ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- The pandemic increased the number of people that Catholic Charities of Chemung and Schuyler Counties serve at their homeless shelters by over 52 percent. From 2016 to March 2020, Catholic Charities averaged 59 guests at its shelters each month. From April 2020 through Nov. 2021, the local Catholic Charities averaged 105 people staying in its shelters, monthly.

"It's really a situation that we haven't seen before. And, it's really... it's been a hardship. I would say, you know, it's hard for staff. It's hard for folks that we're serving. Just to have enough resources to go around has been difficult," said Katie Rhodes, the communications coordinator for Catholic Charities of Chemung and Schuyler Counties.

During the pandemic, Rhodes said Catholic Charities saw many new people ask for help.

"We had some people coming to us saying, 'I've never asked for help before, but I really need help this year. You know, we, we lost our jobs. We don't know what to do.' And so, we found, you know, a lot of people are really struggling through this time and anything that we can do to help we want to be there for people," Rhodes said.

Stays have been longer because Catholic Charities has had trouble placing their guests in suitable homes after their shelter stay.

"A typical shelter stay pre-COVID was like 30 days. And, now it's longer because we're having a harder time finding good housing," said Rhodes.

Based on numbers from 2020, the organization discharged 548 people, but were only able to find stable housing for 28 percent of their guests. Pre-pandemic, from 2017 to 2019, Catholic Charities had a 68 percent positive discharge rate.

"With COVID, a lot of people were just staying put. Um, so there wasn't enough housing enough affordable housing to go around for the folks that really needed it," Rhodes said.

In 2021, people stayed with Catholic Charities for a variety of reasons. Guests reported house condemnation, abuse, relocation, or release from prison and psychiatry wards, among others as reason for their stay at its shelters.

Catholic Charities of Chemung and Schuyler Counties are looking for donations of backpacks, bus tokens and single-serve microwavable meals. Donations can be made at 380 S. Main Street in Elmira.