NEOCH Annual Meeting

Congratulations to Chandra and Stowe NEOCH Award Winners

The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless held its annual meeting on March 15, 2012.  We introduced our 2011 Annual Report which is available on our website here.  We also gave out awards and had a nice meal provided by the Board.   Subodh Chandra was recognized as the Advocate of the Year for all his work protecting the rights of homeless to vote in person.  The Board recognized Brent Stowe from Lakewood as the Volunteer of the Year for 2011 for his help in restarting the street newspaper locally.

For more information go here.
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Annual Meeting 2012

Homeless Coalition to Host Annual Meeting, Focus on Homeless Veterans

      The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless will host its 2012 Annual Meeting in the NEOCH Conference Room on March 15, 2012 at 5:30 p.m... The Annual Meeting is a chance to reflect on accomplishments made during 2011, release its Annual Report, and prepare strategy for the next year in our effort to end homelessness. NEOCH intends to give out awards to those who have made outstanding contributions to forwarding the Coalition’s mission and worked to end homelessness. This year’s meeting will also serve to spotlight the issue of homeless veterans.
      Recently, the federal government has made homeless veterans a priority and has allocated many resources to ending this crisis. Toni Johnson, of the Veterans Administration and longtime friend of NEOCH, will give the keynote address on new strategies and programs in place for serving homeless veterans in Cleveland.
         All are welcome to attend. The meeting will take place at 5:30 PM and a light meal will be served. NEOCH is located at 3631 Perkins Ave., Cleveland (Between Chester and Payne Ave.).  We ask those who plan to attend to RSVP. 
    
Brian and Volunteer Lauren
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Award: Special Projects Volunteer

Special Events Volunteer of the Year for 2010: Dominica Dearing

The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless presented a Special Events Volunteer of the Year award to Dominica Dearing. She is a graduate of Ursuline College and is currently attending Tiffin University for her Master’s Degree. Dominica regularly comes to NEOCH to volunteer, and helped with the Hand Up Gala in 2010. Dominica raises her son and oversees a real estate company. Dominica was able to work with her son’s music teacher at Brush High School to bring them to the Cosgrove Center last year and sing for the guests at the Hand Up Gala. This was mentioned as one of the highlights of the afternoon by many guests. Dominica thanked the board for this recognition. Pictured above is Dominica receiving the award with her mother to the left.

Brian
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Homeless Social Services Person of the Year

NEOCH Selects Homeless Social Service's Person of 2010: Nicole Evans

The NEOCH Board of Trustees selected Nicole Evans for a special honor for her nearly two decades of work on hunger and homelessness in Cleveland. Evans is the current program director at the Bishop William Cosgrove Center that provides hundreds of meals to homeless and very low income individuals every day. She has worked for Catholic Charities since 1999, and before that worked for the Cleveland Foodbank. Nicole is currently enrolled at Cleveland State University pursuing a degree in urban studies. She has always been willing to go the extra mile to help people in need with programming and a healthy meal at the city’s largest day shelter. Every week day, she makes sure that over 200 people receive the proper nourishment, and is always willing to lend a hand up or even a shoulder to cry on to the fragile men and women wandering the streets of Cleveland. She has constructed a venue where outreach workers, veterans representatives, lawyers, and other providers meet with clients who are homeless to help move people toward stability.

In 2010, Nicole worked with NEOCH to successfully stage the Hand Up Gala, which provided a wonderful fine dining meal to 85 low income individuals. Nicole coordinated this special day and helped with the planning of this unique event of combining a fundraiser with a fine dining meal for low income Clevelanders. The Board recognized that everyday for the past 12 years, Evans has set up a safe place for those without a stable home. She has constructed a healthy environment during the worst snow storms and the terrible heat of the summer for anyone and everyone in need. Nicole has figured out how to provide a healthy meal to thousands of people every year by employing caring individuals. Nicole has also worked for years to prepare the food for the Homeless Stand Down for many years.

In accepting the award, Nicole spoke of all the tremendous partners that she works with everyday in the community and appreciated being recognized by the her peers. She talked about her long relationship with the Coalition, and thanked board and staff for all the help we have offered her over the years. Pictured above is Nicole speaking after accepting her award.

