Code Blue Shelter Will Be Closed After April 15

Published on April 09, 2025

The last night of operation for the Code Blue shelter site at 300 North Tioga Street in Ithaca will be April 15, 2025. This temporary location was opened on November 24, 2024 to provide shelter for unhoused individuals during nights with freezing temperatures. Department of Social Services staff and community partners are working with clients currently utilizing the Code Blue site to secure housing or other forms of shelter. Since its opening, 153 unduplicated individuals have spent one or more nights at the Code Blue shelter, with typical nights serving 20-40 people.

After April 15, when temperatures are expected to fall below 32 degrees F, Code Blue sheltering will be provided at other locations.

To access Code Blue sheltering during business hours (Monday through Friday 8 am-4:30 pm), individuals may come to the Department of Social Services at 320 West Martin Luther King/State Street or call the department’s emergency housing services at (607) 274-5030.

To access Code Blue sheltering after hours or on weekends, people may call the non-emergency dispatch at (607) 272-2444 to be connected to the Department of Social Services’ on-call service.

Tompkins County would like to thank the dedicated staff of the Department of Social Services for operating and staffing the Code Blue shelter during its first season. Several other county departments provided support services to ensure successful operations, including Facilities, Information Technology Services, Human Resources, Emergency Response, Sheriff’s Office, County Attorney’s Office, and County Administration.

The Code Blue shelter and its residents also received generous support from local churches and non-profit organizations, which opened their commercial kitchens and mobilized countless volunteers to provide breakfasts, lunches, dinners, hygiene and personal care items, and coordinated food donations from local vendors and meal trains. Tompkins County extends its gratitude toward these congregations and their volunteers who dedicated their time and resources and shared much-appreciated meals, smiles, and empathy.

Partner organizations include Area Congregations Together, CMC Café, Community Faith Partners, Cornell University, First Baptist Church, First Congregational Church, First Presbyterian, First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, Forest Home Chapel, Friendship Donation Network, His Tabernacle, Ithaca Bakery, Ithaca College, Lansing United Methodist Church, Loaves and Fishes, New Heart Church, Quaker Friends, Salvation Army, Shared Journeys, St. John’s Episcopal Church, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, St. Paul’s Methodist Church, Temple Beth El, and Tikkun v’Or.

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