Blanket Drive 2011 Revisited

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Underwear Turns into Blankets

As many of our faithful blog readers may remember just before the holiday season NEOCH received a donation of new thong underwear for 100 homeless women. As one can imagine NEOCH staff were a little taken aback by the donation. We wondered if it would appear inappropriate for us to donate them to shelters. To address this concern we put it to a vote on our blog, and contacted The Plain Dealer. The blog readers voted that we should go ahead and donate them. The Plain Dealer article mentioned that during the winter month’s blankets and warm clothing is also a welcome and much needed donation. Those one hundred pairs of thong underwear generated many blanket donations. I just recently drove to Olmstead Falls to pick up a large number of blankets. A local business owner in Olmstead Falls coordinated a blanket drive after reading about the donation of thongs in the newspaper. This Olmstead Falls resident said she plans on doing another blanket drive next year.

Many blankets were donated due to the major media outlets that went into a frenzy over the discovery of Ted Williams and his “Golden Voice.” Brian Davis was interviewed in response to Mr. Williams’s overnight success. Brian pointed out that Cleveland’s homeless shelters are full of talented people. He also pointed out that on an average night roughly 4,000 people are homeless in Cleveland and that the donation of blankets is vital to survival in the winter months. The owner of a Medina County auto repair store (RADAIR, Complete Car Care) viewed this interview on the news and coordinated an expansive blanket drive that raised almost 1,000 blankets, many were waterproof outdoor blankets which the homeless outreach workers of Cleveland, who visit people living outside on a regularly basis greatly appreciated. These waterproof outdoor blankets were amazing, and all of us have to thank Lisa and the other RADAIR staff for all their hard work.

These are just two examples of the many blanket donations NEOCH has received. Since December over 1500 blankets have been donated to NEOCH and distributed to various shelters and homeless social service providers. The community has done a fantastic job in helping those living in the shelters and on the streets of Cleveland.

by Holly Lyon
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Chagrin New Faces Exhibit

Photos by Michael Steinberg

Valley Art Center Show on Homeless

The Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls Ohio is hosting an exhibit focusing on homelessness. “The Celebration of Diversity: The New Face of Homelessness” runs from February 12-March 17, 2011. It is free and open to the public. NEOCH provided the gallery with our movable wall and some photos by homeless artist who took a photography class that NEOCH orchestrated. Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries which operates 2100 Lakeside Men’s Shelter also provided photos with brief narratives that hung below the photo of the individual.

I had the pleasure of going to the event on its opening night. On the opening night they collected scarfs, hats and gloves that will go to the homeless. It is a moving exhibit, that showcases the challenges of living in shelter as well as the relationships and activities that help a person get through life in shelter. For example there is a photo of a young man in his late teens with a chicken resting on his arm. He discussed how he developed a friendship with the chicken who hangs around the shelter he resides at. Another example is a photo of an older gentleman his narrative simple read “I’m alive.”

The Movable Wall is a photo exhibit paid by the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture Fund that features photos taken by homeless people, and gives a unique perspective on homelessness. The Movable Wall has traveled to churches, gallerias and schools for the past two years.

The Valley Art Center is located on 155 Bell Street, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022. The gallery hour: Mon-Fri 10-4 Sat. 10-2. www.valleyartcenter.org

by Holly Lyon
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Stand Down 2010

Images from the 2011 Stand Down at the Masonic Temple on February 18, 2011 in Cleveland Ohio.

Another wonderful event staged by InterAct Cleveland. We estimated 550 people attended the health fair on Friday. There were a couple hundred volunteers who helped with food, distribution of hygiene kits, and hospitality, also the Cleveland Photography group provided amazing portraits to around 100 people. The Cosgrove staff served a great lunch. Luke, our staff assigned to the event, wanted to highlight the hand and arm massages that had a long line throughout the day. He also wanted to mention Youthability and their lovable pooches, but I have no idea what that means.

There were health screenings, access to social service providers, and entertainment for the population. This is a relaxing day for those who struggle every day to try to find a stable place to live everyday, and the weary who have endured a tough winter.

