Alexis Richardson used to live in a double-wide trailer in Enfield, New York, that was so old and damaged, she felt she could never get it clean. The water smelled bad and sometimes ran yellow or rusty brown. There were no sidewalks for her children, ages 5 and 8. And she paid $500 per month for heat and electricity – a large sum for the single mother.

So when Richardson heard about a new affordable housing development in Trumansburg, supported by the Community Housing Development Fund, she was the first resident to put down a deposit. She, her kids and her mother have lived at Village Grove for about a year. Her kids can walk to school. She can keep their town house clean. Her monthly electric bill is down by nearly 75%. And heating is included.

The affordable housing makes it easier for Richardson to study for a bachelor’s degree at Cayuga Community College.

“We’re a lot less stressed out now,” she said. “The affordability – it’s been great. It’s a huge weight lifted off our shoulders. We’re grateful for the opportunity, for sure.”

The Community Housing Development Fund is one of two community-university partnerships that received a Cornell Town-Gown Award at the annual ceremony, held Dec. 6 at Cinemapolis. The Tompkins County Community Child Care Growth Initiative also won an award.

The fund is a 16-year collaboration among Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca and Cornell that has created more than 1,030 affordable housing units in the greater Ithaca community since 2019. Together the organizations have invested nearly $8.5 million in housing for low- and middle-income families through the fund.

Credit: Sreang Hok/Cornell University

“Ithaca and Tompkins County are a truly special place, not just because of their natural beauty, but because of the people who live here – the strong and overlapping communities of our towns and neighborhoods, institutions and organizations,” President Michael I. Kotlikoff said. “Cornell University’s annual Town-Gown Awards are one way that we celebrate, every year, those shared communities – the partnerships and relationships that make this such a special place that all of us are so glad to call home.”

Known as the TOGOs, the awards are now in their 15th year celebrating collaboration between Cornell and the greater Ithaca community. The event, hosted by Cornell’s Office of Community Relations, also recognized 21 community leaders who have or will soon retire from their positions in local governments or nonprofits.

“This year, by honoring the Community Housing Development Fund and Child Care Growth Initiative, we are highlighting partnerships that show real outcomes from a shared investment of time, expertise and financial resources,” said Jennifer Tavares, director of the Office of Community Relations. “These partnerships have influenced change, attracted outside investment and improved lives in our shared communities.”

The Tompkins County Community Child Care Growth Initiative aims to grow the supply and capacity of community-based child care providers in the greater Ithaca area. In 2023, Cornell and the Child Development Council of Tompkins and Cortland counties launched the initiative to address the “child care desert” in Tompkins County, where there are more than three times as many children for every available, licensed child care slot. Insufficient child care service hampers the regional economy, the labor force and equity, with working women disproportionately affected. 

Credit: Sreang Hok/Cornell University

Cornell is contributing up to $372,000 a year for five years to assist people and organizations to start or expand a full-time child care program in Tompkins County. The Child Development Council of Central New York, a nonprofit that has been serving Tompkins and Cortland counties for more than 50 years, administers and staffs the program.

As of September, the initiative, along with other funding sources, helped stimulate the creation of 150 new child care spots in Tompkins County. And 177 additional slots are on the way.

The TOGO award recognized representatives of the Child Development Council of Central New York; Cornell; grant recipient Karlem Sivira Gimenez, who owns and operates Danby Daycare; and the Coddington Road Community Center.

The Community Housing Development Fund helps communities, organizations and housing developers in Tompkins County support rehabilitation and new construction housing projects that encourage sustainable, affordable living, including transportation and energy costs.

Since 2020, the towns of Dryden and Ithaca have joined the fund as associate members. Cornell’s total investment in the Community Housing Development Fund, from 2009 through 2027, will be $3.8 million.

The award recognized representatives from Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, the Town of Ithaca, the Town of Dryden, the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency, Cornell and the community partner organizations Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Service and Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties.

Rick Burgess, Cornell vice president for facilities and campus services, presented a special TOGO award to Robert “Bert” Bland ’74, M.S. ’80, MBA ’96, Cornell vice president of energy and sustainability. A longtime Cornell employee, Bland has overseen many projects involving campus-community collaboration, from the Lake Source Cooling system to decommissioning Cornell’s coal-fired energy infrastructure and conducting research on earth source heat via the Cornell University Borehole Observatory.

Retirees honored:

• Robert “Bert” Bland, Cornell
• Phoebe Brown, City of Ithaca’s Common Council
• Wolfgang Bullmer, Village of Lansing
• Amanda Champion, Tompkins County Legislature
• Christina Culver, Loaves and Fishes
• Susan Currie, Tompkins County Legislature, Tompkins County Public Library
• Fernando de Aragon, Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council
• Rich John, Tompkins County Legislature
• Margaret Johnson, Town of Ithaca board
• Kit Kephart, Tompkins County Department of Social Services
• Dan Klein, Tompkins County Legislature
• Anne Koreman, Tompkins County Legislature
• Tiffany Kumar, City of Ithaca’s Common Council
• Mike Lane, Tompkins County Legislature
• Clyde Lederman, City of Ithaca’s Common Council 
• Randy Marcus, attorney for several municipalities
• Diane Pamel, Southworth Library, Dryden
• Pierre Saint Perez, City of Ithaca’s Common Council
• Don Scheffler, Town of Groton
• Jeff Smith, Tompkins County Highway Department
• Wendy Yettru, Hospicare & Palliative Care Services