IURA public hearing: local nonprofits seek funding for housing, transportation, food access, jobs and reuse programs

Ithaca’s Urban Renewal Agency reconvened a public hearing on March 7 to hear funding requests from local nonprofit and community partners seeking Community Development Block Grant and related public-service dollars.

At the meeting, representatives from more than a dozen organizations described how modest grants would support direct services — from vouchers for household goods and legal immigration help to case management for transitional housing, youth housing scholarships, job-readiness training and subsidized farm shares.

Why it matters: the requests target services for low- and moderate‑income residents in the city — households that agency staff and presenters said lack reliable access to furniture, transportation, employment pathways and culturally appropriate fresh food. Agency members said they will review proposals at committee meetings in the next two weeks before returning recommendations to the IURA board and, subsequently, the Common Council.

Presentations and key requests

Finger Lakes Reuse (Remap): Robin Elliott, chief operating officer, and Abby (development coordinator) requested operating support for Remap, a reuse-materials access program that issues shopping “gift cards” for furniture, housewares, appliances and technology. Elliott said the program began in 2017, now works with “over 40 partners” and assists “an average of 75 households monthly.” Abby told the board that Remap issues gift cards ranging from $180 to $360 determined by household size and items requested, that each household is eligible for one voucher per calendar year (with exceptions), and that gift cards expire after 90 days but are often extended. Finger Lakes Reuse said earned revenue covers about 50% of each gift card and delivery fee and asked the board to consider a funding request to replace or backfill unmet fundraising.

Human Services Coalition — 2-1-1: John Mazzello (deputy director) and Nicole Ralston (contact center manager) described a request to fund wages and benefits for core 2-1-1 generalist staff. Mazzello said the request would support roughly 1.4 full‑time equivalent positions (one manager, one full‑time generalist and two part‑time specialists) to preserve information-and-referral capacity and to act as the county’s “one-call / one-click” transportation access center. He told the board the program expects to serve about 2,750 low- and moderate‑income people and to provide at least 30 housing navigation cases in-depth; Ralston said volunteer-driver trips average about 20 miles but can be as long as a 100‑mile round trip.

A Place to Stay (Catholic Charities): a case manager summarized the transitional housing program for people experiencing homelessness, noting the women’s shared-house program that housed 13 women in 2024; nine moved to permanent housing on discharge and two are still in the program but have secured housing and will move out soon. Staff described added capacity (a three‑bedroom men’s house and scattered-site apartments), routine case management supports, and planned relocation because a landlord is selling the current women’s house; Catholic Charities staff said they have six months to find new housing.

Learning Web (housing scholarship / youth outreach): Michelle Nolan (deputy director) and Anthony Polangeli (director of youth outreach) described a request for $36,786 to pay staffing for a housing scholarship program that would house up to five literally or imminently homeless youths (age 21–24) for 12 months in scattered-site apartments. Nolan said the program has housed 69 youth since 2008 and that 59 of 66 youth who exited remained stably housed at six months. The Learning Web reported $76,000 in matching funds already raised for the housing scholarship project and said the requested amount would fund roughly 40% of staffing costs for that component.

Immigrant Services (Catholic Charities): Sue Chaffee (program director) and case manager Francia described legal immigration and supportive services. Chaffee said her team filed “over 200 applications” with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the past year (citizenship, green cards, work permits), often pro bono or at low cost; she described individual cases in which the program recovered denied or stalled files and paid replacement green‑card application fees (one example cited a $2,520 fee paid to replace a green card lost in a house fire). Francia described casework: re‑enrollment in health plans, Section 8 recertifications, tech help and job placements (31 clients in 2024).

Historic Ithaca (WorkPreserve job readiness): Bethany Parisi (interim director) and Jordan Govanali (WorkPreserve manager) described a long‑running job‑readiness and transitional-work program. They stressed individualized coaching, an assessment tool funded by Park Foundation (the Green Jobs Starter Kit) to speed onboarding and a stipend/reimbursement model for initial hours to help participants complete paperwork and begin training.

Bike Walk Tompkins / Center for Community Transportation: Nikki Ray Isrealson (Bike Walk Tompkins director) and Laura Vineyard (CCT executive director) asked for funding for a full‑time community bike‑shop manager and a second outreach trailer. They said the community shop — open roughly seven hours per week — served 598 individuals, completed nearly 300 free assisted repairs and distributed over 100 helmets, lights and locks since opening; the presenters urged expanded hours and outreach to low‑income, mobility‑limited residents.

Service & Unity (employment for people in recovery): Scott Short (founder/executive director) described a social enterprise that hires people in recovery and provides services to small businesses and nonprofits at low scales (as little as two hours). Short said the pilot invoiced over 300 hours in nine months, helped eight organizations and placed eight participants into their first employment experiences.

West Haven Farm (subsidized CSA / pantry shares): West Haven Farm representatives described a subsidized CSA and pantry‑share program that provided more than $130,000 of free produce in 2024, serving 250 households (including more than 100 low‑income families). The farm asked for $79,200 to fund food costs for 2026 city subsidies (60 pantry‑style discounted shares and 30 larger fruit shares targeted at Latino farmworker families), and said in 2024 the program used a combination of a New York State subaward, private donations and prior nonprofit partnership funding.

Ultimate Reentry Opportunity — Beyond the Box: Tali Mugambi (project director), Sadie Crusade (operations manager) and Dr. Paula Iwanide (research lead) described a workplace inclusion initiative that provides employer technical assistance and a navigational support specialist to assist justice‑involved jobseekers. URO requested $21,875 for a navigational support specialist; presenters cited pilot results (Moosewood restaurant) where 85% of participants reported greater inclusion and improved retention after the intervention.

Black Hands Universal (pre‑apprenticeship / trades training): Gladys Brangman and Harry (surname not specified) presented a proposed pre‑apprenticeship and work‑services program aimed at recruiting low‑income and minority residents for trades careers and union opportunities. They described paid field training, documentation assistance (IDs, Social Security, birth records), financial and GED classes, and a fiscal sponsorship arrangement with The Village at Ithaca to handle reporting.

What the board said and next steps

Agency members asked follow‑up questions about eligibility criteria, matching funds, distance and cost for volunteer transportation, landlord partnerships, the impact of new living‑wage guidance on budgeting, how unsubsidized programs would scale if only partial IURA funding is available, and how applicants would verify income and residency for city‑targeted subsidies. Staff reminded the board that Neighborhood Investment and Economic Development committees will review funding priorities over two meetings; the committees’ recommendations will return to the IURA board, then a 30‑day public comment period, and Common Council action is expected in June before submission to HUD.

The hearing closed with the board’s adjournment of the public hearing; no votes on specific funding allocations were taken at the March 7 session.

Ending note

Members of the public who presented or who submitted questions reiterated a common point: small, targeted grants to existing local programs are likely to preserve or expand access to basic needs — furniture, transportation, legal immigration support, job pathways and fresh food — for low‑ and moderate‑income Ithaca residents. The agency will consider those requests alongside HUD entitlement amounts and other funding constraints in the coming weeks.