Brian

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David Westcott Volunteer of the Year

2010 NEOCH Volunteer of the Year: Larry Davis

Larry Davis is the 2010 David Westcott volunteer of the year for 2010, and was given the award at the March NEOCH Annual meeting. Davis came to NEOCH in 2006 as a volunteer by way of the Cleveland Tenants Organization. He is a veteran of the US military who has taken a leadership role within his church and the apartment buildings that he lives in. Larry, previously was an AmeriCorps VISTA for a year and a half, and now is a Mature Services member doing community organizing for CTO. He regularly volunteers 20 hours a week at NEOCH to help with the Street Voices project and assigning volunteers useful work for the organization. Larry is a key member of the Stand Down leadership committee and started a blanket and winter clothing drive at NEOCH in 2009 that continues today.

Pictured above is Roy Love, (left) NEOCH Board Vice President, presenting the award to Davis (right) at the March 19 NEOCH annual meeting. Larry talked about his reasons for coming to NEOCH and his commitment to working on social justice issues in Cleveland. Davis in accepting the award mentioned all the people who have helped him overcome obstacles, and his desire to give back to the community. He thanked the board for the award, and appreciated the time that he has spent at NEOCH. Larry welcomes other volunteers to assist the Coalition. If you would like to help out with clerical, research, civil rights, or other advocacy projects contact Larry at 216/432-0540 ext 103. NEOCH can utilize volunteers for a day or just a couple of hours a month.

Brian

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Advocate of the Year

2010 Advocate of the Year

Tim Walters

Walters retired from the May Dugan Center last year, but has continued working to protect the rights of low income and homeless people. Tim is an authority in Cleveland on public utilities and how low income residents navigate this complicated system. Tim has helped create the state advocacy group, ABLE, in order to help lower income families lobby for justice in the state budget. Walters regularly volunteers with the Metanoia Project and Project Save. He attends the Homeless Congress to listen to the views and opinions of homeless people. Walters has helped improve the outreach safety net in Cleveland and has successfully integrated advocacy with the human service needs of homeless people to support the NEOCH mission.

Tim talked about the graduation ceremony that took place the night before with the men and women who entered the Courage for Change program that they run at the Metanoia Project. Tim also talked about the upcoming work of ABLE including the Public Square rally today, and the big trip down to Columbus on April 5th. If you want to participate and ride down to Columbus with the 2010 Advocate of the Year call 216/771-5077 ext 137.

Brian
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NEOCH Annual Meeting

NEOCH Annual Meeting on Saturday

Thanks to everyone that attended the NEOCH Annual Meeting on Saturday. Pictured above were board members, Roy and Marcia who took the lead as Vice President and President respectively in organizing the event. Also, above are staff and guests who attended the meeting and enjoyed a good potluck lunch. Thanks to the board members and staff who brought food, desserts, and hospitality to the 30 folks who showed up. NEOCH gave out awards to four outstanding individuals in the community.

Tim Walters---Advocate of the Year
Larry Davis--David Westcott Volunteer of the Year
Nicole Evans--Homeless Social Services Person of the Year
Dominica Dearing--Special Events Volunteer of the Year.

We will post short biographies of the award winners for this year on the blog over the next week. In addition, we have posted the 2010 NEOCH Annual Report on our website, so you can have a quick reference about the work of the Coalition. Finally, the Board selected the officers for 2011-2012 as Marcia Bufford--President, Roy Love as Vice President, Brenda Gray as Secretary for the Corporation, and Jennifer Kocan as the Treasurer.

Brian Davis
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Sorry for the Interruption

NEOCH Annual Meeting Next Week

Sorry that we have not posted for two weeks, we have been working on a couple of projects that took all the staff time. Just a reminder next Saturday March 19 is the NEOCH Annual Meeting at St. Malachi school on West 25th and Detroit Ave. at Noon. We will have a lunch available, but we ask that you call the office to let us know that you are attending. Please call 216/432-0540 to reserve your spot and make sure that we have enough food ready for you.

We will have our Annual Report ready, and we will talk about the successes and the challenges facing the Coalition. We will give out a couple of awards and talk about plans for 2011. Hope that you can attend.

