Emergency Shelter Construction Project

2024

• At a press conference on November 26, County officials announced the intention to purchase property at 227 Cherry Street in the City of Ithaca for the purpose of developing a long-term emergency shelter facility. View press conference recording
• At the December 3 meeting, the legislature unanimously authorized the county administrator to negotiate the acquisition of 227 Cherry Street at a cost not to exceed $1,100,000. View resolution   View press release

2025

• February - Property acquisition completed
• April - RFQ for emergency shelter provider issued
• August - Volunteers of America was selected to partner with the county’s development team to design, develop, and, once constructed, manage and operate the emergency shelter.
• Building serves as Code Blue shelter during 2025/26 season
• December - Conceptual project updates were  were presented to the Housing and Economic Development Committee. View presentation recording

2026

• March - Conceptual design updates were presented to neighborhood and community partners (view PDF(PDF, 9MB)) and to the Health and Human Services Committee (view presentation recording).
• Spring - Submit Homeless Housing and Assistance Program grant application for a $14.3 million request
• Fall - Anticipated grant award
• Building will serve as Code Blue shelter during 2026/27 season

2027

• Building will serve as Code Blue shelter during 2027/28 season

2028

• May - Anticipated construction start

2029

• July - Anticipated construction completion
• September - Anticipated opening of shelter

The site is located in the NY-510 Continuum of Care (CoC) which serves The City of Ithaca and Tompkins County. According to not-yet-published 2025 Point-In-Time (PIT) count data, a total of 182 homeless individuals were identified. Of this total, 136 individuals were in emergency shelters, 34 were in transitional housing, and 12 were unsheltered. Data from this PIT count also showed that 59 of these individuals suffered from Serious Mental Illness and that 42 suffered from substance use disorder. There is a significant discrepancy between the actual number of people who are homeless and the PIT data because the count only collects data on homeless people in shelters and on the street on a single night of the year. This methodology significantly undercounts the number of individuals in need of emergency shelter.

In 2022, the most recent year for which comprehensive HMIS data is available, 699 people experienced homelessness in the CoC, which was a 32.4% increase from 2021. There are now only two dedicated, year-round emergency shelter beds remaining in the CoC, which are reserved solely for victims of Domestic Violence. As a result, the County is now placing all families and the vast majority of individuals who are homeless at a hotel, which is currently staffed by Tompkins County Department of Social Services (DSS) and includes 11 family units and 47 beds for individuals.

Tompkins County Department of Planning & Sustainability completed an analysis of emergency shelter data in March 2024 to assist with determining the number of emergency beds needed. This work resulted in a recommendation that to fully meet existing demand for shelter space 85% of the time throughout the year, emergency shelter facilities were needed to accommodate 133 households containing a total of 186 persons. Of the 133 households, 122 are adult-only households and 11 contain children. The largest subpopulation of adults in need of emergency housing are households with adults with mental health or SUD.

The need for emergency beds identified in 2024 continues to grow, not only to serve the existing homeless population, but as a safety net for the growing number of residents in the County who are at risk of homelessness due to economic struggle and a severe lack of affordable housing.

Tompkins County proposes new construction of an emergency shelter serving 80 adults who are homeless, with a particular focus on those facing significant barriers to accessing traditional shelters due to factors such as substance use, mental health issues, or past trauma. The design of the proposed shelter, located at 227 Cherry Street, Ithaca, NY 14850, will include a layout of max. 80 congregate beds.

The site is located less than a mile from several bus stops, restaurants, pharmacies, commercial outlets, and recreational activities. REACH Medical, a location of The Reach Project and licensed provider under OASAS, is located just one mile from the site. The Tompkins County Department of Social Services is 1.2 miles from the site, and the County’s Mental Health Clinic is 1.6 miles from the site.

Tompkins County has engaged an experienced development team with a wealth of history completing HHAP projects.

MM Development Advisors Inc. (MMDA) will be the development consultant for the construction of the shelter. MMDA is a New York State Certified Women-owned Business Enterprise (WBE). The MMDA team has over 20 years of experience in the development and operation of affordable and supportive housing. Over the last nine years, MMDA has participated in twelve successful HHAP applications.

PLAN Architectural Studio PC will lead design, LeChase will provide cost estimating services, and Sustainable Comfort will serve as energy consultant.

Through an RFQ process, Tompkins County selected Volunteers of America of Western New York, Inc. (VOA) as its emergency shelter operator. VOA is a 501(c)3 non-profit human services agency that was established in Rochester, NY in 1901 and incorporated in 1989. VOA has been providing essential services to those in need in both Monroe and Broome counties for more than 100 years, and they currently serve more than 10,000 people every year. VOA is currently operating a Code Blue shelter for Tompkins County. Their mission is to foster self-reliance and stability by delivering essential services in housing, education, and health.

VOA has more than 32 years of experience providing effective housing programs with on-site supportive services for populations experiencing homelessness, with a focus on people who are struggling with mental health and/or substance use disorders (SUD). VOA currently operates a continuum of housing programs that includes emergency shelters for homeless individuals and families, rapid rehousing services, and permanent supportive housing for individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. VOA operates residential units that serve more than 400 people a day, and its community-based housing programs (which provide rental assistance and supportive services) serve 300 households daily. VOA provides more than 180,000 nights of housing a year, as well as evidence-based, on-site supportive services to ensure the people they serve can become stabilized in and maintain permanent housing and move to higher levels of self-sufficiency.

Comprehensive support services specifically designed to meet the needs of the project’s residents will be provided on-site by VOA staff and offsite via resource referrals and connections to other community service agencies as needed. Baseline services to be offered on-site include case management; support with benefits enrollments, daily living skills, and employment; peer support; basic needs assistance, including three meals per day; transition planning for permanent housing; and transportation assistance. Referrals will be made as needed for off-site substance use and mental health treatment and primary healthcare services. 

 VOA will work closely with Tompkins County DSS, which will be responsible for determining individual eligibility for the emergency shelter during standard business hours. If an individual seeks shelter after business hours, VOA will be given jurisdiction to shelter the individual for the night. During the next business day, VOA will connect the individual to DSS for the determination of ongoing shelter.