Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
To the Editor:
Statistics clearly indicate the disadvantaged population isn’t just growing in our community, it’s a nationwide crisis. Homelessness, poverty, and mental illness are complex issues that are caused by several factors.
The reality is most of us know someone who is struggling right now. Additionally, even those who are doing ok today may not be in a few years as technology experts are predicting that within the next decade, Artificial Intelligence (AI) could potentially eliminate more than 50% of all American jobs.
By the numbers, currently:
Homeless:
- 1 out of every 500 people in America are homeless
- 8 out every 1000 people in New York are homeless
- From 2022-2024, there’s been a 138% homeless increase in Glens Falls & Saratog
- 70% of all homeless are reported to live in urban areas
- 67% have mental illness
- 48% have complex behavioral health concerns
- 46% have some form of PTSD
- 38% have alcohol dependency
- 26% have drug dependency
- 25% have severe mental illness
Mental Illness:
- 1 out of every 5 adults experience mental illness
- 1 out of every 20 adults experience severe mental illness
- 1 out of every 7 children ages 6-17 have a mental disorder
The Challenge:
On one side of the feather, the disadvantaged are fellow human beings who are really struggling and need help. Somewhere along their path in life, they may have suffered trauma; some may have never even had a place to call home; and others may feel hopeless to ever be able to find love, peace, and/or harmony on this earth again.
Regardless of the cause, these are human beings who deserve our compassion, respect, care, and guidance just like anyone else in our community.
On other side of the feather is the fact that the growth of the disadvantaged here is having an adverse effect on our residents, businesses, customers, and visitors. It’s also putting a tremendous strain on our first responders on a daily basis. We are very fortunate to have several independent organizations, groups, and individuals answering the call to service right now to the best of their ability, but they all have limitations.
Solution that I’d like to propose to get a more constructive conversation going, is as follows:
I believe we need a more holistic approach to care for the disadvantaged. Maybe it’s time we seriously consider a large, comprehensive care facility in a more rural setting.
Research shows that the large majority of the disadvantaged live or day-spend in urban areas, such as the City of Glens Falls.
Not only is nature a great healer but as a first measure to help these folks, it makes a lot of sense to me to get those struggling out of the environment where they first broke and remain in a rut.
Warren and Washington Counties have a large number of closed, abandoned, and vacant properties that could potentially be transformed into an innovative campus which could offer the growing population of disadvantaged individuals their own space, paired with the complete mental, physical, and spiritual care they need to get them back on their feet again.
Perhaps we could enlist the help of our honorable retired military personnel and medical professionals. As the statistics clearly show, the majority of the disadvantaged have more than one issue that needs to be addressed and I feel strongly that we need a more comprehensive approach, in one location to care for these human beings if we honestly expect to solve the root problem.
Conclusion: In a world that’s obsessed with technology and seemingly making things less human, I see this as the perfect opportunity to get it right for those in need with a more comprehensive solution, and by example, prove once again to the world why this community is such a special place.
— George Normandin, Queensbury
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