For many who are homeless in Erie County, hotel and motel rooms provided by the county are a way to keep them off the streets.
Scottpatrick Sellitto is among those who found himself in such straits – but quickly learned how uncertain that safety net can become.
“People lose all self-respect when put into this position,” he said. “I got to see it firsthand.”
Sellitto, 63, a former University at Buffalo cancer researcher, spent nearly 15 weeks in two hotels before arranging in November to stay temporarily with a friend in Canada.
Homelessness came, he said, after he was stiffed of nearly $160,000 by a client in a music production side business, running him financially dry. He was evicted from his Allentown apartment in July.
Sellitto appreciated the help, but became among those who wondered why the Department of Social Services required him to visit the Edward A. Rath County Office Building downtown at least every two weeks to continue to receive housing assistance, putting a bigger squeeze on his already tight budget.
Like many who are homeless, he doesn’t have a car, and the lodgings where he stayed weren’t close to a Metro Bus stop.
“Probably my biggest concern right now is people not getting continued placement because they don’t have transportation to get to DSS,” said Diana Proske, public benefits program director at Neighborhood Legal Services.
Often, as Sellitto sat in Area B on the eighth floor of the office building on Pearl Street, waiting to meet Department of Social Services workers, he remembered seeing familiar faces from his neighborhood who…
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