Flawed Homeless Count Released

The biggest waste of money by the Department of Housing and Urban Development has to be the annual count of homeless people.  We always equate this with counting a gumball machine full of Skittles as you pour them out onto the floor.  The first question for both is "why?"  Why would you want to count the colorful Skittles while they are falling on to the floor and are still in motion?  And why would you count homeless people on one day as they traveled around the city?   The second question is how valid is a count in which untrained volunteers drive around trying to play this game of "is that guy a homeless guy sleeping or a pile of clothing?"  NEOCH never wastes its time with this silly undertaking in late January or February.

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Ohio Senate Votes to Reduce Early Voting

This week the Ohio Senate voted to eliminate the week in which citizens can register to vote and vote at the same time.  They also have reduce early voting time and bar the local boards of election from opening on Sundays.   We absolutely oppose this law and have posted this video and sent testimony down to the Ohio legislature committee (posted on our website as a pdf).  If we value democracy in America, then we should do everything we can to encourage voting and make it as easy as possible.
 
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Posted the Stories from Issue 20.3

We got around to posting the articles from the Street Newspaper Issue #20.3 on the streets this last summer.  This issue had a number of really good stories in this issue.   We had a number of interns this summer who did a few stories for the newspaper.   There is an article by 10 of our vendors, and a profile of the Free Clinic.  We have a number of commentaries including the difference between Atlanta and Cleveland in services to homeless people.  There is a profile of the Sub Zero Mission and their effort to keep people living who stay on the streets.  

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Change.org Petition to Protect the Privacy of the Disabled

The Cleveland Plain Dealer featured an article about a brewing dispute between the suburbs and EDEN inc. over the rights for the suburban communities to know the addresses of all EDEN voucher holders.  We have started a Change.org petition to address this issue.  The First Suburbs Consortium demanded that EDEN turn over their list of addresses this summer before they would be willing to support public dollars going to the last Permanent Housing Project owned by EDEN.    Both Cuyahoga County and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have sided with EDEN saying that they do not have to turn over the names or addresses of their tenants.


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Final on the Hand Up Gala Fundraiser

Eight people won items in the auction and donated them to homeless people.   Three of the items were for Akron institutions (Symphony, Civic Theatre, and Museum) and we sent those down to the Domestic Violence Shelter for distribution to their clients.  The other five items were distributed today at the Homeless Congress meeting.  The tickets and the football all went over well among the group.  We had a record turnout of over 50 people attend the meeting today.   All the items from the auction went out to the winners.   All the thank you notes went out to every one of the groups that contributed to the auction. Thanks to everyone who helped out to make this event special.
 
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City of Lorain Foolish Panhandling Campaign

ZERO TOLERANCE is the theme by local businesses in the City of Lorain over panhandling?  Yes, they are worried about people begging for money.  No, not zero tolerance for kids who become homeless, or food stamp cuts, or failing schools.   They do not have a zero tolerance for manufacturing jobs relocating to foreign countries or cuts to the mental health safety net, but that a guy living on the edge is asking for spare change.  Talk about misplaced priorities in Lorain--ganging up on guys with untreated behavioral health issues because they are viewed as the reason business is down in this depressed city. 

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Food Stamps Recipients Face Tough Times

All Bad News for the Food Stamps Program
Bad:  On November 1, there was a cut to benefits that had been put in effect at the start of the downturn.  This cost each household a small amount of their monthly allocation by about 5%.  This was tough to absorb and we know that Cosgrove and some of the other meal programs have seen a sharp increase in people requesting help with food.  The Plain Dealer had a nice guest column from Daniel Saltzman of Dave's Supermarket about this issue earlier this week, and an editorial condemning the cuts.

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Woodchopper's Ball NEOCH Fundraiser

For 11 years, Brian Henke, has been organizing the Woodchopper's Ball.   It is a fundraiser for the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, but more importantly it brings together some of the most amazing guitarists in North America.  This year the show will feature all national artists except for Brian.  Charley Brown has hosted all 11 shows in the past, and again will be the Master of Ceremony.   Tickets are available at the Kent Stage.   This year's Woodchopper's Ball is December 7, 2013 at 8 p.m.  Tickets are $25 in advance and $28 on the day of the show.

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Street Card Published and Available

After a long delay the updated Street Card is out and on the streets.  We have published the new Street Card and made it available on our website.  This was the most difficult update of the Street Card in the last 20 years.   We have been trying to figure out how to incorporate the new Coordinated intake with access to the shelters.  There were rumors that the Central Intake for families was moving and we did not want the Street Card to be published with incorrect information. There were major changes over the last year with the loss of a number of agencies that went out of business or were merged.

