New Leadership, Same Priorities: INHS Continues to Provide Affordable Housing to Ithacans in Need
Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS) started 2024 by welcoming a new executive director, Kate G. de la Garza, and starting construction on a $17.6 million apartment project, setting the tone for a big year under new leadership.
De la Garza, who identifies as nonbinary, using both she and they pronouns, worked with INHS in their previous role as vice president and senior relationship manager at KeyBank. At KeyBank, de la Garza worked as a lender and funder of several INHS developments before coming on board as the executive director of INHS.
“This job is like the culmination of all of my experience over the last 20 years into one position,” de la Garza said. “Having worked with IHS on the lending side, I knew the people were amazing. The product is also excellent, and we're always on the leading edge in terms of our developments. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to be honest.”
INHS started in Ithaca in 1976 with the goal of providing affordable housing options for people of low and moderate incomes. In its early years, INHS focused on rehabilitating existing housing stock to create affordable rental and homeownership opportunities. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, INHS expanded its efforts to develop new affordable housing properties in the Ithaca area. The non-profit focused on building rental apartments, condominiums, and single-family homes that were accessible to individuals and families with varying income levels.
“What drew me to the organization and the work is that we're not just building new multifamily buildings, which alone is amazing, but also the other services we offer,” de la Garza said. “Most property managers or developers are focused on one or the other. But we have programs on both sides.”
Over the years, INHS has expanded its programs and services to meet the evolving needs of the community. This includes offering homeownership assistance programs, financial counseling, property management services, and supportive services for residents.
The nonprofit community development corporation has since grown beyond its original footprint to provide various services to Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga and Tompkins counties. The organization was previously led by Johanna Anderson, who served as executive director for six years and is now the president of Tompkins Community Bank’s Central New York market.
Anderson served as executive director during a period of substantial growth for INHS and emphasized the organization's commitment to setting a visionary path and executing strategic plans to facilitate community development initiatives. Anderson told the Ithaca Times, "My role was to manage growth and ensure we had the necessary resources to handle our expanding portfolio of projects."
During her time at INHS, Anderson witnessed the organization's involvement in numerous transformative projects. One standout development she mentioned was Founders Way, which involved the acquisition and redevelopment of the former Immaculate Conception school property. Anderson expressed pride in the project's success, highlighting its incorporation of local nonprofits, rental units, and homeownership opportunities, which revitalized neighborhood spaces.
Another significant endeavor under Anderson's leadership was the acquisition of a manufactured home park, renamed Compass, marking INHS's foray into manufactured housing ownership. Through substantial funding secured from state programs, INHS revitalized the park's infrastructure, enhancing its safety and aesthetics while providing affordable housing options.
Regarding funding sources, Anderson underscored INHS's reliance on a diverse range of financing avenues, including federal, state, and local programs. She emphasized the importance of leveraging multiple funding streams to support the organization's development projects effectively.
Among these funding sources is the Community Housing Development Fund (CHDF). The CHDF is a joint effort of Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, and Cornell University. The City and County each give the CHDF $100,000 annually, while Cornell gives $200,000. Additionally, developers who choose not to build affordable units have to pay $5,000 into the CHDF for every non-affordable unit they build.
Projects funded by the CHDF must include units of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households. The fund has supported the development or rehabilitation of over 800 affordable units in Tompkins County since 2009.
According to INHS Director of Community Relations Justina Fetterly, since 2009 the CHDF has contributed a total of $2,962,940 to INHS to build a total of 430 units of housing. Among those 376 were rentals and 54 were for-sale. According to Fetterly, $1,474,000 went towards constructing rentals and $1,488,940 went towards for-sale homes.
Reflecting on INHS's impact, Anderson stated, "INHS stands out for its willingness to tackle challenging projects and collaborate with stakeholders to find solutions. Our adaptability and creativity enable us to tailor interventions to meet the unique needs of each community.”
