Second Wind Cottages

04/14/2026

After 15 years on NYC streets, Silvio Diaz found stability at Second Wind Cottages in Newfield, now expanding housing and services that local leaders call a model for tackling homelessness.

📰: https://www.tompkinsweekly.com/news/a-second-chance-at-life-second-wind-cottages-tackles-homelessness-with-new-projects-dc4127b3

📸: J.T. Stone

04/07/2026

Tompkins Weekly published a wonderful article highlighting Second Wind Cottages. Thanks, JT!

After 15 years on NYC streets, Silvio Diaz found stability at Second Wind Cottages in Newfield, now expanding housing and services that local leaders call a model for tackling homelessness.

03/24/2026

03/24/2026

Anesti Isufaj

03/23/2026

Thank you Tompkins Weekly for bringing attention to Second Wind’s Violence Interrupter program! Be sure to read the article!
https://www.tompkinsweekly.com/news/ithacas-violence-interrupter-steps-in-when-conflicts-rise-26005056

03/23/2026

Anesti, Second Wind’s Violence Interrupter, spends time on the streets, building relationships, monitoring community tensions, and is there to help de-escalate when the need arises. It is his mission to help people.

03/19/2026

03/19/2026

Have you heard???
Second Wind’s newest program is the Violence Interrupter program. Our VI works in the city of Ithaca in collaboration with our Homeless Crisis Alleviation team and other community partners, but with a specific and unique purpose.

01/24/2026

Sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall are in the forecast throughout the weekend and into next week. This poses an extreme danger for individuals experiencing homelessness. If you see someone who appears to be unsheltered, please don’t hesitate to reach out Second Wind’s Homelss Crisis Alleviation team at +1 (607) 262-8757. If someone appears to be suffering cold-weather conditions like hypothermia or frostbite, call 911 and request immediate medical attention.

12/02/2025

🌟Today is Giving Tuesday! 🌟 Please consider supporting Second Wind as we house and walk with people toward restored lives at our Newfield Cottages and Dryden House. Our Homeless Crisis Alleviation team meets unhoused people where they are at, provide life sustaining resources, along with connections to services, shelter, and housing. And our newest program- the Violence Interrupter- utilizes a credible messenger, well known in the community, who helps prevent violence by de-escalating conflicts, mediating disputes, and connecting high-risk individuals with social services and supports. We would love your support!
https://secondwind.breezechms.com/give/online

11/23/2025

Today the Second Wind Board, staff, Newfield Cottages community, and many volunteers came together to share a warm Thanksgiving meal. Our new community building is still under construction, but it was the first time we utilized the large gathering space.

Then joy was spread to Ithaca when our Homeless Crisis Alleviation team delivered warm food to folks experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

We are thankful for all of Second Wind’s volunteers and supporters!

11/21/2025

🌟 Luis’s Story: From Homeless with His Dogs… to Hopeful, Healed, and Heading Home 🌟

Six months ago, Luis Garcia and his two beloved dogs (“my babies”) had nowhere safe to go.
He slept in his car because it felt safer than the drug and addiction affected places he was offered.
Exhausted. Overwhelmed. Praying for a way forward.
Then a stranger named Kate showed kindness most people only talk about.
She fostered his dogs. She introduced him to Deb at Second Wind Cottages.
And Cottage #5 in Newfield, NY became the first place in a long time that felt like… home.
“No drugs. No alcohol. No chaos. Just space to breathe, to heal, and to find God again.”
Luis received anonymous gift bags with cookies and encouragement left on his doorstep.
College students showed up to fix whatever needed fixing.
Little acts of love that reminded him: he was seen, he mattered, and he was not alone.
He lost everything he once thought defined success: apartment, car, money—but gained something priceless:
Clarity. Community. A second wind.

Today Luis is packing up Cottage #5, stronger in faith and ready for his next chapter, with his dogs right by his side.
He’s already planning to come back and volunteer… Because Second Wind didn’t just give him a roof, it gave him his life back.
“This can happen to anyone. Life can fall apart suddenly… and when it does, places like Second Wind Cottages make all the difference.”
If you’re reading this and feeling lost—keep going.
You are not abandoned. There are people who care. There is hope.
And if you’re reading this and your heart is full—thank you for believing in second chances.
Every donation, every volunteer hour, every prayer keeps cottages like #5 ready for the next Luis.

Second Wind Cottages | Newfield, NY
A sober, supportive community for men experiencing homelessness.
One cottage. One life. One second wind at a time.
Link in bio to donate or get involved.
Because losing everything shouldn’t mean losing hope, dignity, or the chance to start again. ❤️