Homeless Stand Down 2012

A Wonderful Day for Those Experiencing Homelessness

2012 Homeless Stand Down (photo by William Gilmore)

2012 Stand Down at the Masonic Auditorium (photo by William Gilmore)

All reports from the Stand Down was that it was a great day for those experiencing homelessness.  There was a very good positive article in the Plain Dealer.  HandsOn NEO took the lead and did a great job coordinating this huge event.  Our long time partner, InterAct Cleveland, went out of business, and HandsOn Northeast Ohio took on all the responsibilities of this critical event.  This is the 20th year for the City of Cleveland to feature an all day service fair for veterans and non-veterans in the same facility on the same day.  Cleveland was the first city to expand the Stand Down to include non-veterans in the early 1990s.  Stand Down is a military term for a period of rest away from the battlefield.  The Stand Down originated in San Diego as a day in which every part of the Veterans Administration along and most other government agencies who serve veterans would meet on an open field and set up tents to provide housing, jobs, benefit check and health care screenings.

Cleveland has done the Stand Down at Cuyahoga Community College campus, Old Stone Church, Trinity Cathedral, the Cosgrove Center, the Convention Center and now at the Masonic Auditorium over the years.  We have served 700 to 1,700 people depending on the year and the size of the facility.  NEOCH began partnering with InterAct in 2003 after years of doing it ourselves.  We moved the Stand Down to the winter as a Winter ReStock operation.  The thinking was that those who spend time on the streets get a boost from all the volunteers and help during the holiday, but by the end of January all of those winter items were worn out or lost and they needed a hand up.  I really believe the Stand Down is an important event for the community that many wait months to attend.

It is important to have all the services in one place. The 2012 Stand Down took place on Sunday January 22  at the Masonic Auditorium on Euclid Ave.   It is great that all of these volunteers show up to help.  There are valuable items given away, and a great deal of information passed onto the community.  But on the individual level it is transformational for the people who attend.  I have seen many people show up beat down by the stress of finding a bed and food every day, and walk out with a full heart, full stomachs, a full bag of winter clothing, and full of hope for the future.  They get a haircut, a beautiful portrait, new clothing, and a relaxing day centered around their needs.  I have had women who had their lives saved after discovering a lump at the breast cancer screenings at the Stand Down. A lot of people who are resistant to shelter wait for the winter coats and boots.  There is entertainment, food, and a chance to catch up with a social worker or a friend you may not have seen for many years.

The care volunteers at the Stand Down are highly professional and sensitive to the needs of the population.  They go above and beyond to make the men and women feel welcome and the whole event is centered around those without housing.   Despite the large number of people, HandsOn did a nice job efficiently and effectively serving those who were requesting help.  Here are the numbers from the 2012 Stand Down:

840 people attended including families.
172 haircuts were completed free of charge.
89 Podiatry screenings.
147 non-food service volunteers helped out, and a total of 400 volunteers to stage the days activities. 

Thanks to the community for opening its arms to help those in need with some extra tender loving care on one day out of the year.

Brian
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Stand Down totals

Project Salute attended the Stand Down to assist Veterans. They are stationed out of Detroit, but came down to help. InterAct has a nice overview of the Stand Down. Here are the statistics from the Health and Services Stand Down on February 18, 2011:

• Over 350 guests came through check in
• Over 100 volunteers signed in
• Over 280 breakfasts were served
• Over 500 lunches were served
• 54 flu shots were given by the Cleveland Dept. of Public Health
• Over 90 haircuts were provided
• 30 mini-health exams were given
  
• Over 55 podiatry services were given, and over 100 bags of socks, powder and hand sanitizers were given away
• Over 500 hygiene kits were distributed
• Over 500 bus passes were distributed
• Over 50 social service agencies were available for information
• 14 Pap screenings were done by Cleveland Clinic and 15 Mammograms by Women's Diagnostic.

Overall with the two days of the Stand Down at the Masonic Temple

• Over 1,200 guests served
• Over 660 event volunteers from over 85 groups
• Over 100 groups provided in-kind support
• Over 30 different funders
• 129 haircuts
• 175 podiatry screenings
• 77 mini-check ups
• Over 1,800 hygiene kits, 2,000 diapers and pull ups, and 2,000 bagged lunches distributed over all 3 HSD events
• Over 370 portraits by the Cleveland Photographic Society, and over 890 volunteer hours. Click on the Youtube video from the day or the flikr photographs.
  