De la Garza picks up where Anderson left off and plans to use their experience in affordable housing and business to lead the organization forward. De la Garza’s career in affordable housing started in Seattle, working with neighborhoods and residents on the design and delivery of affordable housing. Then, after switching coasts and moving to Central New York with their wife and two children, de la Garza transitioned to the lending and investment side of the business.
“I have a very well-rounded understanding of how affordable housing gets done,” de la Garza said. “Everything from out in communities working through design and planning, permitting, funding, maintenance and upkeep of buildings, and the wellbeing of residents. I think it set me up well for this role.”
De la Garza joins the nonprofit as the need for affordable housing in Ithaca continues to increase, as demonstrated by INHS's extensive housing waitlist.
“We and nobody else in the state can move fast enough generally to meet the need,” de la Garza said. “Ithaca is a place people want to be, and people move here from all over the country to live here. It makes us even more necessary, but it's a double-edged sword because as Ithaca becomes more expensive, it becomes more expensive to develop as well.”
The most recent redevelopment project completed by INHS in the Ithaca city limits was in 2022. The Founders Way affordable and supportive housing development located at 320 West Buffalo Street, Ithaca, created 75 units of rental housing.
The non-profit is actively exploring development opportunities in the city and is looking to secure funding in 2025 for “the Beacon,” which will be built on the west side of Inlet Island. The Beacon will provide 55 units of affordable housing in studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments in a five-story building that also includes a community room, laundry rooms, rental office, service provider office, and covered bike storage. INHS expects to break ground in spring 2026, according to de la Garza.
The organization is working to increase the housing stock in the communities it serves, with several projects expected to be completed by the end of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025. However, with the price of property and interest rates rising in the city of Ithaca, many of the projects are outside the city limits.
“As Ithaca has become more and more expensive to purchase a home and as interest rates have really become prohibitive, we've seen a lot of activity outside of Tompkins County,” said de la Garza.
In Seneca County, INHS will complete the renovation project of Verona Village, a senior housing development with 46 units by mid-August 2024. In the Village of Trumansburg, the Village Grove project will consist of six affordable rental townhomes and 40 affordable rental apartments in a two-story building and is expected to be complete in Dec. 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, the Wheat St. Apartments redevelopment in the Village of Cayuga in Cayuga County will add 47 affordable housing units for low-and-moderate-income individuals and families and is expected to have a March 2025 completion.
INHS will complete nearly 150 housing units between the summer of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025. One of de la Garza’s priorities as the organization approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026 is growing that number to serve even more community members.
“I think growth is going to be one of the biggest priorities for the next 50 years,” de la Garza said. “With my banking background and my developer background, I think doing that in a thoughtful, prudent way, in collaboration with the community and our stakeholders, is important and certainly very, very important to our board.”
One line of revenue de la Garza hopes to grow is manufactured homes. In 2021, INHS acquired Compass Manufactured Housing Community located in both the Village of Trumansburg and the Town of Covert. The property is comprised of 138 sites for manufactured homes, offering a blend of rental and owner-occupied residences. The project is happening in phases, with most of the work expected to be completed by May 2025. The non-profit plans to drop 10 new manufactured home units in the community per year until it reaches capacity.
“Even though we have been around 47.5 years and have some very mature business lines like homeownership and repairs, we've also got some business lines that are brand new, like the Compass project,” de la Garza said. “So I see that for the next 50 years, one of my big priorities is not just how we're going to grow, but where each of our business lines is going to grow in size and drape geographically.”
In their first few months on the job, de La Garza has been getting to know each staff member and their expertise, as well as meeting with their team which is currently working on the lease-up procedures for each property.
“I’m excited and happy to get to know every one of my staff members and their talents and expertise,” de la Garza said. “I view INHS as one of the best, if not the best, community-based nonprofit developers across upstate New York. It truly is an amazing group of people from stakeholders, funders, and community members who support us. Everyone.”