BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG -- St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services has partnered with Step By Step Inc. to keep people warm in the winter.

It's no secret that the city's seen an uptick in the homeless population, but rural areas like St. Lawrence County lack services to accommodate those populations in ways that might be more common in urban settings.

Aside from the geographical challenges presented by the area there are also the harsh temperatures St. Lawrence County sees in the winter months.

But a new partnership funded by St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services and Ogdensburg Step By Step has created a warming center to meet that need.

The center is located at Step By Step's Lincoln School Apartment complex.

Director David Bayne says those without a place to stay in the winter can find shelter at the center from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. from November until the end of March.

Although the county was quiet about launching the program it's not a service that's gone unnoticed.

Bayne says the center has had only four nights without someone using the services since the program launched. So far there have been 53 people who have used the service.

Bayne said on average there have been 4-5 people a night but that on one night there were 12 people who took advantage of the facility.

While keeping people warm for the night is a laudable goal on its own, Bayne said that SLC DSS Deputy Commissioner Doug Hamilton has managed to leverage the services into a multi-faceted benefit.

That's because people who are helping staff the facility are also residents at the Step by Step building.

Bayne says this makes for a cyclical benefit to those living in Step By Step's permanent housing.

Although homelessness has always existed in St. Lawrence County Ogdensburg has seen the population grow in recent years. And while other communities might not see the problem as frequently it doesn't mean it's not there.

Bayne says that law enforcement agencies have helped people from neighboring towns locate at the shelter in some instances.

He also noted that when people come to the shelter Step By Step helps them connect with other services people might need.

In some cases it's led to permanent housing situations, in others it's helped people relocate back to their home counties after they've become stranded.

"It's really been positive all around," Bayne said.