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
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InterAgency Council Seeks Comments

Only One Week Left to Comment on Federal Plan

Picture by Cheryl Jones of the Grapevine Photo project 2007.

There is only one week left to make suggestions for the InterAgency Council on Homelessness Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The Plan was mandated by Congress by May 2010, and very little was done during the Bush Administration. So, now there is a push to get public comment on a plan by March 15, 2010. Here is the link to go to in order to comment in six different program areas. So, all you experts out there it is time to comment. All those who keep saying that there is a better way, you need to add your voice to the national debate. The InterAgency Council has held a series of town halls throughout the country, and they have gathered information from their website. You have one week to submit your thoughts and your ideas and your crazy plans. They will take all this information and run it by the various cabinet offices and come up with a roadmap for the various departments to use. It is hoped that Commerce, Labor, Justice, HHS, HUD and Education will use the information to shape future funding and future program design.

It can't hurt, and at least they are asking. We the people should get to shape the future of our struggle to end homelessness in America. NEOCH will be submitting comments and most of the national groups have submitted. We encourage you to do the same.

Brian
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Another Successful Stand Down

Friday's Health and Service Fair at the Convention Center

Larry, directing transportation outside, William sitting with a red shirted volunteer on Friday, and Luke checking a guest into breakfast attended all three Stand Down's this year. The final one wrapped up on Friday at the Cleveland Convention Center. We were able to serve over 1,700 guests over the three days and gave out hygiene kits, bus passes, information, haircuts, messages, and a ton of clothing.

InterAct Cleveland is the main sponsor of the Stand Down now, but the show could not go on without the hundreds of volunteers and all the social service and health care providers who attend. We gave out more haircuts than we have ever done in the past. In addition, we also had the largest number of social service providers gathered together to serve homeless people compared to the previous 18 years of Stand Downs. We have to recognize the City of Cleveland and the Department of Public Health for securing the facility and helping bring all the health care organizations to the event. The Department of Veterans Affairs does a tremendous amount of work helping to stage the Stand Down. Care Alliance and MetroHealth are critical healthcare partners for the success of this event. The FoodBank and Catholic Charities Cogrove Center are important partners to provide the breakfast and lunch. Finally, the Stand Down could not exist without Sr. Donna, Toni and Pam from InterAct Cleveland. They dedicate so much time to make this event a success. They deserve heaps of thank yous from all of us in the community for taking up this wonderful social service fair. It was another fantastic event with food, entertainment, health care, jobs, housing, referrals, and specialty services all in one place to provide for every need of the homeless population of Cleveland.

As we get more stats, we will post the information and more pics.

Brian
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Melville Charitable Trust Again

Still Looking For Solutions?

In January 2009, we wrote about the Melville Charitable Trust, and then in February the program director responded. It is a year later and I still hear the same advertisement from the Melville Charitable Foundation on NPR on a regular basis. They still have not found an end to homelessness, and from their website they are no closer. It is not complicated, and for way less than the money that they gave to NPR I could have provided a solution by now. I guess maybe I am just wondering why they don't change their underwriting announcement. I can't be the only one who hears that every week and wonders, "how long does it take to come up with a solution to homelessness?"

Recently, an advocate from California, Art Vanden, posted a rant on our site about Melville and advocacy groups. Here is the comment that he submitted.

One of the most vile of scams is that so many "homeless advocacy" groups are in it for their salaries and not much more. There was a "charity" in Fresno advertising nationally as "motor homes for the homeless" an advocacy group who's plea for donations of higher end motor homes to help the homeless... Well in reality they were selling motor homes to to lots around southern CA to advocate for homeless people's need for housing (printing brochures) Their president claimed a vast salary and they had a large staff "no homeless of course" to shift the donated motor homes into their pocket and of course "help the homeless"

I've volunteered some advertising on my website because by the sound of their mission statement, they sounded like they were really doing something beautiful and needed.

So, upon some complaints from members on the site I did some further investigation (I volunteered) in the Fresno area... It would seem that their entire budget went to "advocacy"??? Hmmm??? they obviously were doing damn good, big office, plenty of staff... All to produce a flyer/advertisement describing the need for the homeless to have homes...

POVERTY PIMPS... ALL "advocacy groups are indeed POVERTY PIMPS.

Just look at the facts of how much the Melville Trust donates to NPR for their name recognition... Now, look at how much they have given to actually "print their flyers" and 700k over the past ten years to a Connecticut educational program is a spit in the face of all homeless people.

