New Study from ICPH

African Americans Over-represented in the Homeless Population

With the submission of annual data by the shelters to HUD, it provides good solid information for researches to pick over and present to the world.  This data is horrible for counting the number of homeless people in America, which ironically was the original purpose of forcing every shelter to submit.  But it does give excellent information on the demographics using the shelters in the country. So, the Intitute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness has looked at 2010 data and found that African Americans are disproportionately represented in shelters throughout the United States. 

"In 2010, one out of every 141 black family members stayed in a homeless shelter, a rate seven times higher than members of white families, according to “Intergenerational Disparities Experienced by Homeless Black Families,” a report released today by the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness."

Three times as many African American families were living in poverty compared to white families.  African Americans are impoverished at 23.3% while white families only have 12% of their total population living in poverty in the United States.   The report looks at various cities how many are experiencing homelessness including St. Louis and New York City with over 90% of their 2010 homeless population black.  Cleveland's African American population was listed as the high 90%, but the County reports a figure around 80% for 2010 and 2011.  The figure is so high it raises some troubling questions. Why hasn't the first African American president talked much about homelessness or poverty when there is this huge disparity among minority populations?  Why aren't the national civil rights organizations more involved in the struggle to end homelessness?  Why isn't this issue ever discussed by social service providers or part of the planning to serve the population?  Why are African Americans so overly represented in the homeless population and Hispanic/Latino populations so under represented? 

What policy initiatives can we put in place when dealing with evictions using these statistics?  What does this tell us about prevention if African Americans are so overly represented in the shelters?  How do we change intake with the knowledge that African Americans are disproportionately represented in the beds of the shelters?  How do we set guidelines for diversion if we know that African Americans make up such a large number of homeless people?  These are disturbing number, but what do we do with them?

Brian
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Support the National Coalition for the Homeless

Crisis Hidden in Plain Site

I am a proud member of NCH’s board of directors, and over the years I’ve gotten an up-close look at the amazing work of this small but feisty, progressive, and passionate advocacy organization.  NCH is, simply put, the leading national voice for homeless and formerly-homeless people and progressive advocates in the ongoing struggle to end homelessness and protect the civil rights of those experiencing homelessness. 

That struggle has never been more vital than now, in the midst attacks on the safety net; efforts to criminalize homelessness in cities throughout Ohio, and a concerted effort to limit access to the ballot box for minority and low income populations.  We have seen a failure of leaders in Washington to work on comprehensive solutions to homelessness and instead pit one subgroup against another.  We have seen a failure of some advocacy groups to tackle the root causes of homelessness.  

I can assure you that NCH is standing as a national voice for those living on the streets or in the shelters for a comprehensive solution to end homelessness for all populations. I have helped work on a national foreclosure report to show how it impacts the homeless population, and I have chaired the National Civil Rights Organizing Project.  I know that the staff and board have regularly appealed to elected officials and federal bureaucrats to expand housing opportunities to meet the dramatic rise in homelessness and poverty since the economic crisis began.  NCH has, like many other progressive groups, also had to struggle with financial hardships in recent years – but we keep on fighting. 

So here’s why I’m asking for your help right now:  NCH has launched a special short-term appeal, called “Crisis Hidden in Plain View,” and a generous supporter has given us a $30,000 matching grant.  Their goal is to match and exceed that amount by mid-March – and I’d be so grateful if you could help us reach that goal.

Here’s where you can find information about the appeal and where you can donate:

National Coalition for the Homeless – Crisis Hidden in Plain View:

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/advocacy/crisis.html

Donate to NCH:

https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1001845

Show them that Ohio cares and that we value a strong national advocacy organization.  Thank you so much for any help you can give.

Brian Davis

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More Reasons to Support the ACLU

Homelessness Discussion Available On-Line

Earlier this year, we promoted an event at the American Civil Liberties Union on homelessness. I was privileged to be invited to speak to a surprising large crowd for the middle of the day about homelessness and the 20 years of legal work that we have undertaken to protect the rights of homeless people. It was another good event by one of the premier civil rights groups in the United States. Because of the work of Chris Link, Ray Vasvari, Kevin O'Neill, Gary Daniels, Joan Englund, Gino Scarselli, James Levin, Jason Jaffery, and Carrie Davis (no relation), the ACLU has always been a tremendous partner to protect the rights of very low income and homeless people in Cleveland and Ohio. They have posted the video from the talk on their website here.

There were a number of very good questions from the crowd, and I talked about the long history of working to protect the civil rights of homeless people. Because of NEOCH and the ACLU working together, things are better for homeless people compared to other areas of the country. For example, Cleveland is one of the few communities in the United States with a signed agreement between the police/city and the Coalition that prevents the police from arresting or threatening arrest for purely innocent behavior of sitting, sleeping or standing on the sidewalk. This reduces the number of homeless people who end up in jail for being poor, and reduces conflict between homeless people and city officials. If you want more information go watch the video. Also, make sure you support the ACLU because some group in our community should have the job of protecting and preserving the Bill of Rights and not just paying lip service to "protecting the Constitution."

