SARATOGA LIVINGThe City. The Culture. The Life.

In my semi-regular column for saratoga living, I’ve had the pleasure of introducing you to a number of individuals struggling with homelessness in the Saratoga Springs community. Today, I’d like to give you an inside look at Shelters of Saratoga’s (SOS’) Community Outreach program, which is integral in helping assist Saratoga’s homeless population, especially during the winter months.

Before I became an SOS volunteer, I assumed that the organization simply provided a place for a homeless person to sleep and a warm meal—and not much else. Of course, I’ve learned that it does a lot more than just house and feed our needy. In addition to welcoming guests into its Walworth Street facilities and its emergency Code Blue shelter, located temporarily on Adelphi Street, SOS fills a van with supplies three times a week and hits the streets of Saratoga, tracking down homeless people and making sure they have what they need to survive. And this is nothing new for SOS: The organization’s been doing community outreach for a decade, and thanks to the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust, it’s always had a vehicle to support this important initiative.

Recently, SOS’ Outreach Coordinator, Tim Hoff, let me do a ride along.

I arrived at Shelters of Saratoga around 10am, and we got right to work, loading the van with generously donated items such as cans of soup and baked beans, microwavable macaroni and cheese, ramen noodle soup, cereal, shelf-safe milk, water, juice, granola bars, fruit cups, fresh eggs, mini muffins and toiletries. Tim handed me a clipboard and said, “Your job is to write down their names, what we give them and where they’re staying,” referring to the homeless people we were headed out to help. I had no idea where we were going or really how this all worked, so I was happy to have some clear instructions and marching orders. I hopped in the front seat and off we went.

First, we drove out to the Saratoga Springs Train Station to see if anyone was at the few encampments there in the nearby woods. Although we could see some fresh footprints in the snow and some tents, no one came out of the woods after Tim sounded the horn three times. As Tim pointed out the camps to me, he said that some people choose to stay out there year-round. It’s unimaginable to me that someone could survive the elements at this time of the year, living in a tent in the woods, day in and day out.

Next, we traveled over to a popular spot behind the Price Chopper on Route 50. We didn’t see anyone, but Tim knows two people that are usually there, so he swung by just in case they needed something.

We followed that up by stopping at eight different motels throughout Saratoga County. A number of them are used frequently by the Department of Social Services (DSS) to place people who are struggling with homelessness. If the motel had an office, Tim went in to ask the manager which rooms DSS had someone staying in, and we knocked on the doors and waited. At the motels without an office, Tim honked the van’s horn three times, and people emerged, one by one, from their rooms. As each door opened, I saw individuals, down on their luck, with nowhere to go. Despite this, everyone seemed happy to see us. As the people approached the van, they selected the items they wanted and expressed their heartfelt appreciation for us being there. Tim was wonderful, asking them if there were any specific items that he didn’t have this time around that he might be able to bring next time. Everyone was friendly; one gentleman was excited to share with us that he was moving into an apartment over the weekend, which of course, we congratulated him on. Another young man expressed anger in the wait time to be enrolled in an inpatient rehabilitation facility in order to finally kick his alcohol addiction. He’d already completed his detoxification and had an appointment the next day. Tim and I offered him some words of encouragement and support.

After visiting the motels, we headed into Downtown Saratoga to see if anyone was at the parking garage on Woodlawn Avenue. There were about a dozen individuals hanging around that we spoke with, offering them items from the van. Many of them start their day with breakfast at the Salvation Army across the street from the garage, using the restrooms and showers there. Then, they either catch a bus to their place of employment, head to the library or end up congregating for much of the day around the parking garage or in the first floor lobby.

After spending four hours in the van and seeing so many individuals struggling with homelessness, it made me realize the importance of the work done by SOS outside of their facilities. Its Community Outreach program positively impacts individuals throughout the county, and the level of compassion and empathy that Tim showed to these people far exceeded what was required of him. When asked what Community Outreach means to him, he puts it this way: “Behind every door is a lost soul, and being able to help them is so rewarding.” Tim and his wife, Cathy, started volunteering at Code Blue more than five years ago. You’ll often find them on Sunday mornings, preparing and serving breakfast to the guests at the Code Blue shelter. They’re well known and liked by the people struggling with homelessness in our community, and I can see why. SOS does far more than their name implies, and they’re lucky to have individuals such as Tim in their employ. As for me, I can’t wait to do another ride along.

When I was told I’d be the guinea pig for a new saratoga living feature called “Ride Along,” where I’d literally be riding along with a Saratoga Springs Police Department officer and writing about it, my first reaction was, “Wait, what?! Why me?” Not that I’ve had any notorious run-ins with the law—two traffic tickets over 16 years is pretty tame—but I can be a fairly nervous person, and engaging with the police or even just being near them definitely induces some jitters. In the end, I’m glad I was able to make it happen; I learned that Saratoga’s men and women in blue are a lot like us, really.

