Emergency Assistance

Homelessness Prevention & Intervention Programs

Homelessness Prevention & Intervention Programs

Addressing, preventing, and ending homelessness is a core value and mission of CAPTAIN CHS. We have continued to deepen our commitment through the years and understand that homelessness is something that no one should experience and is a social determinate of health and well-being. But we know it takes a collaborative and coordinated approach to prevent and end homelessness. It is not the singular effort of one person or agency, and responsibility doesn’t lie with one sector or organization, it is the collective effort with purpose that creates and sustains movement forward and progress.

CAPTAIN CHS offers multiple programs to prevent and intervene in cases of homelessness in Saratoga, Fulton, Montgomery, Hamilton, Warren, and Washington Counties.

Solutions to End Homelessness Program (Saratoga, Fulton, and Montgomery Counties)

Our Solutions to End Homelessness Program (STEHP) is a NYS-funded program to help individuals and families facing a housing crisis.  The goal of STEHP is to keep people in our community stably housed.  The funding provides financial assistance for those who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness in Saratoga, Fulton, and Montgomery Counties.

For more information or to find out if you qualify, please contact our STEHP Program Manager at 518-371-1185 for Saratoga County, or 518-729-8249 if in Fulton or Montgomery Counties.

Please note that, because of the high demand for financial assistance, clients may only receive help once every 12 months.  If you are in crisis, we may be able to connect you with other programs and services offered by CAPTAIN CHS or our community partners.

Saratoga County Homelessness Intervention & Prevention

Saratoga County has a new and innovative approach to address to homelessness in light of COVID-19 that ushers in unprecedented levels of community collaboration and a multi-sector approach, and CAPTAIN Community Human Services is leading the initiative.

On March 27, 2020 Congress passed and President Trump signed H.R. 749, the CARES Act.  Included in that legislation is an emergency allocation of $4 billion to be used specifically to address the needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, or at risk of homelessness, that have arisen as the result of COVID-19.  For Saratoga County, this allocation amounted to $2,491,437.  Under the direction of, and in collaboration with, Saratoga County Department of Social Services (DSS) developed a comprehensive community-wide plan to implement the funding with 9 different non-profit organizations, and named CAPTAIN Community Human Services as the lead agency tasked with coordinating those programs and services.

CAPTAIN CHS is partnering with the Saratoga County Department of Social Services and eight local nonprofits to offer the following services:

  • Increasing on-the-street presence of training professionals through Street Outreach
  • Strengthening and supporting Emergency Shelter services, including support for the Code Blue program
  • Providing swift access to permanent housing for homeless individuals and families through Rapid Rehousing
  • Providing financial assistance to curb evictions through Prevention Services

Services Offered by Agency:

Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York:  Prevention Services

The Prevention Council:  Street Outreach

RISE Healthy Housing and Support Services:  Emergency Shelter, Rapid Rehousing, and Street Outreach

Salvation Army Saratoga Springs Corps:  Prevention Services, Emergency Shelter, and Street Outreach

Saratoga County Department of Social Services:  Emergency Shelter

Shelters of Saratoga:  Emergency Shelter, Rapid Rehousing, and Street Outreach

Veteran & Community Housing Coalition:  Prevention Services and Rapid Rehousing

Wellspring:  Emergency Shelter

The Saratoga-North Country Continuum of Care

The Saratoga-North Country Continuum of Care (CoC) Membership is dedicated to preventing and eliminating homelessness while ensuring that an effective system of care and services is in place to respond to the needs of at-risk and homeless individuals and families. CAPTAIN CHS is a member, and Executive Director Andy Gilpin sits on the Board.

The Saratoga-North Country CoC includes the Counties of Saratoga, Hamilton, Washington, and Warren.

The purpose of a Continuum is to:

  • Promote community wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness.
  • Provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, States, and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals (including unaccompanied youth) and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness.
  • Promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs for homeless individuals and families.
  • Optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Coordinated Entry

The coordinated entry process in Saratoga-North Country is designed to prioritize applicants for homeless services with the first phase focusing on permanent supportive housing and transitional housing. This process is not intended to determine acceptance into a program; it is meant to prioritize community services based on need.

CAPTAIN CHS is the lead agency for Coordinated entry through the CoC.

For more information on the Coc or Coordinated Entry, please call 518-371-1185.