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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
Connections

As Rochester struggles to address homelessness, the shelter system steps up

By Gino Fanelli,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published May 26, 2026 at 2:57 PM EDT
Four people sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front left has her blonde hair pulled up and is wearing a beige blazer, black shirt, blue jeans and black sandals; a man front right has a brown beard and is wearing eyeglasses, a green cap, a red and orange patterned button-down shirt and blue jeans; a woman back left has long bright blue hair and is wearing a dark denim jacket over a white shirt; a woman back right has shoulder length brown hair and is wearing a green headband, black blazer and black turtleneck.
Marty Wash
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Anna Valeria, (background) Amy D'Amico and Mercedes Vazquez Simmons with guest host Gino Fanelli on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, May 26, 2026
A man with short light brown hair, mustache and beard, wearing glasses and a green jacket
John Schlia
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WXXI News
Gino Fanelli

Last year, the Rochester area saw its highest count of homeless individuals since at least 2007.

Shelters are often overcrowded, and street homeless are becoming more visible.

Guest host Gino Fanelli explores what the shelter system is doing to meet demand, and what resources are still needed.

In studio:

Connections
Gino Fanelli
Gino Fanelli is an investigative reporter who also covers City Hall. He joined the staff in 2019 by way of the Rochester Business Journal, and formerly served as a watchdog reporter for Gannett in Maryland and a stringer for the Associated Press.
See stories by Gino Fanelli
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams