City of Ithaca proposes navigational hub, infrastructure work and temporary non-enforcement zone to manage unsheltered homelessness

The City of Ithaca presented a draft policy and a set of recommendations on April 2 aimed at managing unsanctioned encampments and improving safety for people living outdoors. Dominic Rechio, deputy city manager, said the city is proposing a temporary non-enforcement camping area near Southwest Park and a navigation hub to connect people living outside to services and shelter options.

"This is an area where people can relocate to," Dominic Rechio said of the mapped non-enforcement zone behind Walmart, a roughly 28-acre area the city is treating as a temporary site where camping may be allowed when outreach cannot find immediate housing alternatives.

The proposal retains three response categories used in the city's encampment protocol: actively managed public land (daily-use public spaces), lightly managed city land (areas where campers may be asked to relocate), and the temporary non-enforcement zone. Rechio described an outreach-centered approach: outreach workers engage people who are camping, relay relocation and resource options, then city crews remove debris and support site clean-up when necessary. The presentation said about 70 tons of debris were removed from one site behind a commercial area after a winter fire.

The advisory committee recommends two near-term city actions: open and operate a navigation hub near the Southwest Park non-enforcement zone to help people transition into or out of camping and make livability and public-health improvements in the camping area (trash removal, lighting, access and fire prevention). "The first recommendation is to open and operate a navigation hub facility near Southwest Park," Rechio said.

City staff emphasized the policy is a pilot tied to broader shelter development: the city expects the measures to function as interim supports as the county and nonprofit partners increase emergency and year-round shelter capacity. Liddy Barger of the Continuum of Care told the committee the system is strained: "Our permanent supportive housing projects are basically at capacity, at full occupancy at this time," she said, and coordinated-entry lists remain long.

Public-health and regulatory issues were raised in committee discussion. Rechio told the group the city is coordinating with environmental health staff to identify appropriate restroom, water and sanitation options that meet New York campground regulations, and that wetlands and dredging plans in the adjacent inlet will affect siting and long-term plans. He said the city is mapping the Southwest area to show where temporary amenities and access roads could go.

The presentation notes limited city capital and operating funds for near-term work and calls for partnerships with county services, outreach providers and nonprofit operators. Rechio said some capital funds exist but that the city has only about $150,000 identified for initial operational expenses and will look to partnerships to scale services.

Next steps: the report will go to Ithaca Common Council for a revised draft on April 16 and for possible action in early May. County officials on the committee offered to coordinate on shelter development, grant applications and operational partnerships as the city refines the plan.