Tompkins County to Acquire Land in City of Ithaca for Long-Term Homeless Shelter Development

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

At a press conference on November 26, County officials announced the intention to purchase property at 227 Cherry St in the City of Ithaca for the purpose of developing a long-term emergency shelter facility.

The Tompkins County Legislature will vote to acquire the property at 227 Cherry St. in its December 3 meeting, allowing for the land acquisition to become final.

More than a dozen sites were examined by the County before the decision was made to move forward with the 227 Cherry St property. The one-acre property located in the City of Ithaca's West End is nearby several existing homeless encampment areas and service providers. There are two structures on the property.

MM Development Advisors (MMDA), an affordable housing development partner with experience developing shelter facilities, will be contracted by Tompkins County for the shelter development project. Tompkins County will work with MMDA and others to create a vision for the property and manage procedural activities related to land use. It is estimated that a facility with the capacity to shelter up to 100 individuals can be developed at this property.

County officials also announced that an increased number of beds will soon be available through contracted motel partners for the Temporary Housing Assistance (THA) program. Capacity to serve up to 90 people will be available for THA clients, an increase from the 26 beds at the former THA shelter operated by St. John's Community Services. Temporary Housing Assistance is a New York State program administered by local Departments of Social Services to provide cash assistance and access to services for families and individuals in need, including those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The County announced that the temporary Code Blue shelter at the former Key Bank building opened to clients on November 25. The first evening did not drop below 32 degrees with wind chill, while it is prepared for guests, no guests utilized the facility on its first open evening. This facility was rapidly repurposed for the 2024/2025 Code Blue season after Tompkins County received no viable proposals for Code Blue shelter administration in response to an RFP in August 2024. Upwards of 50 individuals needing a warm place to sleep during cold weather can utilize the facility on any given night. Shelter operations staff have been hired. A security firm has been contracted to provide services on site. Dozens of staff from Tompkins County Facilities, Information Technology Services, Emergency Response, and Administration assisted with the effort.

Legislature Chair Dan Klein spoke about the future purpose-built shelter at the press conference, "Hundreds of people experience homelessness in Tompkins County in a given year. Nearly one-third of people experiencing homelessness reported returning to homelessness after securing a permanent destination. Outcomes are worse for young people, people of color, people with disabilities, and people experiencing mental health crises. Tompkins County is in a position to significantly strengthen our shelter system, giving as many people as we can a safe place to go and a reasonable path out of negative situations. We agree with the vision of making homelessness rare, brief, and one time. This requires big thinking and strong partnerships. It also requires investment. Millions of dollars have been put forth by Tompkins County, including over $1 Million to purchase this land on Cherry Street. We're proud to have secured long-term contracts for THA beds, and dozens of County staff to operate Code Blue this winter."

Tompkins County Administrator Lisa Holmes detailed the Temporary Housing Assistance program expansion and the opening of the temporary code blue shelter, stating, "We are adding significant capacity today to our emergency shelter system while planning for the future. Emergency sheltering is not the only needed solution to homelessness, but it is a core function of our system that needs to be shored up, and part of the County's responsibilities to serve people experiencing homelessness. Our Department of Social Services, led by Commissioner Kit Kephart, has been pivotal in standing up our emergency shelter system in demanding circumstances. DSS is the first point of contact for people seeking shelter and assistance programs, they have stood up shelter operations internally for the first time in recent memory, and they have contributed to planning for a stronger and more equitable system in the future. I can attest to their round-the-clock shelter preparations and service to our community."

Legislator Travis Brooks, whose district includes 227 Cherry St stated, "This is one piece of a larger puzzle. When people are struggling, they don't want services scattered all around the community; they want to be able to get help when they're ready. I see a future where we can do that, bring support for people without a place to call home into a more central area, while we hopefully make a dent and reduce the number of people who are homeless and in our system. The county will play a significant role in offering resources, but it'll be our community and the agencies that can do the work and make the biggest difference."

Legislator Greg Mezey, who chairs the Housing and Economic Development Committee, stated, "This Cherry Street development plan gives us a chance to look past the temporary solutions we've had to stand up and think big about what's possible in the future. Having a purpose-built facility in the City will allow us to shelter people close to services, even bringing many of those services under the same roof as the shelter. This isn't the end of the road for addressing homelessness, even when we grow our capacity we need to identify the right operational approaches, strengthen partnerships with other local governments and not-for-profit agencies, and look to other solutions like transitional housing and other critical supports. Tompkins County continues to explore the possibility of a low-barrier approach for this shelter. Community partner agencies will be engaged in a process to explore options to lessen barriers to shelter access."

Liddy Bargar, Director of Housing Initiatives at the Tompkins County Human Services Coalition and Staff Lead for the Tompkins County Continuum of Care stated, "Emergency shelter is one component of the homeless response system, but it alone will not solve homelessness. It will take additional permanent supportive housing, targeted outreach and case management, and continued collaboration to reach our goals. Becoming a community in which homelessness is rare ,brief and one-time requires all of us to work together with compassion and persistence to strengthen services, supports and stability for all residents. A proven strategy to ending homelessness for someone is having a place to live - and that is made stronger when community supports are made available and accessible. The Tompkins County Continuum of Care, a network of homeless service providers, other not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, businesses, individuals, and others, will continue our work together and will help make local emergency shelter developments successful."

City of Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo stated, "The City of Ithaca can and should be a place for everyone. Having a purpose-built shelter facility and a network of supportive services are absolutely critical to making that a reality. The City is glad to see the progress that the County is making and stands ready to partner and contribute where we can now and in the future. What's more clear than ever is that we need all the safe, accessible, and supportive places for people to go that we can develop. Thank you to the County for your leadership and efforts to make these significant systems changes."