Case moves town to clarify its response to homelessness protocols

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on April 17, 2009

Any resident at risk of becoming homeless is expected to get more immediate assistance from the town as officials put in place improved guidelines for supplying emergency aid.

With about $115,000 in money from a recent court ruling now available for social service programs, and additional money donated by Amherst College last fall, Town Manager Larry Shaffer said the town has the necessary resources to confront possible homelessness.

But the key for success will be ensuring that people who might lose their homes are identified and get this help.

"What we're trying to do is develop programs for how we administer the money," Shaffer said.

Shaffer said any municipal employee - such as a police officer, firefighter or health inspector - should be able to tell people who need town assistance the means for obtaining it.

Roy Rosenblatt, director of the Community Development Department, said a description for accessing the money is posted on the town Web site and will involve a similar plan as to how the money from Amherst College was dispensed for fuel assistance and emergency homelessness.

"This is absolutely considerably more money than we have ever had, and we want everyone to have the ability to access it," Rosenblatt said.

Rosenblatt said the department will be using Housing and Urban Development guidelines that include being low and moderate income and documenting homelessness by a notice from a landlord.

Shaffer said that Rosenblatt is crafting a program that will put families in touch with Family Outreach of Amherst and individuals in communication with Cathy Bennett, an outreach worker for the Center for Human Development.

In addition, Shaffer said that town employees will provide people in need with questionnaires so the town can get information about their status, needs and next of kin and advise them of all services available and provide notice to all relevant departments.

Prompted by Kulungian

This formal protocol is, in part, being prompted by a recent case in which Harold Kulungian was temporarily evicted from his North Pleasant Street Apartments home after it was declared uninhabitable by health inspectors following a stove fire.

Kulungian ended up staying for several days in a downtown office.

While town officials were aware that Kulungian could not stay in his apartment, there was not an understanding that he didn't have other accommodations.

Dave Keenan, whose Amherst Home Association assisted Kulungian in clearing the apartment from clutter that eventually allowed him to return to his home, said this week that he remains disappointed in the town response.

He said that the Health Department inspection only cited Kulungian for violations, and did not cite the landlord, Jones Properties, for having a stove with a malfunctioning indicator lights and a bathroom with a sink without proper handles.

The landlord eventually made these fixes at Shaffer's urging.

"The social service agencies in place really should be the ones to do this," Keenan said. "The whole problem I have is, quite frankly, is do you want your town manager to be involved?"

Meanwhile, Kulungian is continuing to appeal to town officials to get them to cover the $600 he paid Keenan's group for its service.

Though Shaffer initially said the town would pay for this work, he is now asking Keenan to reimburse Kulungian the money.

Shaffer said, as it stands, Kulungian appears to have paid for a membership in an organization, which is not reimbursable based on procurement standards.

No itemized list of the work has been submitted by Keenan.

Shaffer explained the town could have done similar work at no cost to Kulungian.

In an email to the town manager, Kulungian said the town should reimburse because it has the money for situations like the one he found himself in.

"If you wish to reject the new bill on any kind of technicalities, it will reflect poorly on the town that has funds set aside precisely for that situation," Kulungian said.