In late January, when Saratoga Central Catholic parents and staff learned of The City of Saratoga Springs City Council’s plan to locate a 24/7/365 LOW THRESHOLD shelter and navigation center for unhoused individuals, at the William Street Senior Citizens Center building, they knew something wasn’t right and acted quickly.

Thanks to the 1500+ (and counting!) signatures on this petition we were able to raise enough awareness to cause Mayor Ronald Kim to slow the decision process.

A brief history: 

• Homelessness in Saratoga Springs has continued to rise over the last several years and cause safety concerns.
• Mayor Kim says it’s not safe for residents, individuals living in the (Woodlawn) parking garage or tourists.
• Over several years, the essential Code Blue Shelter (a shelter open when the temperature is 32 degrees or lower) has been relocated from place to place.
• Many residents agree a permanent and forever Code Blue Shelter location is important for the community.

What we have learned in the past 4 weeks:

• Mayor Kim does not have a solid plan to responsibly implement shelter plans at The Senior Center located at the 5 William Street location.
• The City Council was under the false assumption that Mayor Kim (and others) had previously completed all the legwork involved- including speaking to and working with residents, local businesses and most importantly the school that would be directly next door. On October 18, 2022, City Council voted unanimously YES to enter into a lease agreement with the Shelters of Saratoga.
• The original discussion of a permanent Code Blue Shelter, quickly transitioned to a 24/7/365, LOW THRESHOLD shelter and navigation center.
• Shelters of Saratoga realized the lease Mayor Kim was proposing was beyond their comfort level. On Friday, February 3 2023, Shelters of Saratoga announced they would not be entering into the lease agreement with the City for the 5 William Street location. Instead, they have found a location to operate the Code Blue Shelter for the 2023/24 season.
• During the State of the City address, also on Friday, February 3, 2023 Mayor Kim announced he would be appointing a Task Force to:
  1. Recommend the location for the 24/7/365, LOW THRESHOLD shelter and navigation center.
  2. “Recommend an agency that can provide services necessary for the navigation center. So, we’ve lost SOS we are going to find somebody else to do this. “– Mayor Kim 2/16/23
• Mayor Kim and Commissioner of Public Safety James Montagnino met with parents at Saratoga Central Catholic School, moderated by Dioceses Superintendent Giovanni Virgilio. During this meeting both city representatives stated:

1. 1. The 5 William Street Location, despite sharing 224 feet of property line with a middle and high school, is still a relevant choice. Mayor Kim stated "It is a city owned block (lot)- but I want you to partner with me in finding something better than this- and this is why it is attractive for The City. I understand your concerns. One- it is a city owned property. So here’s one of the things that our city spends a ton of your tax payer dollars on… people suing us when they say “I don’t like the zoning there and I want to put X,Y,and Z” well every other place that we would find, and I’ll show you on a map in a second, that could be eligible for a homeless center that we think probably will get a lawsuit- so that’s a major factor for us to consider. The Second major factor it’s really a turnkey operation- the Senior Citizen Center has an industrial kitchen…”
   2. The location of the shelter/navigation center could ultimately be located next to any school in The City of Saratoga Springs.  Pole cams would be installed, Police patrol officers would be stationed in that sector and if requested that school would receive a School Resource Office (SRO) “free of charge” (retails over $70k) from The City.  Mayor Kim stated on January 31, 2023 “We are committed to also building barriers to make sure that students are separated.” All of these "mitigation efforts" are indicative of the inherent risk associated with such a shelter. 

The residents of Saratoga Springs, NY need to focus on Protecting All Saratoga Students by insisting that any homeless shelter not be located next to ANY school within our city limits and continue forming a coalition to ensure the safety of Saratoga Springs’ most vulnerable population, our children, while supporting sensible solutions for the city’s unhoused population.

Stay tuned to this petition for updates- this is just getting started.