Brian
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State of Homelessness 2010

Homeless Stats for 2009 Based on the Poverty in a City

NEOCH is working on publishing our State of Homelessness report. Every year we update the number of people living in poverty, and then using the Census data we extrapolate the number of people who became homeless during that year. The most recent poverty information available from the US Census is from 2009.

Top 11 Counties in Ohio by population in Ohio sorted by percentage of people living in poverty

County/Major City Number living in Poverty % Living in Poverty
Lucas/Toledo .................. 80,184 ................................... ...... 17.3%
Mahoning/Youngstown........ 39,535 .................................. ..... 16.7%
Cuyahoga/Cleveland ......... 209,216 .... ................................... 16.4%
Franklin/Columbus ............. 181,719 ................................... ......15.8%
Montgomery/Dayton .......... 82,015 .........................................15.4%
Hamilton/Cincinnati ........... 121,418 ..........................................14.2%
Summit/Akron ................. 70,513 ..........................................13.0%
Butler/Hamilton ................ 46,124 ...........................................12.7%
Lorain/Lorain/Elyria.............. 38,519 ..........................................12.6%
Stark/Canton ...................... 46,674 .........................................12.3%
Lake/Painesville ................ 18,232 ...........................................7.7%

Other Counties in Northeast Ohio sorted by percentage of people living in poverty
Ashtabula/Jefferson.............. 16,223 ............................................. 16.1%
Columbiana/Lisbon ................16,374 ...............................................15.2%
Trumbull/Warren ...................29,422 ..............................................14.0%
Portage/Ravenna.................... 20,164 ..............................................12.8%
Erie /Sandusky ........................9,313 .................................................12.1%
Geauga/Chardon .....................7,231 .................................................7.3%
Medina/Medina .....................10,268 ................................................5.9%

OHIO State total ....................830,204 .............................................13.6%

These are big increases in poverty for nearly every county probably due to the financial downturn of 2008. Stay tuned for the full report, which will be out in the next few weeks.
Brian

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Counting Homeless People

What if the Census Counted People Like HUD?

I hate the Homeless Management Information System, because it is such bad data that it harms our community. Garbage in: garbage out is my biggest issue with this system. It is the law of the land that every shelter receiving public funds must submit data to the Department of Housing and Urban Development or they are at risk of losing federal and state dollars. The problem is that it misses so many people that using this data as any reflection of the number of homeless people diminishes the extent of the problem.

I was thinking, what if the Census were conducted in much the same way as the count of homeless people? What if there was no dedicated money going to the count every ten years, and it was all volunteer? What if there was very little training available to the volunteers who were expected to complete the Census count in every city? What if those volunteers made a pledge of confidentiality, but there was no oversight or law protecting the privacy rights of those who answered the Census questionnaire? What would the count look like if the government enlisted grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, and cable tv repair men to do their jobs but also oversee the Census count at the same time? That is the system we have with HUD. Case workers who all have full time jobs are expected to volunteer to submit data to the federal government to come up with a count of the number of homeless people. The shelters do not receive any additional funds or regular training about counting or confidentiality. While the bubbly and friendly young person who scans my milk and cereal at Dave's Supermarket may be good at her job, I don't want her to be in charge of the US Census. I also don't think the guys going out at night to save people from the cold should be the individuals in charge of the count of homeless people.

An all volunteer US Census would also allow for regional disparities in the count. San Diego city officials could decide that they are going to make sure that their grocery store clerks and cable tv staff were trained and spent a couple of weeks only on the US census. They may decide that the 10 year payoff in federal funds is worth spending a great deal of local money getting the count right. While Detroit would just not have the money to pay volunteers to count, and their numbers would suffer. So, San Diego would have a large growing population and Detroit would shrink in the US Census. This is what happens with the homeless count. Some communities put real money into the effort, and others rely entirely on volunteers. This creates huge disparities in the final numbers.

