Finger Lakes Reuse asked the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency on Feb. 13 for funding to bolster its Reuse Materials Access Program (REMAP), which provides gift-card vouchers and local delivery to households in need.

REMAP began in 2017 and now works with more than 40 partner human-service agencies to issue on-the-spot vouchers. "We issue gift cards that range between $180 and $360 each," said Abby, development coordinator at Finger Lakes Reuse, explaining a matrix that scales voucher size to household size and requested materials. Robin Elliott, the organization's chief operating officer, said the program currently assists an average of about 75 households a month and provides same-looking gift cards so recipients can shop with dignity.

The program issues vouchers once per calendar year to a household (with exceptions for extenuating circumstances), and gift cards expire after 90 days; staff said extensions are regularly granted on request. All deliveries are offered for free within Tompkins County when possible to remove transportation barriers for large items such as furniture and appliances.

Why it matters: REMAP supplies furniture, housewares, appliances, clothing and occasionally technology to low-income and formerly homeless households while keeping reusable materials in local circulation. Finger Lakes Reuse said merchandise sales offset about 50% of each gift card and delivery fee; the organization covers the remaining 50% from its own funds and staff time and is seeking IURA grant dollars to meet increasing referrals.

During Q&A, an agency member asked how referral vetting is done; Abby said partner agencies select a need category on a private form and the reuse staff rely on that category rather than collecting IDs or other program markers. The committee also asked how voucher amounts are set; Abby said they update values annually based on store pricing and household size.

The presenters emphasized alternatives if the IURA cannot fully fund REMAP: they will pursue additional fundraising and, if necessary, consider reducing the maximum gift-card size per household to manage demand.

Ending: Finger Lakes Reuse left the committee with program performance details and examples from recipients; the IURA will consider REMAP alongside other public-service proposals during upcoming committee deliberations.