ALBANY COUNTY — On Monday, a refurbished wing of Albany County’s jail that was not used by prisoners became home to a handful of people who hadn’t had a home before.

“Four or five are there now,” said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple at Friday’s county press briefing.

More are expected, he said, adding, “We’re trying to do it soft and slow.”

Apple’s initiative got an added push when concerns were raised about the spread of coronavirus among people living on the streets or in crowded missions.

On Friday, Apple spoke in glowing terms about one young man who had been “losing a lot of jobs because he’s been bouncing from shelter to shelter.”

The man now has a job at the Eddy in Troy and is staying at the jail’s shelter. “It’s the first time he’s had a key to an apartment in a long, long time …,” said Apple. “Hopefully, he can maintain this job, get back on his feet, and get his own apartment.”

In order to maintain guidelines on social distancing, Apple said, the maximum number of people who can be housed in the wing, which is sealed off from the rest of the jail, is 20 to 25.

“We have a very long list of services we can offer,” said Apple. “I can’t force anybody to take it, and if we see we’re going down a dead-end road … eventually, we’ll ask them to move on.”

He concluded, “The strategy is to get them off the street, provide a safe haven, and hopefully they’ll start to work with our staff on some counseling. The ultimate goal is to get them back employed. Whatever demon they’re fighting, we can work with them and help them. Get them healthy, productive, get them in their own apartment and paying taxes.”

Apple also reported that, so far, no inmates in the county’s jail and none of its corrections officers have contracted COVID-19. He credited early efforts by the jail administration, on March 1 and 2. The county had announced its first positive COVID-19 cases on March 12.

Apple had said earlier that isolation cells are set up at the county jail and, when new inmates are admitted, they stay in those cells for 14 days.

A jail nurse and two deputy sheriff’s have tested positive for the disease, Apple said on Friday; all three have recovered and are back at work.

Apple also said his office has disseminated “literally hundreds of thousands of masks.” A bevy of volunteers have sewn cloth masks, nearly 1,000 so far, that are packaged in pairs so that one can be washed while the other is worn.

No arrests

The sheriff’s office has received roughly 70 complaints about people congregating or about non-essential businesses operating, Apple said.

Although, in early April, Governor Andrew Cuomo doubled fines, from $500 to $1,000, to enforce social distancing, the sheriff’s office has made no arrests

As Apple explained earlier, offenders are given cease-and-desist orders. “We have not had to make any return visits,” said Apple. “Everyone has taken the warning and backed off.”

Out of all 70 complainants, only five left their names. “Some are total B.S.,” Apple said of made-up complaints. “All that does is waste our resources, running around, chasing false leads.”

Similarly, Guilderland’s supervisor, Peter Barber, said on Friday in his daily emailed letter to constituents, “Chief Daniel P. McNally reported the same situation in Guilderland, with only educational reminders and no further action required. The Police Department is visiting open essential businesses to provide reminders about adhering to health guidelines and also giving sealed packages of washable cotton face masks for use by workers and their families.”

“There was a lot of confusion,” Apple said of the governor’s directives. “What is essential? What is non-essential? Can I still work? We’re trying to sort that out.”

He went on, “Really, it’s about personal accountability. We are the only ones who can stop this. You can’t blame government. You can’t blame law enforcement. We have to keep the social distance and be respectful of people’s personal space.”

The sheriff concluded, “We’re doing everything we can to keep you safe but honestly, a lot comes down to personal accountability … If we want to stop the spread, we all need to be responsible.”

Mental-health concerns

Apple said he is “extremely concerned” about “the mental-health issues that are out there.”

“Early this week, we had to literally talk a lady off the ledge at Thacher Park,” he said, noting she was upset over not being able to move about or see her grandchildren.

“That’s pretty damn sad and I think we’re going to see more of that,” Apple said, “when people can be evicted from their homes and apartments, when people go into foreclosure, when some businesses do not open back up.”

In March, to help residents who were feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, Albany County launched a mental-health support line — at 518-269-6634 — which is open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Professionals offer free counseling to callers. Anyone experiencing a psychiatric emergency should still call the Albany County Mobile Crisis Team at 518-549–6500.