With freezing temperatures on the horizon, Tompkins County announced that the area’s only year-round homeless shelter will shut its doors in November.
St. John’s Community Services provides hotel rooms and shelter space to 70-80 people, according to Alan Thorton, the organization’s CEO. Thornton said there are 18 people currently employed at the downtown Ithaca facility who will be affected by its closure.
St. John’s has had annual contracts with the county’s Temporary Housing Assistance and Code Blue program since it opened in 2018. Code Blue is a state-mandated program that requires counties to provide shelter in freezing temperatures. In Tompkins County, it usually runs from November through April.
Thornton said the county and St. John’s were unable to reach an agreement on that annual contract this year, although there were conversations about a short-term agreement. The organization decided against that option, believing it would increase staff turnover and ultimately degrade the quality of services provided.
“We did not want to risk having things go sideways and not being able to provide the service as well,” Thornton said.
Concerns from the county and New York’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, he added, meant that St. John’s would not be asked to provide temporary housing assistance, placing clients in hotel rooms. Instead, the county would take over those duties. The organization also declined to submit an application to continue Code Blue services. That meant that St. John’s would only provide shelter at its State Street location, which has 22 beds.
The shelter came under fire earlier this year after a video of an employee using a chokehold on a client was obtained by The Ithaca Voice. The employee no longer works at St. John’s, although leadership would not say if he was fired or voluntarily resigned.
A statement from the county encouraged people seeking shelter to reach out to the county's Department of Social Services.
County officials are considering declaring a state of emergency to access additional resources and allow for more flexibility in sheltering, the statement said.
It added, “Tompkins County is utilizing alternative sheltering approaches to serve individuals in need.” People seeking services will be offered shelter and programs based on their individual situations.
Tompkins County announced the creation of a shelter to fulfill its Code Blue obligations in downtown Ithaca last month. The building is expected to open in early November and can house 60 to 80 people.
The county has previously discussed plans to create an emergency shelter, with a targeted opening date in 2028.