Now let's see Melville trust disclose their hierarchys (sic) salaries, I would bet it is a lot more than they helped the homeless with.

I do not understand the relationship that Mr. Vanden makes between a foundation that gives money to national groups like NPR along with Connecticut groups and advocacy groups that try to push public policy issues locally. I think he misunderstands advocacy groups.

As a representative of an advocacy group, I have to say that it is true that most of the cost of running our organization is salaries and rent but we have a role in the community. We are not a charity that provides food or housing or a shelter bed. If the United Way organizations that serve people were doing public policy, community organizing and advocacy along with their services, there would be no need for us. We do not provide direct service to individuals facing the emergency of homelessness. We support and respect those throwing life preservers to individual's struggling with poverty. Advocates wade up stream and figure out why people are falling into the water and try to build retaining walls. We push our Mayor and County Commissioners to keep homelessness in mind with every decision. NEOCH is looking for large scale housing solutions or the development of jobs programs or universal access to health care. Without advocacy groups there would not be money for family shelters and all the shelters would be mats in basements, homeless people would not be able to vote, there would be far fewer affordable housing units in Cleveland, and all health care would be provided through the hospitals among other changes.

I agree that all directors of charities should not have excessive salaries. I agree that all charities should have strong community oversight that can move a neighborhood, city, county, or state toward some tangible goals. But, I think that community organizing and facilitating discussion among a group is an important activity. Assisting lower income people to speak collectively is a useful function and facilitating meeting that allow homeless people to speak directly to politicians is a critical function. Just providing a meal and a shelter bed is important, but it does not solve the problems associated with homelessness, the lack of jobs or the lack of housing. Please take a second look at Advocacy organizations, Mr. Vanden.

Brian
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Reflections on the Death at the Shelter

Aftermath of the Shelter Director Death

We now have some distance from the death of Rita Ciofani and it is time to focus less on the grief and start talking about causes. We also need to talk as a community about how to avoid this ever happening again. Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I have to say that I love the VOA Veterans Resource Center. I have been in the facility many times, and each time I feel a sense of pride that this is how we are treating our veterans. It is one of the best shelters in the community and a place that honors the service of those who are struggling after giving a period of their life to preserve and protect the United States. I also have to say that I have the utmost respect for the Volunteers of America as an agency. Their facilities are always clean and well managed. They provide some of the most important services in the community, and we work with them often.

I have begun getting calls about upgrades in security at the shelters locally. While homeless people and shelter workers want to feel secure, there is a danger that we will focus on devices and technology and not on the people. We can't turn the shelters into prisons. There are a great many people already who refuse to use the shelters because of the rules and the institutional environment. We cannot add to this number by making the shelters into jails. As the police said to us at the Homeless Congress meeting, "anything can be used as a weapon, and some times people just snap." So, we need to work on reducing tensions and defusing conflict in the shelters as a part of the security plans. I am sure that Ms. Ciofani was working on reducing conflict because of her background, but I don't know if all the shelters use a similar strategy.

My biggest concern was the article that appeared in the Plain Dealer on the day after the tragedy. I understand the need for the media to get the story quickly, but I was offended that the Volunteers of America responded to the story. The story was basically about the events of the day of the attack and the reason that Raymond Ice was thrown into such a rage. I don't understand why the VOA could not say, "We are not going to comment at this time, because we are focused on comforting the families and the residents at the shelter." Instead we got spin about how the shelter did not discharge Mr. Ice to the streets.

Out of respect for the families, I have held my tongue about this incident. The reality is that discharging someone to Lakeside is the same as discharging someone to the streets. See the way things work in Cleveland is that Lakeside does not turn people away, but those new to the shelter must leave everyday and do not have a standard bed. Mr. Ice had worked his way up to the VOA where he enjoyed semi-privacy and had a place to keep his stuff. Then he was discharged back to the beginning without a bed and without a locker. He had done all that work to get to the VOA and he had to start all over. To the public this sounded like the VOA had found an alternative for Mr. Ice, but in reality he was being kicked to the streets. Why did the VOA official feel the need on the day of the deaths to talk about the private case plans and the veteran's history within the shelters?

