They may be in the process of formulating a statement.

The County Department of Communications has been asked when the Open Arms shelter would open for the day services, and has not responded.

Spano remarks in the letter that the county Public Safety Commissioner is now under instructions to inform the White Plains Police when homeless persons known to be Level 3 Sex Offenders are released in the city. Phil Reisman, a Journal News columnist had revealed level 3 sex offenders were staying at the County drop-in shelter about a month before the murder in a column, even receiving an anonymous tip that Philip Grant was staying there.

Here is the text of the Spano letter received by White Plains residents:

August 2, 2005,

Dear White Plains Resident,

Since the death of Concetta Russo-Carriero in White Plains last month there has been

much publicity and some misconceptions about the County’s homeless policy.

I am writing to clarify our position and to update you on what the County is doing to further protect all our residents.

Much has been said, erroneously, that the County is “busing” homeless people into White Plains each day. This is not true. In fact, the Volunteers of America, under contract with the County Department of Social Services, take the homeless who are in White Plains during the day, out of the city at night to sleep in the drop-in center at the airport. In the morning, they are returned to where they were picked up. The policy was started in the 1980s after a homeless person froze to death on the streets. Westchester is not required by law to have this program. We do it not only because it is the humane thing to do for the homeless, but also to eliminate what could be a nuisance or a threat to our residents. Without it, these transient people would wander the streets, the downtown and the neighborhoods of White Plains at night. They would not stop coming to White Plains because as in many other cities across the nation, street people tend to congregate in cities where they can find food, transportation and services.

Since the horrific crim at the muniucipal garage, we have added a number of measures to try to improve safety for White Plains residents. I directed Westchester County’s Commissioner of Public Safety to notify White Plains Police when we discover that a street person picked up in White Plains is a Level 3 sex offender (not so easy to do because not everyone carries identification). As of today, there were no known sex offenders using the drop-in center.

Also of concern is what these transient homeless do during the daytime. To address this, our Department of Community Mental health last year applied for a federal grant to partner with Grace Church’s Open Arms and other agencies to provide daytime services. The grant application was supported by the White Plains City Planning Commissioner, the White Plains Public Safety Commissioner and the White Plains Library.

I am pleased to announce that just last month we were awarded a $2 Million grant, over five years, for “Project Trust.” This means that Open Arms will operate a daytime drop-in center, 365 days a year to target homeless people living on White Plains streets (and sleeping in the County’s overnight center) to provide them with services, food, clothing, bathrooms, showers and medical care. The purpose is to convince them to participate in and enter our shelter system and get them off the streets.

In our regular shelter system, the homeless can get job counseling and training, mental health, drug and/or alcohol treatment and participate in other programs designed to help them become self-sufficient and thus less of a risk to society. Our programs are working, which is why the homeless population in Westchester continues to decline while that of other counties increases. But we cannot force our transient homeless into the shelter system.

Nor can we force sex offenders like Philip Grant, who is charged with Mrs. Russo-Carriero’s murder, to be confined under current state law. That is why I have asked the Governor and State Legislature to call a special session to pass a civil commitment law. Under such a law, sex offenders who are deemed to be dangerous and likely to strike again can be confined even after their jail sentence ends.

If such a law were in place, I believe Philip Grant would not have been free to commit the horrible murder of Concetta Russo-Carriero. Her family thinks so too and is lobbying for civil commitment.

I would urge you to visit our website at www.westchestergov.com to learn more about civil commitment and to e-mail our legislators. I hope this information is of help to you and if you have any questions, please contact my office at (914) 995-2127.

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Spano