Two Ithaca housing projects to receive $12.7M from state; 45 supportive units proposed

State officials announced recently that $12.7 million in state funds would be earmarked for two new supportive housing developments in Ithaca, which will create a total of 45 housing units in the city, as part of a larger reform to low-income housing statewide .

Governor Kathy Hochul announced June 27 the allocation of $8.5 million for The Meadows on Seneca project, proposed in 2023 at 116 North Meadow Street, which aims to create 25 supportive housing units in Ithaca.

New construction of a four-story building will include an exercise room, laundry facilities, and community room. The Ithaca-based Rehabilitation Support Services will provide individualized rehabilitation and career support to residents of the complex with additional specialized services provided onsite by The Advocacy Center of Tompkins County for survivors of domestic violence.

“This critical funding will support the development of strong and balanced community with the addition of 25 permanent supportive apartments within a larger development of 70 units in the Southern Tier,” Rehabilitation Support Services Executive Director William Devita stated in the announcement.

The Stately Apartments, first proposed by Visum Development Group in 2019, also received $4.2 million to develop 20 supportive housing units as a part of a larger project under Arbor Housing and Development.

The proposed apartment complex at the corner of West State Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Street consists of the new construction of a single multi-story building featuring laundry facilities, community room, garden and commercial space. Catholic Charities of Tompkins / Tioga will provide on-site support for people housed there.

“We are thrilled to be awarded this Homeless Housing and Assistance Program funding for the Stately Apartments, a project that is a collaborative effort with Visum Development Group,” Arbor Housing and Development CEO Susan Bull stated. “HHAP funds will make it possible to bring brand new affordable and much-needed supportive housing to downtown Ithaca.”

The grants — awarded through a competitive process by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s (OTDA) Homeless Housing and Assistance (HHAP) Program. Hochul announced last year a $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan that will help create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York State, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations.

“Creating new permanent supportive housing is central to my administration’s work to reduce homelessness across New York State, while simultaneously supporting strong neighborhoods throughout our state,” Hochul said in a statement. “When completed, these projects will provide vulnerable New Yorkers with an affordable place to call home and the security and services they need to live safely and successfully in their communities.”

In the last five years, New York State Homes and Community Renewal has created or preserved more than 1,000 affordable homes in Tompkins County.

The 42 unit four-story Marketview apartments on Ithaca's 3rd Street opened late last year after receiving a similar grant.

Hochul also announced four other housing projects outside of the Ithaca area last week in Erie, Oneida, St. Lawrence and Kings counties, with the six projects expected to create 227 units of permanent supportive housing across the project areas for a total of $45 million in state funds.

This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: Two Ithaca housing projects to receive $12.7M from state; 45 supportive units proposed