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Homeless Veteran's Suicide

I feel awful about this encounter we had with a veteran last week. A 30 year old veteran sent a suicide note by e-mail last week to a group of agencies in Cleveland, and NEOCH was on the list.  I don't know why we were on the list, and the e-mail went to our spam folder.   Two of the individuals on the list called the police and even though the vet had meticulously put the GPS longitude and latitude of his body, the police had a hard time finding him.  I do not believe that I had met the young man, but he seemed like an intelligent but troubled person.   Why did he pick out NEOCH to send the suicide note and not the Veteran's Administration?   He had a city in New York listed as his e-mail address and the beginning of the document looked like religious tracts that we get everyday typically asking to claim lost funds, which made it more likely that the e-mail was sent to spam.

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Veteran Success Story

We have one positive and one sad veteran story for Veteran's Day.  This is the story of many groups and individuals working together can move mountains.  The Veteran's Affair staff found a 67 year old female veteran living on the streets of Cleveland in a car near a church on the near West Side of Cleveland.  She refused to go into shelter because she could not give up her two dogs.  One dog could be considered a companion animal for fair housing consideration; two dogs are a stretch.  The veteran refused to take the animals to the APL out of fear that they would be destroyed.  This made it impossible to find even a temporary place to live.

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National Homeless Update

What is happening in other parts of the country to homeless people? The best part of the National Coalition for the Homeless meeting is when we go around the table and each talk about issues facing homeless people around the country.  Here are a few brief updates:
Massachusetts

• The Mass. legislature has introduced a bill to protect the rights of the transgendered in public services including homeless shelters.
• Boston is developing 32 units of housing for LGBTQ youth who have experienced homelessness.
• They are expanding the speakers bureau locally to teach homeless program board members about homelessness.
• There are disturbing trends in youth homeless with mental illnesses, and as most cities are seeing a rise in family homelessness.

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How Much Does a Panhandler Actually Make?

There are amazing over estimates of panhandlers in our community.  Many believe these guys are making hundreds of dollars and a living on easy street.  A new study was released which paints a different picture of the life of a panhandler. Research out of San Francisco surveyed 146 panhandlers and found that they averaged $25 per day.  This in one of the wealthiest cities in America with one of the more sizable homeless and panhandling populations in America.  The Union Square Business Improvement District commissioned the study and found that even if the average panhandler worked 7 days a week they would not be able to afford housing at the fair market rent in one of the most expensive rental cities in America. 

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Hurricane Sandy Anniversary

 New York City was giving up on Hurricane Sandy victims two weeks ago.  Repairs are still in process.  We heard on Hear and Now on NPR from those displaced who were at their wits end with the FEMA.   The paperwork problems and the debate about rebuilding on the coast are still on going issues.  There are still hundreds homeless from the October 2012 disaster.  Remember, it took months for the Congress to approve disaster assistance with a significant number voting against spending federal dollars on this recovery.  There are still many stuck waiting for government and insurance companies deciding if a homeowner can rebuild so close to the water. 

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Last Day to Donate to the Hand Up Gala

This is the last day that you can donate and still be involved in the auction.  We had over 200 people who enjoyed the meal.  The other aspect of this program is that it is a fundraiser for the Bishop Cosgrove Center and the Homeless Coalition.  All the proceeds raised are split between the two organizations.  The food and flowers and table cloths are all donated.  (Thanks to Executive Caterers for the china, table cloths and napkins--They were great.)  The proceeds from this extraordinary event go to preperation for the winter and the Transformational Art Center.

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Medicaid Expansion Update

As expected the Governor was sued over his decision to expand Medicaid.  Will this be decided before January when people begin to see the benefits of the expansion.  The Plain Dealer has posted a story that the case is on the fast track, but it still provides uncertainty in the system.  All new expansions of government are rocky at first, but these obstacles seem impossible.  People get nervous over change, but it is amazing how so many rational people are trying to keep people from obtaining health care.

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Olmsted Falls Students Hear from Street Voices

The Plain Dealer covered this story last week regarding the students who spent the night outside in order to raise money for the Labre Project.  One missing piece of the article was it was the NEOCH speaker, Simona, who spoke to the group.  She has written for the Street Newspaper the past two issues here and here. She wrote about her experiences as a homeless Mom in both Atlanta and Cleveland even comparing the two cities in the last issue of the Street Chronicle.  More than 50 young people participated in this event on October 19 in Olmsted Falls.   They raised funds for the Labre project at St. Ignatius.  Labre is a program to go out on Sundays and build relationships with homeless people.  They talk, visit and sometimes even pray with the people who live outside.

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