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| Photo by Pleasure Simmons |
A Couple of Comments:
The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless publishes an e-newsletter with updates, save the dates, things you can do to help, statistics, and resources. If you are paid member of the Coalition, you can receive the e-newsletter called the E-Bridge every 15 days. Contact NEOCH if you are not receiving your newsletter or you would like to get on the list. Here are a few of the updates that may be helpful:
**The CMHA Housing Choice Voucher waiting list for the next five to six years was released yesterday. You can get the information from the same website that you applied or your client applied. You will need to have the number that was generated when the individual applied to see if that number was selected. Only 1 in 6 people had their number drawn (64,000 people applied). Here is the link: http://www.applycuyahogacounty.tenmast.com/ and click on lottery results.
**The new rules for the Emergency Solutions Grant were released yesterday. The federal government gave Cleveland approximately $13 million as part of the American Stimulus funding to prevent homelessness and to get people back into housing quickly. These stimulus funds run out next year, and the Emergency Solutions Grant is intended to replace these funds in the community. As with all things government, they are a sad replacement with only $590,000 going to Cleveland to replace the $4.5 million we spent previously on prevention and rapid rehousing activities. Here is the link to view the new rules. We do not know how these funds will be used locally, but NEOCH is pushing for a small amount to go to maintain HousingCleveland.org.
**We have to thank both Congressman Kucinich and Congresswoman Fudge for being two of only 46 members of Congress that signed onto the letter asking HUD for additional funding for homelessness. It looks as though both the Senate and House are going to provide level funding for the third year in a row for homeless assistance. This is amazing since we have seen huge cuts to the housing programs, the emergency assistance funding cuts, and other mainstream programs will face the budget hatchet. While there are huge federal cuts demand is increasing with all the shelters bursting at their seams and the 2009 stimulus dollars will run out to prevent homelessness in 2012. Nearly every American city needs a huge boost in homeless dollars to keep up with demand, but we are getting the same as we received in 2008. It is going to be a rough summer next year when many unemployed families are displaced and will not be able to afford rent. The letter that they signed onto can be found here. Please call their local offices to thank them for looking out for homeless people. (Fudge is 216-522-4900 and Kucinich is 216-228-8850.)
Brian
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