Ithaca · Local digest

Ithaca City Hall is developing a proposal called PODS (People Offered Dignified Spaces), a village-style group of single-occupancy shelters designed as a shelter of last resort for the homeless population. The plan, presented to the Common Council's Special Committee on Coordinated Unhoused Services Planning in July, would include approximately 16 heated and cooled one-room dwellings with shared bathrooms, lockers, and laundry facilities, with construction estimated at $500,000 and annual operating costs of several hundred thousand dollars. The proposal, which follows the city's 2023 encampment policy restricting camping to SouthWest Park, aims to serve chronically homeless individuals, those becoming eligible for services, and people needing emergency overnight stays. Acting City Manager Dominick Recckio said the city has capital funding available and could potentially use $150,000 in existing funds for operations, though external funding from grantors or the state would be needed. The project's approval and timeline depend on the upcoming budget season and Common Council's decision expected in late September, with Recckio noting the originally proposed late 2026 rollout will need to be delayed.

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