Latest news with #CommunitySolutions
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Two injured in fire at Santa Fe Suites apartment complex
Two people were hospitalized Friday morning after they were rescued from a fire at a low-income apartment complex in southeastern Santa Fe. City fire and emergency medical crews responded to reports of the fire at Santa Fe Suites on South St. Francis Drive just before 6 a.m. Friday, and firefighters rescued three people and two dogs trapped on the second floor of a burning structure, Assistant Chief Sten Johnson said. Two of the people rescued — both adult men — were taken to a local hospital in serious but stable condition, Johnson said, adding the fire was extinguished shortly after the rescue. "They were inside of a burning building for quite some time, so smoke inhalation is the chief concern," he said. One of eight apartment buildings at the site was severely damaged by the fire, but the blaze did not spread to other structures, Johnson said. It was unclear how many residents of the complex, which offers housing to people transitioning out of homelessness, were displaced by the blaze. Managers declined to provide information about the incident. A few tenants could be seen carrying some belongings out of the building. Santa Fe Suites was converted from a hotel after it was purchased with the help of federal funding in 2020, in part to provide transitional housing. It is owned by New York-based Community Solutions and managed by Apartment Management Consultants, with case management and other wraparound services coordinated by St. Elizabeth Shelters and Supportive Housing. The cause of the fire was under investigation Friday by the Santa Fe Fire Department, Chief Brian Moya said. The fire-damaged apartment building — which sits next to the complex's main office — was taped off with caution tape Friday afternoon. A second-story window in the front of the building appeared to be shattered, and the stucco around windows and vents was darkened with char. Staff at the complex's office directed questions to Mike Hijar, a manager with Apartment Management Consultants. He declined to elaborate on the incident. "We're doing everything we can to resolve and mitigate this situation for our tenants, and we don't have any other comment at this time," Hijar said. "We're working through all of the logistics of this unfortunate incident currently." Santa Fe Suites has been cast by many as a model for providing a mix of low-income housing and units for people experiencing homelessness. It offers case management for people in need of behavioral health treatment. A second hotel conversion project in Santa Fe — to be called La Luz — has been in the works for several years.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Two injured in fire at Santa Fe Suites apartment complex
Two people were hospitalized Friday morning after they were rescued from a fire at a low-income apartment complex in southeastern Santa Fe. City fire and emergency medical crews responded to reports of the fire at Santa Fe Suites on South St. Francis Drive just before 6 a.m. Friday, and firefighters rescued three people and two dogs trapped on the second floor of a burning structure, Assistant Chief Sten Johnson said. Two of the people rescued — both adult men — were taken to a local hospital in serious but stable condition, Johnson said, adding the fire was extinguished shortly after the rescue. "They were inside of a burning building for quite some time, so smoke inhalation is the chief concern," he said. One of eight apartment buildings at the site was severely damaged by the fire, but the blaze did not spread to other structures, Johnson said. It was unclear how many residents of the complex, which offers housing to people transitioning out of homelessness, were displaced by the blaze. Managers declined to provide information about the incident. A few tenants could be seen carrying some belongings out of the building. Santa Fe Suites was converted from a hotel after it was purchased with the help of federal funding in 2020, in part to provide transitional housing. It is owned by New York-based Community Solutions and managed by Apartment Management Consultants, with case management and other wraparound services coordinated by St. Elizabeth Shelters and Supportive Housing. The cause of the fire was under investigation Friday by the Santa Fe Fire Department, Chief Brian Moya said. The fire-damaged apartment building — which sits next to the complex's main office — was taped off with caution tape Friday afternoon. A second-story window in the front of the building appeared to be shattered, and the stucco around windows and vents was darkened with char. Staff at the complex's office directed questions to Mike Hijar, a manager with Apartment Management Consultants. He declined to elaborate on the incident. "We're doing everything we can to resolve and mitigate this situation for our tenants, and we don't have any other comment at this time," Hijar said. "We're working through all of the logistics of this unfortunate incident currently." Santa Fe Suites has been cast by many as a model for providing a mix of low-income housing and units for people experiencing homelessness. It offers case management for people in need of behavioral health treatment. A second hotel conversion project in Santa Fe — to be called La Luz — has been in the works for several years.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Latest data show rise in Multnomah County homelessness. Leaders explain why
