Three candidates vying to represent the city by filling two open seats on the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors all say the county must address problems associated with homelessness, but they disagree on the solutions. Democrats Sarah Burger and Minita Sanghvi said the county will have to commit more funding to follow through on building a 24-hour shelter. Earlier this year, the county purchased 1.4 acres on Ballston Avenue for $3 million with plans to build a Code Blue shelter there — a low-barrier refuge for the cold winter months. But no shovel has penetrated the ground. Republican George Ehinger said that establishing a network of partnerships between providers and those in need is the best path forward. “It’s so complicated,” said Ehinger, 65. “It is such a web of funding, providers and people in need. I don’t think you can just address this with Band-Aid solutions or throwing money at the problem. You have to really get in and collaborate.”
Burger, a 42-year-old lifelong Saratogian, said that puts too much of the shelter’s cost on the city. “I will advocate that this is a county issue, not just a Saratoga Springs issue,” Burger said. “It’s a very complex issue, and I’m not going to pretend I know all the answers, but we need more money for social services. The burden is on the entire county. The city doesn’t have the budget to address homelessness.” Sanghvi, the city’s current finance commissioner, has criticized the county for boasting about how it spends the least on its residents of all New York counties. She said the county should also realize that there is a need for a year-round shelter to protect against extreme heat, too. That must dovetail with more affordable and supportive housing that includes allowing homeowners to have accessory dwelling units, because she said “there is not enough access” to housing. Sanghvi, a Skidmore College professor originally from India, believes she is the one who can accomplish that because she “is the only one who has held office.” Read the full Times-Union article here.