A local organization that helps the homeless is trying to find them some new space.
Sister Grace Miller, who leads the House of Mercy, is reaching out to city and county officials trying to get assistance in purchasing a building that’s up for sale on North Clinton Avenue so that it can be converted into a shelter for the homeless.
Miller wants to find space for the 30 or more homeless people who have been finding shelter at night in the Civic Center Garage. That garage is run by a local development corporation and eventually, management wants the facility to be cleared.
“They’ve been holding off, and we’ve been asking them to hold off until we find a building, my fear is when the weather starts getting warmer they might just put them out so we really need a place for them, and we need it relatively soon. “
Sister Grace would like funding from the county to buy the building up for sale on North Clinton, and she also needs the city’s help for a zoning change.
Rochester's Director of Business and Housing Development, Spencer Ash says the city wants to help Sister Grace find the resources she needs to help the homeless.
'The city is open and available to working with her on a plan, so whether it's that site or another site we can use our resources most effectively to support the efforts of both her and her network."
But Ash also says that Sister Grace will need to come up with a detailed plan for the North Clinton Avenue building if that is the direction she wants to pursue.