Brian Davis
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Annual Awards from NEOCH

NEOCH Recognizes Those Who Forwarded Our Mission




New Board President, Marcia Bufford gives out awards to Michelle Russell as the David Westcott Volunteer of the Year and Michael Piepsny as the NEOCH Advocate of the Year.
The NEOCH Annual Meeting was last night and we had a very nice discussion about the Coalition and our plans for the next year. There was a nice potluck dinner, and we published our 2009 Annual Report as well as our State of Homelessness Report for 2009. We elected a new group of officers, and reviewed the work of the Coalition over the last year. Michelle has volunteered every week for the past year for the Coalition doing development and community organizing work. Mike Piepsny has always worked closely with the Coalition including taking up the Bridging the Gap program, assisting with the Housing Trust Fund committee, and working on an employment program right now. We are sorry that you missed it.

Brian

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NEOCH Annual Meeting

2009 NEOCH Annual meeting. Pictured are board members and former staff Josh Kanary.

Release of State of Homelessness and Annual Report

This Thursday at 5:30 p.m. the Board of Trustees of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless invite you to our annual meeting. The meeting is at NEOCH 3631 Perkins Ave. on the third floor. Just press Call 32 to get into the building. All members are invited to attend. We will release our State of Homelessness report for 2009 that features statistics and trends within the community. We also will release our annual report. NEOCH gives out our awards to our volunteer of the year and advocate of the year. We hope that you can attend.

Brian
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NEOCH Awards

Advocate and Volunteer of the Year

Pictured here is the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless 2008 Advocate of the Year--Margaret Wilson. NEOCH had our annual meeting on March 11, 2009. At the meeting, we reviewed the last year and introduced our 2008 Strategic Plan. We will have more details on the plan in the next few weeks. We will also post our annual report and publish it in the next three weeks.

The best part of the Annual meeting is the giving out of the awards. We have Meg Wilson as the Advocate of the Year and Traci Ext as the 2008 volunteer of the year. Here is a brief description of the award winners.

NEOCH Advocate of the Year

Margaret Wilson is the current Outreach Coordinator at GESU Roman Catholic Church, and plans all parish wide activities including the December Service Day. She is a former president of the Homeless Coalition, and has been a board member since 2002. Wilson has always been an active board member, and is regularly involved in policy and advocacy strategies. She is a former teacher who has taught at the junior high, high school and college levels. She has Bachelors in political science from Catholic University of America as well as a Master degree in Education. She also has a Masters in English from Cleveland State. Wilson has worked to establish the Interfaith Hospitality Network at GESU Catholic Church. The GESU commission is active in the community and has worked with a number of organizations, including FAMICOS, New Life Community, and Sociedad de los Amigos de Ninos in Honduras.

NEOCH Volunteer of the Year

Traci Ext is an attorney currently working for the federal government, and she gives up most every Monday afternoon volunteering for the Homeless Coalition. Ext assists with our press relations and our advocacy agenda in Cleveland. She has volunteered with the Homeless Stand Down, and has worked on many of NEOCH’s research reports. She has previous experience at the Legal Aid Society, and is a law school graduate from Harvard. Ext did her undergraduate work at Rice University, and has a strong interest in social justice. She relaxes by playing basketball and was recently married.

We are sorry that you missed the annual meeting. Congratulations to both our award winners.

Brian
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NEOCH Annual Meeting

Low Key Event

On Wednesday March 11 at 5:30 p.m., NEOCH will host the agency Annual Meeting. This is a low key event this year when we issue our Annual Report and we will give details on the strategic plan that we have been working on for the last year. The final strategic plan will be posted this week on our website, and we will discuss the goals for the organization at the meeting. All of our members are invited to the meeting. We also give out a couple of awards at the Annual meeting, and we do a brief review of the last year. (Brief because it was a year that we all want to forget.) We will elect a new group of executive committee members, and we will welcome a few new board members. If you get the chance drop by for the NEOCH aAnnual meeting.

Brian
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Awards and Agency Update

NEOCH Annual Meeting

Pictured here is Tera Horne (right) presenting Bryan Mauk the NEOCH advocate of the year award (middle) and the Volunteer of the Year Ronald Falconi (standing) their awards.

The NEOCH Annual Meeting was Thursday, and we released our annual report. It will be available on our website soon. We looked back on the rough year of 2007. We talked about the transfer of two of our programs. The NEOCH Board elected a new Executive Committee. We have two new EC members, Tiffany Burse and Cynthia Ford. Our new Board President is Jennifer Simpson.

