Regulating Food Distribution in America

It Will Never Work
Both Philadelphia and New York City mayors have announced plans to restict access to food for hungry residents.  The Philadelphia Mayor announced in mid March that he was going to try to restrict distribution of food in parks.  New York City officials are restricting access to donated food to the shelters. Both these efforts will fail, and we know in Cleveland the pitfalls of trying to bring some order to the chaotic world of food distribution.

For more on this issue go here.
Posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry.

Former Governor Goes Undercover

New Jersey State Legislator Becomes Homeless for the Night

Former Governor and current State Senator Richard Codey dressed up as a homeless guy and visited the shelters in Newark.We had a County Commissioner stay in the shelter in the mid 2000s.  Unlike Peter Lawson Jones's visit to the shelter, Governor Codey found serious problems with the shelter system in Newark.  He found that a mentally ill person is turned away from nearly every shelter in the community.  This would not be an issue in Cleveland since we have guaranteed access to shelter, but there are other problems that the Commissioner should have found.  The only thing that Jones reported was that there were not any condiments. 

Most shelters in the United States screen out those who are different.  They restrict those who are drunk, transsexuals, mentally ill, those with a criminal background, or those who have male children over 12.  Shelters often times force people to change to fit into their system.  In most cities, they screen out as many people as they help.  The Governor found out about these problems and is going to work to change the shelter system in Newark.  We need some politician in Cleveland to dress up and stay a couple of days in the shelters in Cleveland.  They could see the staff who don't really want to work with homeless people and should be freed from this burden through termination.  They could see the problems with food and a lack of special diets for those with diabetes and those with food allergies.  They could see how the shelters attempt to convince people to go back where they came from.  This politician could see the problems with theft and the overcrowded conditions.  The could see how the rules change frequently and how there is no independent oversight of the local shelters.  What are you and Frank doing next Sunday, FitzGerald? 

All taxpayers think that if the worst happens to them there is a place to go for help.  They incorrectly believe that there is emergency housing is available or emergency rent money can be found or that the safety net is not full of holes.  They believe that they could find a space in a shelter for their husband and three children.  It is a miracle if an intact family can find shelter without having to spend time broken up. We applaud a politician taking the time to find out how the services they support are doing in their community. 

Brian
Posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry.

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
Posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry. Posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry.

More Restaurants Should Do This

BBQ Eel, Avocado Roll, Sesame Vinaigrettes

Dante Restaurant Commits to Feeding Homeless for a Year

[From our Friends at LMM] Dante Restaurant in Tremont has generously offered to donate food to Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry’s 2100 Lakeside Men’s Shelter once a month for a year.

The first Saturday of each month, this busy, high-end restaurant will cook and deliver a fresh, nutritious meal to feed 200 men who are homeless. This is the first time that a restaurant has ever made this type of commitment to 2100 Lakeside. The money that is saved on food will be reallocated to strengthen other services provided at the shelter, designed to ultimately build self-sufficiency and help transition men out of homelessness.

“The donation not only impacts us financially but provides the men with the added benefit of having a restaurant quality meal rather than the industrial style cooking we provide - an experience they might not otherwise ever have,” said Michael Moguel, Director of Operations at 2100 Lakeside.

The effort was coordinated by Mauricio Rocha, Dante Restaurant stakeholder and staff member, with Dante Boccuzzi, chef and owner of Dante Restaurant. I always wanted to be in a position of doing something like this – helping people that need help. The restaurant is doing well so I talked with Dante and we decided to give a little back to the community,” said Rocha.

Boccuzzi was eager to get involved and said, “It’s my duty to help the needy and I’m in the position to bring some comfort and relief to people that need it.” This unique partnership is so vital in the way that it is helping men who are homeless to see the community support that is behind them and the number of people that want to help them improve their lives.

Dante Restaurant, which opened in Tremont on January 9, 2010, now serves more than 600 people a week.

From Press Release of Jessica Rocha of Lutheran Metro. Ministry Cleveland Ohio.

Posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry.

New Meal Program in East Cleveland

Divine Outreach to Serve Once Per Month

After the article appeared in the Plain Dealer regarding the lack of food providers within the city limits of East Cleveland, a number of church groups stepped forward to offer volunteers and food to help out. Divine Outreach Ministry would like everyone to know that they will be serving a meal on the fourth Friday of the Month at Windermere Living Hope Church. The meal will be from 4 to 6 pm. at 14035 Euclid Ave. in the beautiful Windermere Living Hope Church. This will add a fourth night of food being served out of this historic church. The first meal for Divine Outreach Ministry in East Cleveland is Friday June 25.

Divine Outreach currently does the meal behind the Mental Health Services Building at East 18th and Payne Ave. in Downtown Cleveland on the Second Saturday of the month. They have a long history of working with homeless people as the lead organization providing food at the Homeless Stand Down. If you have questions or want to help volunteer or provide additional donations, you can call Dorothy at 216/355-6953.

Brian
Posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry.

East Cleveland Food

Volunteers (above) flood the near west side hot meal program at St. Augustine for a Christmas dinner in 2007.

