Sign our Petition to Designate 26 Oakley Street Shelter as a Safe Haven for Families & Single Women

We, the undersigned residents, neighbors, and advocates, respectfully petition Dutchess County to revise its current homeless shelter plan for 26 Oakley Street in the City of Poughkeepsie. Our request is clear and just: We call on the County to designate the Oakley Street shelter as a facility exclusively serving families and single women experiencing homelessness.

Why this matters:

• The current County plan proposes a 120-bed shelter for both single men and women in Poughkeepsie's 5th Ward, a neighborhood already shouldering the burden of hosting the County Jail and other public service facilities.
• The City and its residents have voiced deep concerns about the disproportionate siting of vulnerable service populations in one area, as well as public safety, neighborhood stability, and the well-being of shelter residents themselves.
• A previously proposed compromise plan would have divided services between the City and the Town of Poughkeepsie, with Oakley Street serving families and single women - a plan that aligned better with community safety, compassion, and responsible resource distribution.
• The County's unilateral decision to abandon that compromise ignores the voices and welfare of City residents, particularly those in the 5th Ward, and leaves them carrying an unequal share of countywide social services. Our community deserves fairness and compassion.

Designating 26 Oakley Street as a shelter for families and single women will:

• Provide a safer, more appropriate environment for vulnerable women and children.
• Help balance the distribution of social services across Dutchess County.
• Honor the City's willingness to be part of a collaborative regional solution.
• Respect the voices of Poughkeepsie residents who have consistently advocated for a compromise.

We urge Dutchess County to reconsider its current plan and adopt this humane, balanced, and community-supported alternative.

Click the link below and sign to stand with us in demanding a shelter plan that is fair, safe, and compassionate for all.

https://www.change.org/p/26-oakley-street-homeless-shelter?recruiter=1374295504&recruited_by_id=b5140f80-365b-11f0-9739-7598094a9700&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard&utm_medium=copylink