I gave a look at the 2008 plans and the upcoming Strategic Plan that the organization is currently undertaking. We talked about some of the major community advocacy efforts of the the Coalition. And the best part of the Annual Meeting is the awarding of a token of our recognition for community members who went above and beyond to help homeless people.

Bryan Mauk--NEOCH 2007 Advocate of the Year
Bryan worked both in high school and at John Carroll University to create a program where faculty and students venture off campus to Downtown Cleveland to interact with those resistant to shelters, called the Labre Project. He is a true leader who, with his continued nurturing of the Labre Project, he sets an example for others. Bryan recently helped open an overnight drop in center at St. Augustine in the Tremont neighborhood, which provides a warm place for homeless people who sleep outside to go for a hot cup of coffee and a friendly environment. NEOCH salutes Bryan Mauk for his service to the homeless community.

Ronald Falconi and Robert Heintel--2007 Volunteers of the Year
Ronald and Robert are both members of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. Together they oversee the legal clinic at West Side Catholic Shelter and Drop in. They are known for their thoughtful and respectful treatment of clients who seek their advice at the Catholic Center. Without their help, it would be difficult to maintain this intake site for the Homeless Legal Assistance Program. Both attorneys reflect the highest standards of the legal profession. They are dedicated to providing legal help who those cannot afford an attorney. NEOCH salutes Robert and Ronald for their service to the homeless community.

Wish you were there.
Brian
Posts by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless staff and Board.

More Updates from the Coalition

Homeless Coalition Upcoming Events

1. Ione Biggs Award Nominations Due Monday: You still have time to submit a nomination for the Ione Biggs Award using our website. Go to http://www.neoch.org/nav/contactus.htm and complete the application and send it to NEOCH. The application is a two page summary of the accomplishments of your nominee and their work on social justice in 2007.
   
2. NEOCH Annual Meeting March 20: All members are welcome to attend the NEOCH Annual Meeting on Thursday March 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the NEOCH offices at 3631 Perkins Ave. Third Floor Conference Room. We will look back at 2007, give out a few awards and look at 2008 including our upcoming planning process.
3. Training at May Dugan Center on March 25: The new self help legal center opened and there are now computers available for people who need legal assistance, but cannot find a lawyer to help. In addition, HousingCleveland.org has been up and running for 2.5 years now. If you want to know more information about either of these programs, there is an in-service training on Tuesday March 25, 2005 at 2 p.m. at the May Dugan Center . May Dugan is at 4115 Bridge Ave. in Ohio City . You need to park on the streets, because there is no parking available in the lot. This training is directed at social service providers, case workers and anyone interested in knowing more about these two resources. For more information call 216/432-0540 or 939-1850.
4. Human Services Institute March 28, 2008. The Center for Community Solutions sponsors a gathering for human services workers in the community at the Cleveland Convention Center on March 28, 2008 all day. You can register at www.communitysolutions.com. NEOCH staff will be conducting a workshop on ideas for finding jobs for the difficult to employ. We hope that you can join us with the keynote speakers of Erin Gruwell of Freedom Writers Foundation and Richard Rodriguez, an author and journalist for this event.
5. Volunteer Orientation March 29, 2008. Did you make a New Years resolution to volunteer to end homelessness? We have an easy way to fulfill that resolution. NEOCH is hosting a volunteer orientation on March 29 at 1 p.m. at our main office 3631 Perkins Ave. third floor conference room. We have legal needs, voice mail assistance, general office, event planning, fund raising, street newspaper help, and advocacy help. You can volunteer once a week or once a month. Whatever your skills or your availability we can find a place for you to help us end homelessness. Please RSVP to Larry Davis at 216/432-0540 ext. 103.
6. Homeless Congress on Thursday April 3: The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Homeless Congress is Thursday April 3, 2008 at 1 p.m. at the Bishop Cosgrove Center ( 1736 Superior Ave. ). This is when representatives of the various shelters meet to discuss issues. The public is welcome to attend.
7. Save the Date May 2, 2008--Partnering to End Homeless Fund Raiser: Please put in your calendar the date for the NEOCH Fund Raiser is May 2, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. This year the event will be at GESU family center near John Carroll in University Hts. Invitations and Save the Date Cards are on the way.

