County opens community resource hubs in Lansing, other municipalities

The town of Lansing has a new Tompkins County Community Resource Hub at the Lansing Community Library. 

The hub, which is open every second and fourth Monday of every month from noon to 2 p.m., provides residents with access to information regarding county social services, as well as forms and digital resources to apply and attain said services and benefits. Some of these services include transportation and housing resources and the ability to take health or other appointments online or over the phone. The hubs will be staffed throughout 2024 by the Community Justice Center (CJC). The hubs are free for anyone in the community to access.

The CJC is a joint venture funded by the city of Ithaca and Tompkins County meant to implement Reimagining Public Safety plans. Plan proposals and public safety reports associated with the CJC were compiled by the county in the city in 2021 in response to an executive order from then-Governor Andrew Cuomo calling for municipalities to examine their approach to policing.

“Having a Community Resource Hub in Lansing will be a tremendous benefit to our community, especially to our residents who face difficult circumstances,” said Lansing Town Supervisor Ruth Groff. 

Resources available through the Community Resource Hubs include:

• Computers and internet access
  • Residents can get information on programs online. This also includes access to a printer so residents can take information home.
     
• Information about transportation resources and schedules
  
• Help finding and filling out forms for benefits and services
  • Free assistance to fill out online or paper forms
    
• Taking medical appointments over the phone or internet

“The Community Justice Center brings a service to Lansing that will make life more manageable for those in our town who struggle with unfortunate situations, and I believe that if we can make life better for even one individual in our community, then we are all better for it,” Groff said. “Lansing is extremely appreciative to the CJC and to [Project Director] Monalita Smiley for all that they do to improve life in Tompkins County.”

For Smiley, installing the hubs is about meeting residents where they are.

“Because we’ve had success meeting people where they are with the first two hubs in Groton and Enfield, I’m very excited to add three new hub locations,” Smiley said in a press release. “Residents on West Hill, and in the Slaterville Springs/Caroline and Lansing areas, are invited to take advantage of these new hubs. The goal of the hubs is to make sure people have access to information in their own communities.”

The hubs, Smiley noted, offer safe spaces for residents to access the internet and phone services. 

“I’m glad we’re getting to do this work at the CJC because this shows that government and not-for-profit services can be available to everyone,” Smiley said.

The CJC also runs the following resource hubs:

• Groton Public Library: 122 East Cortland St., Groton, NY, 13073
  Open Tuesdays noon-2:00 p.m.
  
• City of Ithaca, West Hill neighborhood: 150 West Village Pl., Room 328, Ithaca, NY, 14850
  Open Tuesdays 2:30-4:30 p.m.
  
• Slaterville Fire Hall: 2681 Slaterville Rd., Slaterville Springs, NY, 14881
  Open Wednesdays 9:00-11:00 a.m.
  
• Enfield Community Center: 162 Enfield Main Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850
  Open the first and third Wednesday of each month noon-2:00p.m.

In a press release, Smiley said community members are encouraged to visit the hubs during open hours and that appointments are not necessary. Residents seeking more information can contact the CJC at 607-793-0473 or Smiley directly at msmiley@tompkins-co.org.

In addition to the new Community Resource Hubs, the Community Justice Center encourages county residents seeking resources or information on what may be available to them to dial 2-1-1 (1-877-211-8667) for a caring, local person who will assist each caller, and to use their local libraries for ongoing access to information and online resources.

Lansing at Large appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.

In brief:

The Lansing Community Library announced last week its roadmap of summer reading programming and events. The summer-long series will kick off June 22 at the library, with a registration period starting at 10:30 a.m. Performers from Circus Culture, a circus school based in Ithaca, will make an appearance at 11 a.m.