STORAGE UNITS
Storage is essential when working with people in transition.
People entering inpatient rehabilitation, jail, or prison commonly face an immediate logistical crisis: what to do with their belongings. Treatment facilities and correctional institutions allow only a small amount of personal property to be brought in. Family or friends are not always available, willing, or appropriate to hold someone's possessions. Without a safe place to store their things, people often lose everything they own, sometimes invaluable and irreplaceable, through eviction, abandonment, or theft during their absence.
This loss compounds the difficulty of reentry. A person leaving a 90-day treatment program or a year of incarceration with no clothes, no documents, and no possessions starts from a position of severe material deficit, which is well-documented to increase the risk of relapse, recidivism, and homelessness. OAR's mission positions us well to address this gap: our existing relationships with the criminal justice system, treatment providers, and the broader Tompkins County community make us a trusted intake point for community members in this situation
Storage may not seem like much. But it is a vital beginning to building trust. If they trust us to hold their possessions & keep them safe, they have a reason to return to us. And to believe can meet them where they're at.
Recidivism is a symptom of so many challenges - homelessness, addiction, unemployment, mental health issues, physical ailments, rising costs - that they can only be addressed to in layers. To be trusted with someone's substance abuse healing may begin with proving they have a safe space with us.
Making this service free to our clients helps protect them, their personal property, or their mental health, without placing additional burdens when they are facing challenging times.
Photo by zash_ capturing___ on Unsplash
OAR Storage Facility
In June of 2026, our Director of Housing Operations Daniel Yatkso outlined a plan to build out a 15' x 10' basement in Ithaca, NY, into a secure, organized storage facility for community members entering rehabilitation, jail, or prison. Each participant will receive one labeled 27-gallon Commander tote, sealed with numbered tamper-evident seals at intake, to store personal belongings during their absence. Capacity is up to 56 totes total. The room will be moisture-controlled, gated against unauthorized access, and operated as a drop-off and pickup-only service.
Each 27-gallon storage unit is available for free.
The cost is covered by grants and donations.
Key Features
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Storage capacity for up to 56 community members entering rehabilitation, jail, or prison.
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Commander 27-gallon stackable totes are the industry standard for secure storage at this size. They are durable, weather-resistant when stored indoors, and the lid design includes built-in holes around the rim that accept zip-ties or seals.
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A security camera inside the storage room, mounted high in a corner with a clear view of the gate, the shelving units, and the intake area.
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A folding steel security gate bolt-mounted directly into the concrete walls flanking the basement-side opening.
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A GE 50-pint Energy Star dehumidifier controls the environment (45-50% RH) and protects belongings from mold and moisture damage during long storage periods.
Access
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At intake, the participant fills their tote in the presence of staff, watches as we close the lid, and watches as we apply numbered tamper-evident seals across both lid latches.
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The seal serial numbers are recorded on their intake paperwork, which both parties sign. Two seals per tote (one on each side) ensures the lid cannot be pried open from either end without breaking a seal.
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The tamper-evident seals serve as proof of integrity: at pickup, intact seals matching the recorded serial numbers demonstrate that the contents have not been disturbed.
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This is a drop-off and pickup-only system — participants do not retain access during their absence.
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They surrender their belongings to OAR, and they reclaim them in full at the end of their rehab, jail, or prison term.
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Participants will sign a waiver acknowledging this arrangement and absolving OAR of liability for items lost or damaged.
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Every tote will be assigned a permanent number (1-56) and tracked through a custom-built digital tool.
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Staff can pull up a visual map of the storage room from any browser, click any shelf position to see the assigned participant, and search by name, tote number, or seal number in seconds.
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Real-time capacity counters show how many totes are in use, available, ready for pickup, and past their expected return date — making it easy to plan intake or follow up on long-held belongings.
Apply for a Storage Unit
If you'd like to apply for a storage unit, you can reach out to our offices:
For reference, here below is a copy of the agreement that will be signed upon releasing the items into storage:
"Home isn't where you're from,
it's where you find light when all grows dark."
-- Pierce Brown