NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.—Tompkins County leadership is “exploring options to increase the number of emergency shelter beds available to individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness.” The announcement comes amid officials’ renewed attempts to address homelessness in the area, which has gained heightened attention in recent months.
A statement from the county released Friday does not yet commit to building or funding any shelter facilities yet, only that the county is “exploring options to increase the number of emergency shelter beds.”
County officials did not provide specific details in terms of size, location and how such a potential facility would be funded, but did state that the facility would be operational year-round.
Operation of a new shelter would likely be contracted in a similar manner as the current homeless shelter on West State Street in Ithaca, which is operated by St. John’s Community Services (SJCS). The SJCS facility, which would remain in operation regardless of any new development by the county, is the only official homeless shelter in the county.
According to data from local homelessness coalition, Continuum of Care, 60 people experienced homelessness between May-September of this year, when temperature-related shelters are not available. The SJCS shelter holds only 26 beds in its facility.
“County staff are examining how a newly developed shelter facility might operate in Tompkins County, including the option of a low-barrier shelter which would be open for anyone experiencing homelessness, including during cold weather months,” per the county’s announcement.
“Low-barrier” typically means sobriety and other requirements related to employment, income or enrollment in counseling programs would not be a requirement to utilize the shelter. The “low-barrier” approach has become increasingly popular in the effort to address homelessness among those who may also be dealing with substance addiction or other issues.
An earlier report by the Continuum of Care notably includes a proposal for a “low-barrier shelter that uses a trauma-informed approach to safety.” Other proposals detailed in that report, titled “Home, Together: Tompkins” (HTT) could also factor into the county’s approach to homelessness going forward. The HTT plan argues prioritizing housing before other services is the most effective and beneficial way to address local homelessness.
The “Home, Together: Tompkins” plan had been accepted by both the city’s Common Council and the Tompkins County Legislature earlier this year, but it’s been unclear the extent to which either body is willing to implement its proposals.
Friday’s announcement follows months of discussion about the best strategic approach to address homelessness, including the debut of a working group formed by the county and new city-led initiative to define specific sanctioned camping zones and detail enforcement protocols to curtail unsanctioned encampments.
Liddy Bargar, director of housing initiatives for the Human Services Coalition and one of the creators of the Housing Together: Tompkins plan, said the exploration and potential implementation of a new shelter would further the Continuum of Care’s (CoC) mission of making homelessness a rare, brief and one-time occurrence that is addressed equitably for those who face it.
She added that the Human Services Coalition and Continuum of Care would both be working with the community to provide data on local homelessness and provide examples of regional strategies that could be effective here as well.
“Homelessness is a complicated and nuanced system-level community issue,” Bargar said in an email statement. “Increasing access to emergency shelter as well as a range of permanent housing options aligns with the CoC’s mission. This initiative responds with urgency to the crisis of unsheltered homelessness by using data to drive solutions and by better listening to the voices of people with lived experiences of homelessness.”
A county source said it is unclear at this time if the facility would be a new construction project or if the county would opt to take over an existing building. For several years, officials have weighed the possibility of taking over an area motel for shelter services. The county already utilizes several motels for shelter between October and April each year, when New York State’s seasonal shelter mandate, or “Code Blue” is in place.
For now, the legislative process will be led by the Tompkins County Legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee, according to county Director of Communications Dominick Recckio.
“Unsheltered homelessness is one of the biggest challenges facing our community, I hope that we can come to a shared vision as a county and community that decreasing the number of people experiencing homelessness while increasing access to services, economic and community-based opportunities are well worth our efforts,” said Tompkins County Administrator Lisa Holmes in the announcement.
Tompkins County Legislators Shawna Black and Greg Mezey, who chair the legislature and the Housing and Economic Development Committee respectively, are both quoted in support of the effort and emphasizing the county’s commitment to addressing homelessness.
“Tompkins County doesn’t know yet what the final product of this exploration will look like, but I’m proud of the progress we’re making, and I feel confident that what we’ve learned over the past few years is pointing toward increasing and sustaining the number of accessible shelter beds in our community,” Black said.
Update: This story has been updated with comments from Director of Housing Initiatives Liddy Bargar of the Human Services Coalition.
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