Brian
Posts by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless staff and Board.

Much to Do in the Next Month

Upcoming Events for the Coalition

The next Teach In is set for Wednesday February 20, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. This is a 3 hour tour of homelessness in Cleveland and a chance to hear from people who have moved out of homelessness in Cleveland. The focus will be on those who are resistant to shelter. There is full description of the Stand Down at http://www.neoch.org/teachin.htm on our website.

The Self Help Legal Clinic ribbon cutting is February 26, 2008 at 1 p.m. The Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance Program invites the public to the grand opening of the Pro Se Legal Assistance at the May Dugan Center. This clinic will allow those who are having a hard time finding a lawyer to take their case to go to the clinic and print out their legal proceeding and file the case on their own behalf. This pro se clinic can help with simple legal proceedings like a response to evictions, expungements, and divorce with no children. May Dugan Center is located at 4115 Bridge Ave. on the near west side of Cleveland. CHLAP offers a weekly legal clinic at the May Dugan Center every week, along with their clinics in the shelters they serve nearly 600 people a year.

An update on the Heading Home/County Trust Fund March 10, 2008 at 3:30 pm. The City/County organized a strategic plan for addressing the housing crisis in Greater Cleveland. The Coalition and the Cleveland Tenants Organization will host a public meeting to discuss the Heading Home implementation plan and the plans for finding funding for the development of affordable housing. We need your support and your assistance in implementing this important initiative. We will provide opportunities for involvement in the effort to start constructing new affordable housing units again. The meeting is March 10 at 3:30 p.m. at the Coalition offices in the third floor conference room. All are invited.

NEOCH is hosting the 3^rd Annual Homeless Poetry Competition. As part of our Annual fundraiser, NEOCH hosts a competition to hear from local poets who have experienced homelessness. Anyone who has been homeless between March 2007 to March 2008 is welcome to submit a poem. Details are available through the Coalition at 216/432-0540. The winners will be announced at the NEOCH Annual fundraiser on May 2, 2008. Get your poems into the Coalition offices in the next month.

NEOCH is looking for local Photographers: We are also looking for photographers or those who want to learn how to be a photographer. We have an internship available for 7 photographers who will be trained on the art of photography and will receive a stipend, bus pass and a camera as part of the two month internship. Any homeless person with a physical or mental disability is welcome to apply through one of the local homeless shelters. The art will be displayed at two locations, and will be available at the Annual fundraiser. The images will be published in the Grapevine and will have the opportunity to sell the work and keep the profits. For more information call Teri’ at the Coalition.

Save the Date on the NEOCH Annual Fundraiser. Speaking of the fund raiser, mark your calendar for May 2, 2008 as the date for the NEOCH annual fund raising event. We will have details and ticket prices available in the next month.

NEOCH Annual Meeting is March 20 at 5:30 p.m. The Coalition will have a low key Annual Meeting to review the previous year and look forward with regard to the Coalition. The Annual Meeting will take place at the Coalition offices and will offer a light meal. Homeless individuals, members, key stakeholders in the community are invited to attend. You can meet the 2008-2009 Board of Trustees and find out ways to help the Coalition regroup after a tough year.

Training for Housing Cleveland website: In case you did not know, Cuyahoga County is the only place in Ohio with a fantastic all encompassing website of affordable housing available to rent. HousingCleveland.org has 1,500 available units and has over 200 unique users everyday searching for housing. We will have a training for how to use the website on February 25, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. at NEOCH. The training is directed at tenants, potential tenants as well as community development organizations or neighborhood centers. All are welcome to attend. To RSVP please call Mike at the Cleveland Tenants Organization at 216/432-0617 or the Coalition.

Staff

Posts by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless staff and Board.

NEOCH Annual Awards

Annual Meeting Held on the Ides of March

The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless issued its Annual Report last night at Franklin Circle church. It will be available on our website in the near future. We elected our new Board for 2007-8, and gave details on our plans for 2007. The treasurer gave his report on the state of the NEOCH finances, and Teri' Horne did a summary of the activities undertaken over the last year. Finally, the Board elected a new executive committee for the Coalition. The most anticipated part of the Annual Meeting was the awards ceremony. There is no red carpet or band to play the winners off the stage, but it is nice to recognize people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. In addition, NEOCH gave out one notice of condemnation to the City of Akron.

