MONTICELLO — On Thursday, September 18, the Sullivan County Legislature voted not to have a public hearing concerning the gateway housing project sponsored by HONOR, a private not-for-profit based in Middletown that provides treatment services for the homeless and those afflicted with substance-abuse issues. 

This specific vote determined whether or not the legislature would hold a public hearing on October 16 about building the treatment center on the Sullivan County Social Services Campus in Liberty. 

The proposed 10-room, 20-bed shelter and treatment center has been a cycling topic during legislature meetings in 2025, and also the source of several heated exchanges between the legislators, who continue to argue over the location, scope, and cost of the project, and residents, who consistently implore the governing body to take action to address the homeless situation in Sullivan County. 

Votes in favor of holding the public hearing included those cast by District 1 Legislator Matt McPhillips, District 5 Legislator Cat Scott, District 2 Legislator and Chair Nadia Rajsz, and District 6 Legislator Luis Alvarez; voting against the measure were District 9 Legislator Terry Bernardo, District 8 Legislator Amanda Ward, District 7 Legislator Joseph Perrello, District 4 Legislator Nicholas Salomone, and District 3 Legislator Brian McPhillips.

Before the vote, Rajsz said, “I do encourage our board to move forward with some type of shelter this year rather than next year… every county is undergoing what we are, with [facing] homelessness, and we need to put a stop to this sooner rather than later.”

Also speaking before the vote, Perrello offered insight into the strategy of the opposition: “We’ve been working on this for a while and the locations were an issue. We’re working on negotiating with another property that we can put this facility up that will accommodate three times as many people….  I would not waste $8 million on 10 [rooms], it ain’t happening, I will not waste the money.” 

Resident Ken Wampler said, “There can be no better light shone on the dysfunction of this legislature than this: to turn away $8 million in support of a clearly needed program to be operated by a proven team of caring professionals… This program should have broken ground by now.” As Wampler spoke, several residents held up signs calling for action towards building the treatment center, one of which read, “Build Hope. Build Gateway Housing.”

After the 4-5 vote, Scott said, “I’m really disappointed that we’re not having a public meeting.” She said the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) from New York State, which was expected to provide at least $8 million to build the facility, suspended grant submissions on September 10. After saying she felt that facts had been mischaracterized during the meeting, Scott reminded the board that they were all present last year when the Pittaluga Road site in Monticello had been selected for the treatment center. “At no point in time was that a secret, at no point in time was anyone not privy to all of the information.” 

Scott then referenced two recent decisions supported by the legislature, including harnessing $18.5 million of state grant money, matched by $5.5 million from the county, to complete the Sullivan County Airport revitalization. The other including a $585 million deal that allowed the county to take ownership of the non-gaming portion of the Resorts World Catskill property. “Very quickly did we move on that, with very little road block or barrier,” said Scott, who continued, “don’t let them fool you, when they want it, they do it. They move quickly, they move decisively, and nothing stops them.”

Legislator Brian McPhillips said, “I can guarantee the ‘no votes’ on the Liberty location has more to do with the size of the facility, the amount of people that are gonna be properly served,” he said. 

McPhillips explained that because there are approximately 300 homeless people in the county according to the census, he and other legislators are working together to create a homeless shelter that will serve more than 100 individuals.

McPhillips added that there is the possibility of adding a stabilization center to the shelter to help those looking for rehabilitation. He said he was determined to not repeat mistakes of the past, concluding that, “I do understand how people feel about this. This is a big problem for the county, and in no way of me declining to have a public comment period [about] Liberty, has anything to minimize my understanding that this needs to be addressed within this community.”

Legislators said they will continue to negotiate for a project that will serve more individuals.