Residents press legislature to use $8 million Gateway housing funds as officials discuss residential abatement and long-term housing strategy

Residents and advocates used public comment at the Sullivan County Legislature meeting to press elected officials to commit a reported $8 million toward Gateway housing and other shelters for people experiencing homelessness, saying delays and stigma are blocking urgently needed solutions.

"We're talking about all this money, $8,000,000 on the table for the taking," said Marty, a resident who addressed the legislature during public comment, urging officials to find a site and move quickly. Another commenter, Jenny, said, "Once that $8,000,000 is gone and you lie your heads down on your pillow at night, it's gonna be too late," calling on legislators to act in a "humanitarian way."

Legislators and economic development staff also discussed longer-term housing tools at the meeting. Jen, an IDA staff member, said she has been reviewing residential abatement programs other agencies use and is coordinating with county planning staff. "For IDA to adopt any kind of new policy, we have to go through a public hearing process and a public input process, which takes a couple of months," Jen said; she added that a rollout in 2026 is possible if the policy is developed and a public process completed.

During an earlier portion of the meeting several legislators emphasized that county housing shortages are a crisis. One legislator said, "I'm gonna ring my usual bell of this is a crisis. ... It's a national crisis, but it is especially a crisis in Sullivan County. And we need to behave as if it is a crisis."

Public commenters and speakers highlighted several root causes and suggested approaches:

- A local resident urged development of "track housing" (speculative single-family subdivisions) and more residential construction to enable apartment residents to move into homes and free up rental units. - Speakers said the county lacks social infrastructure and amenities that attract professionals and their families, which limits recruitment for local employers. - Several commenters warned that stigma against people experiencing homelessness has blocked site selection and slowed adoption of shelter projects.

Speakers also framed housing shortages as interlinked with education and workforce issues: one commenter emphasized long-term improvement in local school quality as part of making the county attractive for families.

IDA staff told the legislature they have been working on policy details and would meet with county planning staff (Heather's office referenced in discussion) to discuss county needs and next steps. No formal vote on a Gateway site or use of the $8 million was recorded in the meeting transcript; public comment consists of appeals to the legislature to act.

The meeting record shows continued public pressure for immediate use of available grant funds and parallel staff work on abatement and incentive policies that would take months to finalize through a public hearing process.