I have no problem with cable tv repair people, in fact, some of my best friends work for the local cable tv company, but I don't want them to ask me personal questions and then turn that information over to the government. I want someone who has to pledge that they will go to jail if they release any of my personal information while doing their job of counting the population. I want someone who is paid by the federal government to spend their full time counting people, and not volunteers working on other issues. The data generated from HMIS is unreliable and is not a good measure of the number of homeless people in a city.

NEOCH is working on our 2010 State of Homelessness report. We use the HMIS information in the report, but only to document the demographics of people within the shelters. It is only good information to say how many African Americans or veterans are using the shelters. It is good information for where people go after they leave a shelter, but we would never use this information as a measurement of the total number of homeless people in a community.

Brian
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Homeless Congress Meeting

Special Homeless

Congress Meeting

Please join us to talk about how to distribute funds locally

Wednesday

February 16, 2011 at 1 p.m

This meeting is in partnership with the County Office of Homeless Services to talk directly with people experiencing homelessness about how resources should be distributed. This will be moderated by a consultant who is working on a plan for how homeless funds will be distributed locally in the future.

at the Bishop Cosgrove Center

1736 Superior Ave.

Enter in the back of the building go to gym on second floor

The Homeless Congress is made up of homeless

residents from the different shelters that come

together to solve local problems in the homeless community.

Questions? Call Luke at NEOCH – 216.432.0540 ext 106

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Homeless Congress Last Week

Thank you Dale Miller For Attending

County Councilman Dale Miller attended the February meeting of the Homeless Congress. We had around 30 homeless or recently homeless individuals attend to ask questions. There was a great deal of discussion regarding the County passage of a law to regulate the shelters. We talked about why the City of Cleveland was not willing to introduce the legislation. Miller warned that the County Council is still a work in progress and there is still uncertainty regarding enforcement. Councilman Miller was supportive of the idea, and expressed support for introducing the legislation if nothing else to introduce a community discussion about shelters.

There were questions about the move of the fragile populations from North Point to 2100 Lakeside and why we cannot try to renovate some of the abandoned properties locally. There were calls for the county to secretly visit some of the shelters to see the treatment that goes on at night. There was continued discussion about the problems at the Community Women's Shelter.

Randy Wilson and Tim Walters attended to talk about the possible cuts in the state budget, and some upcoming advocacy events including a bus trip down to Columbus. The shelter standards steering committee gave a brief report of their plans to see the legislation through to becoming a law. The next meeting in March will focus on foreclosures.

Brian

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Our Thoughts are with the Men at St. Hermans

Hospitality in Ohio City

As most have seen, the spiritual leader of St. Herman's Shelter and meal program is having significant health issues. There are now calls by "community leaders" for this capricious and whimsical director to leave the facility and focus his attention on his health. NEOCH staff do not have much contact with St. Herman's except that we all respect its value on the near west side of Cleveland. The facility does not receive any public money, but adds a strong dose of religion to every meal. They operate a small shelter, but their meal program is critical for the community. There are other meals in Ohio City and Tremont (St. Augustine, West Side Catholic, St. Malachi, and St. Patrick's), but on the weekend and on Friday night St. Herman's is the only place to go.

We hope that the gentrification crowd does not use the health issues of the director to try to close down this facility. We hope that the near west crowd does not use the guns issue to continue their effort to dislodge poor people from neighborhood. We don't want to see St. Herman's go the way of the Jay Hotel. We need a House of Hospitality like St. Hermans in every neighborhood including Ohio City and another one in Tremont as well as one in East Cleveland, Cleveland Hts, Lakewood, and Euclid. It is a refuge from the cold and a sanctuary from an overburdened society in a residential setting. St. Hermans is a part of our social safety net, and we believe the facility needs to find a new leader who can carry on the mission.

It was interesting to note that "community leaders" were concerned about a cache of guns across the street from the shelter, but had no problem with their tax dollars going to other shelters with documented substandard conditions in this community. One national expert noted that we were lucky that this facility was not administered by a Muslim congregation, because this story would have had a much different tenor. At this point, no one is alleging that there were guns on the site of the shelter or meal program. It seems that the agency that runs the largest shelter (Lutheran Metro Ministry) is going to step in to keep the program in operation. According to the Plain Dealer, Fr. John Henry is stepping aside. All these are positives for the facility. I hope that St. Herman's many supporters will come together to secure the facility for the long run. We can't forget the guys who sleep outside, but use this facility for a shower everyday. We cannot forget the families that need a little bit of help with a meal once a week at St. Herman's. And we can't forget the incredible history of providing an open door to the thousands of people in need over the last 30 years.