Joan Burda--Five Years of Service
We celebrated Joan's five years of service to NEOCH as the Director of Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance Program. She has doubled the number of clinics operated by the CHLAP lawyers and is now working on establishing a pro se legal clinic on the near West Side. This facility would allow low income people to come in and print out their legal documents and file themselves court proceedings. She has served thousands of homeless people over the last five years, and the Board appreciates her dedication to the job.

Jim Schlecht--NEOCH Advocate of the Year
Jim is the outreach worker for Care Alliance, and has worked with homeless people for decades. He is also a noted peace activist and champion of those abused by capitalism. The Board proclamation cited his tireless service to protect fragile populations from the elements. They thanked him for his compassion and steadfast work for social justice in forwarding solutions. NEOCH recognizes Jim Schlecht's work to oversee the 2006 Housing Stand Down, and his work to develop a 24 hour drop-in center in presenting the Advocate of the Year award.

Bernadette Janes--NEOCH Volunteer of the Year
Bernadette volunteered with the Cosgrove Center and for the Coalition as a writer. She was recognized by the Board for her distinguished career assisting organizations throughout the community. The Board cited her countless hours working with the Homeless Grapevine in documenting the struggles that homeless people face everyday.

City of Akron--Roadblock to Progress 2006
The NEOCH Board condemned the City of Akron for their efforts to make it illegal to be poor within the city limits by passing the worst law against pan handling in the United States. For providing criminal backgrounds to the long list of barriers a person living in Akron must overcome if they fall on hard times, and for not forwarding solutions to homelessness were a few of the reasons cited by the Board in proclaiming the City of Akron as the Biggest Roadblock to Progress in 2006.

Brian
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Updates from the Coalition

The Latest Dispatch from the Homeless Coalition

Annual Meeting of the Coalition
We normally have a stuffy formal annual meeting, but this year the Board of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless has decided the annual fundraiser from the Annual Meeting. So the 2006 Annual Meeting will be March 15, 2007 at Franklin Circle Church at 6 p.m. NEOCH will give out awards to the Advocate of the Year and Volunteer of the Year. We look at 2006 and ahead to 2007. Finally, NEOCH will elect a new board and present the 2006 Annual Report. We would love to have you join us for the Annual Meeting. It is free and we hope homeless people will be able to join the meeting. We are going to award a Roadblock of the Year to the person or organization that prevented the solving of homelessness in Northeast Ohio.

Media Wave Causes Stir
The Plain Dealer story two weeks ago with the headline about $22 million coming to Cleveland for homelessness always creates waves. It makes our meetings with homeless people difficult, because homeless people read the paper. They see a whole bunch of money coming to Cleveland and wonder why they eat pasta every night or why they cannot get housing. So, we get blamed for wasting funds or being incompetent for not solving homelessness with "all that money." We also get calls asking how they can set up a shelter so that they can get in on this federal gravy train. After I tried to convince the woman that called this week that this was not money for shelters and that public officials are not going to fund shelters anymore, she said, "I am not going to be deterred by anything you say, because God has told me to do this and I saw the article about the $22 million." There is no way to argue with God or money. Columbus only got $6 million, and they claim nearly the same number of homeless people, and so their providers are ticked off.

By dividing $22 million among the 20,000 people who are homeless every year, the funds only cover $1,100 per person who is homeless in Cleveland. 90% of the $22 million are just to keep the doors of the transitional shelters and the permanent housing programs open. Many of these funds are for very specific populations while the economically homeless have to find their own ways.

Aviation High School Has a Deadline
The main shelter in Cleveland, 2100 Lakeside, operates on the principle that anyone who comes to the door must be offered a bed. This has forced the shelter to operate an overflow facility at Aviation High School. This was a temporary solution that is now three years old. The federal government is not really happy with this solution with ex-cons, sexually based offenders, and an unknown group of people basically sleeping on the grounds of an airport. They have laid down the law--the overflow must close by November and there will be no further argument. This would seem to be plenty of time, but the County and City cannot agree and no one is talking to homeless people. This is going to go down to the wire, and the results are not going to be pretty.

Brian
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