Homeless Congress Next Week

Transformational Art at Cosgrove Center

State Officials to Meet with Homeless Individuals Focus on Shelter and Jobs

Cleveland, OH-The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless along with the Homeless Congress will host elected officials from the state legislature to hear concerns that include shelter standards, funding for shelters, transportation, and more access to housing in general.  The meeting is Thursday March 15, 2012 at 1 p.m. at the Cosgrove Center gymnasium. 
      The Homeless Congress, a group of members of the homeless community and their advocates, meets monthly to address the needs of homeless individuals and to bring those issues in front of County, State elected officials, and the media. It consists of two representatives from each Cleveland shelter and six from the 2100 Lakeside Men’s Shelter and three from the Norma Herr Shelters.  It is organized by members of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless.
      While the State does fund a small amount of the budget for the local shelters, this funding has not changed in over a decade while the amount of people requiring shelter and assistance continues to increase. Though the problem of homelessness is overwhelming and funding is difficult to come by, the Homeless Congress has narrowed down some specific and immediate problems that with some attention could provide a small step in the right direction.
      The topic at the forefront will be that of our shelters, and making certain that they are abiding (and have the means to abide) by uniform health and safety standards. Additionally, transportation needs to be made more available, so that people needing to travel to job interviews and landlord interviews can do so safely. A special concern deals with housing, specifically for families due to the sharp increase in family homelessness during the downturn.  Due to overcrowding, the entry women’s shelters has been forced to close during daytime hours.  The Congress will also be asking for assistance in putting job-training programs in place that specifically serve homeless people, helping individuals to assess and improve work skills so that they may find gainful employment.
      This month’s Homeless Congress meeting will be held on March 15, at 1:00 PM  at the Bishop Cosgrove Center, 1736 Superior Ave.  (enter in the back and go to the second floor.)
      The State Elected Officials scheduled to attend the meeting include:

• Ohio Representative Sandra Williams,
• State Senator Shirley Smith,
• State Senator Mike Skindell,
• State Senator Nina Turner.

     The Homeless Congress looks forward to giving the local homeless community a voice at a state level. The meeting is open to the public and those wishing to support the Northeast Ohio Homeless Coalition as well other local elected officials are encouraged to attend.

Brian and Lauren the volunteer
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Hand Up Gala 2011

Fund Raiser to Kick Off Winter Activities

The Bishop Cosgrove Center and the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless introduce the second annual Hand Up Gala 2011 on October 21, 2011. NEOCH is partnering with Catholic Charities to host the Hand Up Gala 2011 in order to improve the lives of men and women in Cleveland with additional help getting people to jobs and winter supplies such as blankets and winter clothing. We will kick off these activities with a gourmet meal prepared by a Celebrity Chef in an event we call the Hand Up Gala. We hope to build on the successful 2010 event, and raise support for the two social service organizations in Cleveland. The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless is using this Gala to kick off our winter 2011-12 events and Cosgrove is using the proceeds to assist homeless people with their transportation needs.

The Hand Up Gala this year will again be prepared by a local celebrity Executive Sous Chef John Aldewereld of the Sans Souci Restaurant, and none of the proceeds go to preparing the dinner. Last year, we served 185 people who were able to enjoy music and a wonderful meal prepared by San Souci Chef John Aldewereld and Michael Lyon. This year we are holding the Gala on October 21, 2011 and we need your support for this event. Please donate to the Coalition to support the Hand Up Gala, and all the proceeds go to NEOCH's winter activities or the Bishop Cosgrove helping with the transportation of homeless people.

Our two nonprofit charities serve hundreds of people every month struggling with their housing, and want to combine our expertise to provide a great meal for homeless people. We are working every day to reduce homelessness and improve the lives of those experiencing homelessness in Cleveland. NEOCH devotes time and resources to advocacy, public education and programs designed to assist homeless men and women break the cycle of poverty and work their way out of homelessness. A few of NEOCH’s initiatives include free legal assistance, an affordable housing website, and publications of research and reference guides. Catholic Charities supports a comprehensive continuum of care to fragile populations throughout Northeast Ohio. The Bishop Cosgrove Center offers a breakfast and lunch to hundreds of hungry people everyday and provides supportive services to those who have struggling to find a hand out of poverty. Bishop Cosgrove serves more than 50,000 meals to the hungry every year.

