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Galvan shelter plan clears first hurdle

Jul 19, 2012 6:22 am
Nathan Mayberg writes in the Register Star the Galvan Foundation proposal for a homeless shelter located at State and Seventh streets in Hudson got the go-ahead from the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Human Services Committee, Wed., July 18. The proposal calls for Galvan to maintain a 37-room shelter for the county's single homeless population with case management services provided by the Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties. The county will enter into a five-year agreement with Galvan at the cost of $611,000 for the first year. The county currently houses its homeless population in motels. Mayor William Hallenbeck Jr. and Common Council President Don Moore attended the committee meeting, and voiced support for the project. Supervisor Ellen Thurston [a WGXC programmer], Democrat of Hudson, was the lone dissenting vote on the proposal. Citing declining homeless numbers and a lack of public input on the plan, she said it was “premature” to enter into a long-term lease agreement. The matter now moves on for a vote by the full board. Read the full story in the Register Star.