ITHACA, N.Y. — A 60-unit affordable housing complex aimed at helping people with mental health needs, people experiencing homelessness, and people with low-income budgets is coming to fruition thanks to money invested from throughout Tompkins County.

West End Heights is a 60-unit facility that will be built at 709-713 W. Court St. and 326-328 N. Meadow St. in the City of Ithaca.

Twenty of the units are for people with a mental health diagnosis, and an additional 10 units are for people with a diagnosis who are also experiencing homelessness. The remaining 30 units are affordable housing with eight units for “homeless or unstably housed individuals who may also have special needs relating to substance abuse and/or HIV/AIDS,” plans state.

Last Wednesday night, Ithaca Common Council unanimously voted to spend $150,000 to help fund the project. The vote comes after the Tompkins County Legislature also unanimously voted in December to provide $100,000.

District 13 Legislator Martha Robertson said, “This is a great project. We’re excited that they’re moving ahead.”

She said the project, being proposed by Lakeview Health Services will be a supportive living facility with an area for staff to be on-site. On the first floor of the building, an office space will be available for both residents and other Lakeview clients.

“We need more projects like this…This happens to be a really good contribution for what’s needed,” Robertson said. “It’s great, but it’s, I hate to say it, still a drop in the bucket.”
For instance, she pointed out that the funding for the project was made through Round Sixteen of the Community Housing Development Fund. The county can allocate $100,000 per year through the fund, meaning that all the funds for 2018 are wiped out unless affordable housing funding can be found elsewhere.
“We expect we will get other quality projects coming in (this year). It’s not clear at all that the county will have the funds to support any of them,” Robertson said.

Jolene Almendarez is Managing Editor at The Ithaca Voice. She can be reached at jalmendarez@ithacavoice.com; you can learn more about her at the links in the top right of this box.