A 390-page report was released Feb. 9 by Rochester City Council President Miguel A. Meléndez Jr. detailing the region’s approach to homelessness and ideas on a better system to combat the issue.
The report titled hopes to change the region’s approach to homelessness since it is considered a growing crisis.
In the report Melendez outlines eight key recommendations “aimed at improving outcomes for unhoused residents and achieving a higher quality of life for all neighborhoods through coordinated efforts at the city, county, state and federal level.”
“As the federal government continues to criminalize homelessness and pull back vital supports for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness — it is critical that state, local and community partners work together to fill service gaps, braid funding opportunities and pilot innovative solutions to address the growing problem,” Melendez said in a statement.
According to the report, in New York State 158,019 people experienced homelessness in 2024. The report also mentioned that according to HUD point-in-time data, there were 1,194 unhoused people in Rochester and Monroe County as of January 2025.
Eight recommendations Meléndez wants local leaders to act on
Here are the key recommendations that Melendez wrote in his report:
Melendez described how the report will not provide a one-size-fits-all solution to the crisis in Rochester, but is a step towards handling the situation.
“I hope it will help show new paths and create action items to lay the groundwork for a more collaborative approach to homelessness in Rochester – one intended to galvanize and mobilize leaders in both government and the nonprofit sector into new action to combat homelessness in the region,” Melendez said in a statement.
Advocate says solutions need clearer focus and stronger protections
Housing advocate Amy D’Amico said she appreciates Melendez taking the time to document this evidence of the homelessness crisis the community is facing and for the possible solutions, but she thinks the recommendations could be more focused.
“The eight recommendations are trying to please everyone at once,” D’Amico said. “To achieve that they are vague and do not have the specificity or narrowness of focus to fix in any meaningful way to a true multifaceted solution.”
In addition to clarification, D’Amico also said she was disappointed that the report calls for evidence-based programs, but does not call for an end to homeless sweeps immediately.
“Sweeps are ineffective, do not get people into shelters or apartments, disrupt plans to do so and are a traumatic and larcenous action of the municipality,” D’Amico said. “The report does not recommend ending them, but to add “protocols” that retain people’s dignity. I don’t know how that’s supposed to go.”
— Kerria Weaver works as the Government and You reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on how government actions affect communities and neighborhoods in Rochester and in Monroe County.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: New report warns of escalating homelessness crisis in Rochester
Reporting by Kerria Weaver, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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