This event is in lieu of the typical non-profit dinner and auction. It will mark the beginning of our winter blanket collection and the Cosgrove are using the proceeds to purchase bus tickets and provide transporation to homeless people to get them to jobs, housing or medical appointments . Last year, NEOCH collected and distributed over 3,000 winter blankets to homeless people. In this spirit, the Bishop Cosgrove Center and NEOCH are planning the Celebrity Chef Luncheon on October 21, 2011, as an opportunity for the homeless community to come together to enjoy some great food prepared by one of Cleveland’s famous chefs. We are seeking your support to make this event a success. Everyone who donates at least $45 to the event will have their name entered in an auction. At this point, the Doubletree Hotel on Lakeside, Cleveland Public Theatre, the Nautica Queen, among others have provided auction items. For a complete list of auction items go here.

We hope that you will support this unique event in the community.

Brian
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The Death of Cleveland Transit Authority?

2010 Proposed Cuts Will Result in Death of RTA

When I read the Plain Dealer story on the proposed cuts to the Regional Transit Authority, I had the same reaction as Rob Pitingolo who posted on Brewed Fresh Daily. If these go forward, this will be the death of the Transit Authority. It is already difficult to get around using RTA and the bus pass cost is out of control. It is the single biggest complaint of homeless people that there is no way to get to work or doctor appointments while living in a shelter, because of the expense of riding RTA. We already endured huge increases in the fares and the elimination of the Circulators as well as a reductions last year. The announced 2010 cuts are extreme and in my opinion the agency will not recover from these cuts. I think that they have cut the transit program to the bone and any additional cuts will make it impossible for people to rely on the transit authority to get to work. We will view the RTA as a way to get to the airport or a special event, but not a reliable partner to get to work everyday. I can't take a bus to a rapid stop and then transfer to the rapid and then take the healthline to work. It will double the bus ride to work, and I am not willing to give an extra hour and a half a day for work. This is a horrible decision. If they want to save RTA, they need to keep or reduce the daily fare, keep the routes the same, and FIND A DIFFERENT REVENUE SOURCE!!! They need to demand additional state dollars or additional hotel/ motel tax or a new hospitality tax on restaurants to maintain existing service. Please don't kill the RTA.

Brian
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Great Post on the Art of Spin

Why Doesn't the Mainstream Media Do More of This?

Brewed Fresh Daily had a great post today comparing the rates of various transit authorities around the country. This is excellent response to the spin by the Regional Transit Authority. I always wonder why there is not more of this by the media. How long would things like death panels, or mushroom clouds out of Iraq, or charges of socialism persist if these phrases were immediately shot down with facts? Plus, I love graphs. How long could these public relations people be able to keep their jobs if they were shut down for saying that the current RTA rates are comparable to other communities.

According to the Post, for Single ride users, Cleveland is in the Top 3
1. Bay Area (where everything is expensive) is $3.20
2. Washington DC is $2.30
3. Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta, Sacramento, New York and St. Louis are all next at $2.25
4. There are 12 transit authorities at $2
5. By the way, Columbus and Cincinnati are both at $1.50

RTA also in the Top 5 for Monthly Passes
1. Miami and Sacramento at $100
2. New York City at $89
3. Chicago at $86
4. Cleveland at $85
5. Nashville and Philadelphia at $78

By the way, Columbus is at $45 or $62 for an "Express Pass" and Cincinnati has this elaborate zone strategy and range from $55 for Zone 1 or $170 for something called an "All Pass".

This is helpful information that should have been a part of the Plain Dealer story. Transportation is one of the biggest problems faced by homeless people, but it gets very little attention. We are thankful for the Change Bus that the Downtown Cleveland Alliance put in place last year. And the free Downtown green trolley is great, but those have limited range and usefulness. Every meeting I attend transportation problems come up as one of the top five problems in our community for homeless people, and this is only going to get worse with the fare increase yesterday. How can we get the Columbus COTA system to extend their routes north on 71?

Brian
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