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Homelessness numbers appear to have grown in Multnomah County, and local leaders say they know why. Leaders with the county's Homeless Services Department — formerly known as the said it could be due to several factors, including a new data system that does a better job of tracking those living without shelter in the community. 'Truly devastated': Missing kayaker identified after going over Willamette Falls On Wednesday, the county launched its new data dashboard that tracks, by name, those who have stayed in a shelter, met with a street outreach worker, signed up for housing services or visited local day centers. Court leaders say the dashboard will provide the most up-to-date record of how many people have entered and exited homelessness each month, but its first month may seem like a jump due to a higher accuracy than previous data collection systems. 'As the by-name data becomes more comprehensive, it will likely result in higher actively homeless numbers. This increase doesn't mean that more people suddenly became homeless, but rather the system is better able to account for everyone who is experiencing homelessness,' said Meghan Arsenault of Community Solutions. 'Having this clearer picture facilitates coordination and stronger matching of housing and service resources to meet people's needs.' But other factors could have had a hand in increasing these numbers, too. Data from January 2025 showed that at least 14,361 people were homeless. It also showed more than 7,500 people either entered or retained housing through the county's housing programs, over 5,700 people had received rent assistance, and more than 3,600 people used the county's 24/7-hour shelter system. Harassment in Vancouver: Hypnosis, witchcraft, scare tactics John Tapogna, the senior policy advisor for ECOnorthwest, said the 'root of our homelessness crisis' comes down to a lack of affordable housing. 'Until we make meaningful progress on that front, we'll continue to see high numbers of people entering homelessness — what these data identify as 'inflow,'' Tapogna said. 'Local governments have sheltered and housed more people than ever — outperforming the goals set under the ambitious Supportive Housing Services measure — but the need continues to outpace the available resources.' And issues with affordability affect more than just homes. The county also notes a lack of livable wages, Social Security checks and federal disability payments leading to higher eviction rates. Meanwhile, inflation has also increased the prices of utilities, food, and healthcare. In addition to a growing cost of living, Andrew B. Mendenhall of Central City Concern said people are more likely to become homeless while addicted to drugs — including fentanyl — or in need of mental health assistance. 'The impact of the wave of individuals impacted by fentanyl and methamphetamine use disorders and untreated severe mental illness combined with a chronically inadequate affordable housing supply are driving the imbalance between inflows and outflows to homelessness within our region,' Mendenhall said. 'Eviction prevention and housing placements are making a difference, but we must continue to scale behavioral health treatment access and affordable housing development with purpose and haste.' Trump Administration 'chaotically' revoked OSU doctoral student's visa, lawsuit claims These factors mean that more people are becoming homeless than leaving homelessness every month. According to the county, 'for every two people who left homelessness, three other people became homeless or were otherwise added to our by-name list.' HSD Deputy Director Anna Plumb also noted that more county services will also mean more people tracked by county data. 'It might seem counterintuitive, but increased services can actually lead to a higher count of people experiencing homelessness,' Anna Plumb said. 'That's because we are actually reaching more people than ever before — and making sure they are captured in our data.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
28/22 News wins big at the PAB Awards
(WBRE/WYOU)— We are very proud of several members of the 28/22 News team who were in Harrisburg Friday for the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters (PAB) Awards Ceremony. Reporter Julie Dunphy and chief videographer Tony Ingargiola won for a series of reports on 'Scranton Gang Violence'. Our public affairs program, Newsmakers, and hosts Jayne Ann Bugda and Andy Mehalshick, along with director Matt Gronski took home an award for outstanding public affairs program for a show on 'Community Solutions to Gang Violence'. The I-Team's Andy Mehalshick along with videographers Tony 'Ingy' Ingargiola and Paul Davis won for an I-Team report 'School Bus Close Call'. And PA Live host Chris Bohinski, taking home a Judge's Merit Award for 'The Host that Makes us Smile'. The award ceremony was in Harrisburg Friday, congratulations! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
