WPCNR Common Council Chronicle-Examiner. By John F. Bailey. April 30, 2008: The meeting was called at 3:50 PM Thursday afternoon for 9 P.M. The reason, Paul Anderson-Winchell, Executive Director of Grace Church Community Services, had notified Mayor Joseph Delfino that  still no arrangements had been worked out for servicing undomiciled persons left homeless when Westchester County closed the Court Street Shelter August 6 of last summer, and who, to date have refused overtures to join the County Department of Social Services care system.

Winchell asked the Mayor to acquire Common Council approval for continuing service 19 additional undomiciled persons at Open Arms (14 men) and Samaritan House (5 women) through May 31. The additional beds were to have expired tonight.

The council voted unanimously, according to Council President Rita Malmud to extend the temporary service for one more month. She indicated this would be the last such extension for a temporary solution, and said there would be a meeting in May to bring together statkeholders to hammer out a solution as to where to house the reluctant to register homeless permanently evenings.

Council on Final Day, Extends Temporary Beds for Homeless Refusing County Services Though May.

WPCNR Common Council Chronicle-Examiner. By John F. Bailey. April 30, 2008: The meeting was called at 3:50 PM Thursday afternoon for 9 P.M. The reason, Paul Anderson-Winchell, Executive Director of Grace Church Community Services, had notified Mayor Joseph Delfino that  still no arrangements had been worked out for servicing undomiciled persons left homeless when Westchester County closed the Court Street Shelter August 6 of last summer.

Winchell asked the Mayor to acquire Common Council approval for continuing service 19 additional undomiciled persons at Open Arms (14 men) and Samaritan House (5 women) through May 31. The additional beds were to have expired tonight.

The council voted unanimously, according to Council President Rita Malmud to extend the temporary service for one more month.

Ms. Malmud said the council all agreed to extend the temporary beds, because “There was not a plan put into place to handle these homeless permanently.” Malmud reports to WPCNR the council hopes to have a meeting in May to resolve the issue of where the homeless who choose not to cooperate and participate with the Westchester County Department of Social Services will be able to stay overnight and where. She did not indicate whether Westchester County would participate.

Malmud said the council had been “compassionate” for some time but it was time for the county and the city(ies) to resolve the issue of what to do with the homeless who will not join the DSS system.

After the Court Street shelter closed in White Plains August 6, homeless persons not opting to cooperate with the Department of Social Services were on their own, mostly sleeping in woods surrounding the city. After local clergy balked at running county warming shelters,  making such homeless persons sleep in chairs at temporary church-run shelters, Grace Church stepped up to expand their shelter, getting paid $600 per person for housing some 19 or more homeless persons beginning in December. The 19-plus, said by officials to approach 25, have stayed at Samaritan House and Open Arms Shelter for five months.