Brian
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The Reagan Legacy: Homelessness

A Shining City on the Hill Overlooking Millions of Homeless People

This week marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States. It also marks 30 years since the start of the Reagan presidency and the explosion in homelessness in America. Reagan's legacy has grown significantly since he left office to the point of a mythology that has little basis in fact. In the mid 1980s, during the Reagan presidency, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless along with many other homeless groups were founded. This was in response to the explosion in homelessness and the growing number of families experiencing housing instability.

This was not a partisan issue or a media driven issue. Homeless shelters were built in the 1980s and they were full. Going back all the way to the early 1950s and the development of public housing for returning veterans, the US government led by presidents from both parties developed affordable housing. One of the most dramatic expansions in affordable housing occurred during the Richard Nixon administration. There was a huge tax cut at the beginning of the Reagan presidency with a promise of massive cuts to government that never materialized thus destabilizing the government. Domestic spending on poverty related programs were cut, but not to equal the decline in revenue from the first tax cut. The Reagan administration had to repeatedly increase taxes to try to pay for the expansion in military spending and that tax cut the first year. There were cuts to legal services, jobs programs, massive cuts to funds for cities, and cuts to public transit that helped people get to work in America's cities. The network of family shelters in Cleveland started in the mid 1980s. Before the 1980s, family homelessness was a short interruption to housing and the charities and religious groups would pay for a hotel stay. Most of these shelters in the 1980s were temporary structures in the basement of government buildings, churches or empty retail spaces. No one thought that this problem would be around for 30 years.

The Heritage Foundation and the National Review have written many stories trying to rehabilitate the Reagan legacy including attempts to cast doubt on the explosion in homelessness. Carl Horowitz of Heritage Foundation in 2004 pointed to the acceptance of divorce, and the courts allowing people to become homeless by striking down vagrancy laws in the 1970s and the media driving this story as the big reasons for explosions in homelessness. Horowitz claims that Washington DC activist, Mitch Snyder, built a straw man in Ronald Reagan and the media ate it up. Horowitz blames the courts for providing civil rights to all people thus allowing homeless people to become visible. He just dismisses the fact that there were all these people who no longer had a place to live, and blames the courts for allowing them to be visible. If America could have just hid the population, this would not have become a story and homelessness would not be tied to President Reagan.

Reagan attacked "welfare queens" and claimed homeless people slept on grates by choice. This was the beginning of the hostility toward low income and homeless people, and it was led by the Reagan Administration. The United States has yet to recover from this class warfare on those without money. There developed a common narrative in the United States that poor people were lazy, criminals, or crazy. This was the beginning of the assault on government and the pervasive thinking that government could not do anything well. There was massive distrust in government from Viet Nam War, Watergate, and the many veterans traumatized and living on the streets of America. We gave up on solving problems as a country and lionized the individual. We championed those who picked themselves up by their boot stapes even as we made it more difficult to start businesses or survive without government help. We have consolidated wealth and income inequality has exploded making it nearly impossible to break through to turn good ideas into income.

The reality in Cleveland is that during the eight year presidency of Ronald Reagan, the number of shelters expanded dramatically. People filled those shelters, and they were not always the best places to live. There were large numbers sleeping on the street not because it was cool or fashionable, but because so many people had no where else to live. They slept on steam grates in order to survive and feel safe. If you only had a couple of bucks in your pocket and some warm clothing left, is it better to sleep on the street visible to police driving by or in a remote industrial site with no protection from thieves and gang members? We did not fulfill the promises made to people with mental illnesses over the previous two decades that we would provide community care in lieu of locking fragile individuals away in asylums. We demonized a segment of our population beginning in the 1980s and we are still paying for those decisions today.

Brian
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