Meeting Officer Khutoryanskiy • 3:55pm
I meet Officer Yevgeniy Khutoryanskiy at Saratoga Springs Police Department (SSPD) for a Friday afternoon shift. I notice that he’s carrying an AR-15 assault rifle. He’s also sporting a pretty fresh black eye. “I’ll tell you about that a little later,” he says, referring to the shiner.

Roll Call Room • 4pm
Officer Khutoryanskiy begins his day in the roll call room where officers write reports and receive assignments and updates. I’m going out on patrol tonight with Khutoryanskiy, who tells me that Friday and Saturday evenings are usually the busiest. Apparently, if I’d shadowed Officer Khutoryanskiy last weekend, I would’ve witnessed him being head-butted while trying to arrest someone who was drunk—the source of that black eye. In his three-and-a-half years at SSPD, Khutoryanskiy says that he’s had two or three reported injuries. Great, I think, what have I gotten myself into?

Jail Cells • 4:15pm
Before heading out, I get a quick tour of the station, which has served as SSPD’s headquarters since 1887. Officer Khutoryanskiy says that the jail cells are likely from that time period—and they certainly look it. “We’re not putting as many people in here now, though,” says Officer Khutoryanskiy. “New York State bail reform took effect on January 1.”

Traffic Stop • 5:30pm
About an hour into our patrol, Officer Khutoryanskiy makes his first traffic stop, an old truck missing a taillight and tagged doing 46mph in a 30mph zone on Union Avenue. Officer Khutoryanskiy runs the man’s registration and discovers that his plates are also expired. He writes the man a ticket for the taillight, but gives him a warning for the rest, provided he register his plates online right then. “My decision’s usually based on that initial conversation I have,” says Officer Khutoryanskiy. “If I can cut someone a break, I usually will.”

Mental Health Call • 6:38pm
Officer Khutoryanskiy responds to a mental health call: Someone saying that they don’t want to live anymore. Two other police cars are with us on Van Dam Street as Officer Khutoryanskiy picks the man up and gives him a ride over to Saratoga Hospital. “We’re not mental health professionals, but we’re able to bridge that gap a little and take him to the hospital,” says Officer Khutoryanskiy. He tells me that calls like these are becoming more common.

“Lunch” Break • 7:30pm
We grab lunch—or really, dinner—at Subway. Officer Khutoryanskiy asks if I’d prefer to eat in or take it to go. I ask him what he normally does. “To go,” he says. “It’s safer back at the station.” Whether it’s a routine traffic stop or just picking up some food on break, I’ve noticed that Officer Khutoryanskiy is constantly concerned with safety. “It’s a different world,” he says back in the cruiser, the AR-15 locked in between us. “Officers didn’t use to have to prepare for active shooter situations.”

On Foot • 8pm
After our break, we patrol Broadway on foot, which Officer Khutoryanskiy tells me is pretty common during the busy summer months. “It’s important, sometimes, to go out and say, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’” he says. “You often see a look in people’s faces, a kind of shock that you’re not investigating or anything like that.” During our short time walking downtown, quite a few people greet Officer Khutoryanskiy, even a bouncer on Caroline Street who tells him, “It’s still early, boss.” 

Second Mental Health Call • 9:29pm
Officer Khutoryanskiy responds to another mental health call for a juvenile, possibly intoxicated—possibly on something else. This time, an ambulance arrives to take the young man to the hospital, and Officer Khutoryanskiy, along with two other cruisers, follows closely behind. As with every call tonight, Officer Khutoryanskiy’s careful not to divulge too much information to me. 

Back At The Station • 11pm
It’s been an unusually slow night for a Friday, so I decide to cut loose an hour early. Officer Khutoryanskiy would normally be leaving around midnight, but he volunteered earlier to stay until 5am. He takes me back to the station, and I wish him good luck with the rest of his shift. It may have been an uneventful evening—at least to him—but I’m just glad to make it home safe without any black eyes or worse.

Best Thing I Saw: I was surprised in our short time walking around Downtown Saratoga how many people engaged with Officer Khutoryanskiy. There seemed to be genuine trust there. An elderly woman even stopped to tell him that her stepson was a police sergeant for Saratoga County. “It’s a small world,” Khutoryanskiy said afterward. 

Worst Thing I Saw: Guns usually make me uncomfortable, and Officer Khutoryanskiy’s AR-15 in the police cruiser was a constant reminder of the gravity of what we were doing out there.

The Bottom Line: I had a lot of trepidation going into this assignment. By the end of it, though, I felt like, for the most part, I’d just been cruising around town with a friend. In many ways, Officer Khutoryanskiy and I had far more in common than I would’ve suspected. We were about the same age, both history buffs, both big fans of the quiet upstate life. If I see Officer Khutoryanskiy on the street downtown this summer, I’ll be sure to stop and ask him how his day’s going.