Brian
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Cleveland: A Nice Place to Live

Photo by Pleasure Simmons, which was one of the images selected by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance Photo competition.

What Makes Cleveland Great???

The City of Cleveland feels scorned by the loss of LeBron James, and we all feel like electing Dan Gilbert as the County Executive for what he wrote and said. Cleveland is not all about sports, and no matter if the Indians, Cavs and Browns stink we have a great deal going for this city that often goes unrecognized. In the area of housing and homelessness, there are a number of things that make us among the top cities in America.

1. Guaranteed Access to Shelter: There are still some issues to work out on release of information, intake, and disciplinary procedures, but we still maintain the appearance of allowing everyone who comes to the door into the shelters. If a person is willing to abide by the rules they will have access to one of the publicly funded shelters. This is expensive and causes overcrowding, but it is a life saver for many. The City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County officials should be thanked for all their work to protect homeless people.

2. Peace with the Police: The City of Cleveland signed a consent decree in 2000 that settled 10 years of lawsuits. The Coalition repeatedly sued the City over their policy of arresting and threatening arrest of anyone who decided not to sleep inside. We finally settled the lawsuits, and the City agreed not to arrest or threaten arrest of those who are sitting, sleeping, standing, or eating on the sidewalk. This agreement has held for the last 10 years. In that time, the population of those living outside has decreased.

3. Project ACT: The homeless children and youth program at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District is over 20 years old and a model in the United States. They try to serve every child that becomes homeless in our City. They make sure that the child's school is not disrupted if the family becomes homeless during the school year. They serve thousands of children every year.

4. EDEN Inc./Shelter Plus Care: Cleveland is unlike most of other cities in that a private non-profit distributes the vouchers to the disabled. We have over 1,000 vouchers currently on the streets providing housing to homeless people with a disability. This is a great resource that the County has continued to put more funding every year into this program, and is a great supplement to the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

5. Coordinated Outreach: In both Columbus and Cincinnati, they have one or two teams out on the streets, and in both cities one of the outreach teams is a for-profit social worker employed by the downtown business district. Cleveland has five or six teams that go out on the streets to try to build a trusting relationship with homeless individuals. These teams have mapped out the entire city, and regularly meet with people as they struggle to stay alive. They have saved countless lives and moved hundreds into the shelters or housing.

There is plenty more, but this is a good list for now.

Brian
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ACLU Brown Bag Lunch

Join NEOCH at the ACLU Lunch in Two Weeks

2010 American Civil Liberties Union Brown Bag Lecture Series
You bring your lunch. We’ll bring the experts.

Homeless, Not Hopeless:
The homeless community’s fight for fair treatment
July 7, 2010 on Wednesday | Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Max Wohl Civil Liberties Center
4506 Chester Ave., Cleveland 44103

Far too often municipalities enact unconstitutional ordinances that criminalize homeless people and greatly restrict their access to public space.

Join us for a discussion of the homeless community’s fight for equality with Brian Davis, executive director of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and advocate for the estimated 26,000 homeless in the Cleveland area.

This program is part of the Brown Bag Lecture Series. Lectures will be held throughout the summer on Wednesdays from noon – 1 pm at the Max Wohl Civil Liberties Center, 4506 Chester Ave., Cleveland.

This event is free and open to the public. Free parking is available. Drinks and desserts will be provided. To RSVP, call (216) 472-2200 or click the RSVP button.

Save the date for our statewide membership conference!
July 30 - 31, Columbus.
Get more information at www.acluohio.org/conference2010

Join the ACLU and help strengthen our freedoms. Already a member? Click here to find out what else you can do to restore our rights.

Stand up! Get active! Make some noise! Our new website has all the tools you need to restore lost liberty.

From an e-announcement from the ACLU

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Today's Civil Rights

MLK Day Reflection

Today is the day we mark the day we remember Martin Luther King Jr., and I was thinking about the issues that King would be pursuing if he were alive or if one person had picked up his legacy. We are gathering our stats for the State of Homelessness report 2010, and once again we find that around 75% of the homeless population in Cleveland is African American. I have to believe that if King were still alive or if one individual had taken up the struggle, they would have homelessness on the top of the Civil Right's agenda. Homelessness disproportionately affects African Americans in almost every city in America. I have to believe that the other issue on the top of the agenda would be the criminal justice system. The disproportionate number of African Americans who are involved in the judicial system is a toxic subject for politicians including President Obama. We need a national movement leader to continue to move a Civil Rights agenda forward that will force these issues onto the national stage.

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