Albany County Department of Social Services renews shelter and service contracts, approves OCFS grant applications

Albany County — The Albany County Department of Social Services on an evening agenda voted to renew a series of agreements that fund emergency and transitional shelter beds across the county, authorized a grant application to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) for behavioral-health services tied to child-protective work, and approved a county interdepartmental screening agreement for substance-use and mental-health assessments.

County staff summarized a set of shelter renewals that together continue funding for dozens of beds and case-management services. The board authorized contract renewals for Mercy House (20 beds) at a county cost share described as 60% of $919,437, the Sheridan Avenue Shelter (30 beds) at a contract listed as $1,060,000 (64% county share), and the South Ferry Street Shelter (20 beds) at $966,608 (61% county share). Staff said Sheridan Avenue saw 205 unduplicated residents in 2024, a 13% increase year over year.

Staff also presented a renewal for the Schuyler Inn family shelter (operated by the Altima program). They reported 124 families served from Jan. 1 through Oct. 31 and provided a contract figure recorded in the transcript as “2,000,008,912 dollars”; the amount appears to be a transcription error and was not clarified in the meeting record.

The board approved a new agreement with Saint Catherine’s Center for Children to operate the Merrilock Family Residence, a tier-2 family shelter with 24 family units. Staff said the county served 80 unduplicated families there in 2024; the contract was described as “up to…