Plain Dealer Covers Food Desert in East Cleveland

Yesterday, the Plain Dealer's Mike O'Malley did a nice look at the food issues in East Cleveland. We have been working on this issue for the last three years even before the loss of First Presbyterian Church. We were concerned with the steady rise in the number of people that use the food truck operated by the Salvation Army. It was a nice touch to talk about the driver of that truck who happens to be living in the shelter every night. This is one of the many under-reported stories in Cleveland. The number of homeless women and men who volunteer in the community is substantial. I know that the guys at Y-Haven do a ton of work serving as poll workers. I know that there are hundreds of guys at Lakeside who patrol/clean up the neighborhood to keep the "home" looking nice. My experience is that nearly every shelter in the community has been a positive for the neighborhood that they reside. It is unfortunate that there is such a negative stereotype with regard to shelters.

I know that the Hunger Network has realized that there was an issue in East Cleveland, and they have convened a meeting for next week to talk about these issues. We do have a pdf of a Street Card just for East Cleveland on our website. We are working on updating this card at this time, and will have it out by May of this year. It is hoped that with a new administration in East Cleveland, we can finally make some progress out there. For most of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, the homeless policy in East Cleveland was a rapid ride to Downtown Cleveland. I am sure that with the spotlight from the Plain Dealer so that now the best and brightest minds in our community are aware of these problems, we can solve this issue.

Brian Davis
Posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry.

Great Post and Good Meeting

Rats on Public Square Follow Up Meeting

First, there was a great discussion about the Rats on Public Square at RealNEO for all--check it out. I have seen a number of comments about how bad that story was in the Plain Dealer, and I didn't even catch the rats borough vs. burrow copy editing mistake when I read it. From my experience there were rats nests on the Square, and they were a health hazard. I cannot say whether they had anything to do with homeless people, the lunch crowd or the construction on the Square or all of the above as I am not a rat expert. I do know that the excessive quanities of food and the rats have made life difficult for homeless people, but the reaction from people downtown has also not been helpful. We have seen a great many laws created and directed at homeless people including the curfew, the panhandling law, and now the movement of the food. We have also seen a great deal of hostility toward homeless people with the negative stories and the horrible comments about homeless people in the newspaper and on a few blogs. Things must really be bad if we are blaming homeless people for all the problems of the City.

Also, we did have another meeting between the City and the Food Distributors. We have not had a meeting since October when there was a tense stand off between the two groups, so we were afraid this could go real bad. It actually turned out to be a pretty good meeting. The City got two more groups to agree to the alternate location. This means that every night but Sunday and Wednesday night are taken. The City made an exception for one group, but refused to relent on the Port-o-John issue. We need a bathroom Downtown. This would be a huge step forward if we could get some place where humans could relieve themselves in a dignified manner. We found a place and a group to pay for the Port-o-Johns while we work on a permanent location. The city is absolutely opposed to Port-o-Johns, but agreed to work on finding some permanent alternatives. The City has set a short time frame to find a permanent place for the food providers to feed inside, and has agreed to allow the groups to discuss the options in a subcommittee. Overall, it was a good meeting and we do seem to be making some progress.

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

Sorry for the Delay...

NEOCH Has Been Busy

Sorry, that we have not posted for two weeks...we have been working on the plan for the future of NEOCH. It is nearly done, but still needs some finishing touches. We are working on transferring two of our programs to another non-profit agency in Cleveland. We have made good progress in assuring the continued existence of Bridging the Gap housing program and Cleveland Community Voice Mail program. We will post the plan on our website as soon as it is done.

NEOCH has been working on a ton of other issues as well. On Wednesday, I spent the entire day down in Columbus trying to finally settle the homeless voting ID lawsuit. We hope that everything is settled by the end of the year in the NEOCH vs. Brunner (formerly Blackwell) lawsuit.

We believe that we have made a break through in this food problem on Public Square. We believe that we have reached a compromise with the City on a good alternate location. We just need to work out the agreement before Monday and we hope to get agreement with all the groups. Unfortunately, our e-mail system at NEOCH has been down for two days. It is extremely difficult to get work done in this day and age without an e-mail system. If you have sent us an e-mail recently, it most likely came back. We should have it repaired by Monday. Sorry for any inconveniences.

Finally, we are working on some other community planning activities in Cleveland including the implementation plan for Heading Home--a housing/homeless prevention strategic plan. In addition to all the other things we do including Teach Ins, Stand Down, Resident Councils, and Homeless Congress meetings, it is a busy time.

One last thing...RealNEO has another great post about the campaign to educate the public about panhandling. It may be a sign of the apocalypse, but we are the last city in Ohio to roll out this plan. The same company, Block by Block, is doing "clean up" of the Downtowns in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Toledo along with a bunch of other cities in the Midwest. Cleveland is late to game of educating the public that some people are dishonest when asking for money. Remember that dishonest behavior is not confined to panhandlers. It is my experience that politicians, telemarketers, salesmen, professional fund raisers, corporate spokespeople, and lawyers who represent big business interests, have been know to shade the truth when asking for your hard earned money. But you probably wouldn't know that because no one is "educating" you about that with a poster and a washboard.

For those of us downtown everyday, this advertising campaign is part of the landscape, and just blends into the Cityscape. I am just thankful that the City is not passing another law directed at homeless people and instead spending time on this "education" campaign.

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