• 966 guests enjoyed a hot lunch of chili and chicken philly sandwiches
• 623 guests (including 117 veterans) accessed winter clothing, socks and underwear
• Live entertainment, including a participatory drum circle and open mic
• 383 volunteer hours provided by residents from Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry’s 2100 Lakeside Men’s Shelter
• 55 Health and Human Service agencies present
• Mock interviews by Cleveland Transfer Connection
• 14 pap smears (all negative) by Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• Various legal groups
• Youth Abilities and North Coast Academy led children’s activities, including puppy petting, and writing cards to military service members
• Sanford Brown College provided 75 massages, 65 blood pressure checks, 100 blankets, as well as 20 hat/gloves/scarves sets
• 15 mammograms were performed
• 6 hearing screenings were performed by The Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center

Plans have already begun for a 2012. Thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who helped with this important event. And thanks to the Masonic Temple for being willing to host hundreds of homeless people.

Brian
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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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Nice Coverage in the Plain Dealer

Stand Down for Winter Clothing 2011

We had to move the Stand Down this year, because of the popularity of the event. We outgrew Pilgrim Church and the Convention Center is now closed. So, we moved over to the Masonic Temple on East 36th and Euclid Ave. The Plain Dealer did a fantastic job with a great array of photos on their website from the Stand Down yesterday.

From our volunteers at the Sunday Stand Down, here is what was reported. There were 650 people attending and most people loved the portraits that were taken at the event. That is a great service that people loved. There were long lines to get in the building, but once inside the individuals received a number so they did not have to wait in line for the winter clothing. They were just called to go pick up the clothing items that they needed. This was a much needed improvement.

There were a haircuts and doctors providing health screenings. It seemed that we saw more children show up at the Stand Down this year. The chili served by one of the church groups for lunch was excellent. There was a good mix of interfaith volunteers helping out at the Stand Down. The transportation seemed to work (Thanks Larry). Most people in need were able to get boots for the long winter ahead. Overall another positive event supervised by Toni and Sr. Donna at InterAct Cleveland. Thanks to everyone who made the Stand Down work again this year. Remember, the Health Fair/Stand Down is Friday February 18 at the Masonic Temple again.

Brian
Picture is of Ice from the 2010 Stand Down. We will have pictures of the Feb. 18 event.
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Legal Assistance Schedule Posted

Where to go for a Street Lawyer?

NEOCH has struggled over the last three years having had to layoff nearly all of our employees and relying more on volunteers and national service members, but one thing that we are proudest is that the community of homeless people have not suffered because of our financial issues. We were able to transfer all of our programs to other social service providers and maintain those services in the community. Our housing program and voice mail system are under the direction of other agencies and are still providing services in the community. We are working on finding funding for the Homeless Grapevine newspaper.

One program staff that we were forced to eliminate in 2009 was the director of Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance, but with the help of the Metropolitan Bar Association and volunteers from a bunch of local law firms and the Cuyahoga County Law Library we have kept the program in operation. We still have volunteer attorneys going to the shelters and drop in centers and offering legal help. We will also have an intern this summer working on strengthening the program.

The schedule for the Legal Program is on our website now here. If you are homeless and need to discuss non-criminal matters with an attorney, you can go to the Wednesday clinic at the May Dugan Center. If you are staying in the 8 shelters that have a monthly clinic, you can talk to the attorney about a security deposit that you may not have gotten back or a check from an employer that was held. In addition, the Bar still maintains a monthly divorce clinic to teach people how to file for divorce on their own. The lawyer can answer questions about visitation of a child in custody of the County or a child support order. They can help with an expungements or landlord tenant issues for those who are currently homeless or in imminent danger of becoming homeless. This is a wonderful service that serves over 300 people per year.

Brian
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Don, a Stand Down volunteer who also does speaking engagements for NEOCH is pictured above. The bottom photo shows the crowd toward the beginning of the March 5 at the Cleveland Convention Center. All the red shirted people are volunteers. The Homeless Stand Down could not take place without the hundreds of volunteers. We owe all the volunteers a huge thank you.

Stand Down Details Friday March 5, 2010
Here are some more statistics from the last day of the Stand Down.

Day 3: Friday March 5, 2010 Health Fair

360 guests came through the front doors
409 guests checked in at the front desk.
260 volunteers were present on day three.
36 volunteers who receive services

270 guests enjoyed breakfast

279 guests enjoyed lunch

35 massages were provided

10 Reiki

57 podiatry exams were provided

298 hygiene kits were distributed

5 groups performed live entertainment

7 people were registered to vote

71 social service agencies were available for information

More details soon.

Brian
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