I have no idea what happened in this incident except that Mr. Ice tried to find help to prevent his discharge, but he was unsuccessful. He reached out to other agencies (not NEOCH), but no other agency is willing to interfere in the private management of other facilities. I don't know if we will ever know if Mr. Ice was in fact given two weeks notice, but we do know many shelters kick people out the day of the infraction. Since there is no government agency that oversees the shelters, there is no where that a person can go to challenge their discharge. This is a huge issue for homeless people and it came up two weeks later with regard to the scalding death of a toddler.

It is unlikely that anything could have been done to prevent the deaths within the VOA shelters, but there are many things that we could do to make sure that people are not put in this same position in the future.

Brian
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Community Shares Social Justice Award

Promoting Social Justice in Cleveland

Greater Cleveland Community Shares needs your help! We want to ensure that individuals accomplishing extraordinary social justice feats are applauded for their work. Check out our website at www.communityshares.org and nominate individuals and organizations making a difference.

Awards will be presented at Shares’ Annual Power Lunch on June 18th. Anyone can nominate a candidate, so feel free to go to the Shares website for more info. The deadline for nominations, March 19, is quickly approaching! Get the word out and ensure that those spearheading the most vital social justice transformation in Cleveland get to go home honored for their work!

Brian Davis

PS: NEOCH is a member of Community Shares, and you can make a contribution from your workplace to NEOCH through Shares. This would allow you to make a small donation out of your paycheck to support social justice in the area of housing and homelessness on a regular basis throughout the year.

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Another Homeless Advocate Passes

Ruth Berzins

NEOCH was fortunate to have Ruth Berzins as an intern as she was completing her master's degree over the last few years. She focused her career on advocating on behalf of individuals. She did all that she could for her clients. She gave her energy, time and all of her knowledge to the people that she worked to help. Ruth had a long career at the Cleveland Housing Network, and attended some of our demonstrations and events through the years. I think that Kate Monter Durban of the Cleveland Housing Network said it best in the Cleveland Plain Dealer guest book on the Cleveland.com website.

"I'd like to share my fondness and memories of Ruth. We worked together for many years. She was so sweet yet resolute in her incredible dedication to the homeless families with whom she worked. She led with her heart, and believed in the inate worth and infinite potential of every person. She loved us all. She gave me a poem a few years ago. It ended with this "May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities, and promises. May evening find you gracious and fulfilled. May you go into the night blessed, sheltered, and protected. May your soul calm, console and renew you". I will miss you, Ruth. Thank you for your beautiful dedication, and for everything you left us. We are so blessed to have known you."

~

Kate Monter Durban,

Cleveland, Ohio

Ruth was a volunteer with Women's Re-Entry network, and was one of the most soft-spoken individuals that I ever met. The homeless community needs another 100 Ruth Berzins working in the shelters and services, and we would have ended homelessness years ago. She sincerely cared about the people that she came in contact with, and was a pleasure to be around. At the end of her internship, she gave me a bamboo plant. She told me it needed a lot of water, but should do well in the office. It was a metaphor for her career. The people she came in contact with needed a lot of nourishment, which she provided, and they did well.

Brian
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Remembering VOA Shelter Director

Moment of Silence

The Volunteers of America staff have sent us this notice of a system wide moment of silence to remember Rita Ciofani. Here is the information from Volunteers of America:

"Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 17, marks one week since the tragic and untimely death of Rita Ciofani, program director of Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio's Veterans Resource Center in Cleveland.

We will observe a moment of silence tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. We ask that everyone in the homeless provider community pause for a moment at that time to honor her life with silent prayer and reflect on her tremendous contributions to people in need and to Volunteers of America."

Nicole Knowlton

Vice President of Development and Communications

Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio

www.voago.org

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Most Media Have Acted Responsibly

Shelter Tragedy in the Media

The last few days have been tough in Cleveland for homeless people and especially homeless service providers. The media has been surprisingly understanding over the last few days. I was impressed by the article done by Joan Mazzolini in the Plain Dealer on Friday. It was a nice feature on the family of Rita Ciofani-Kercher, and her amazing life. I thought that it was great to hear the words of forgiveness in the article.

"She was very, very interested in the veterans' cause," Barnes said. "She would say that they were not always treated the way they should be." It was this personality that leaves her husband with no doubt about Ciofani-Kercher.

"The person that did this?" Kercher said. "She would forgive him."

The Plain Dealer followed up with a story about the Community Women's Shelter today from Regina Brett. We hope that this tragedy will lead to increased awareness of the homeless problem locally. Only one local media outlet has focused on the sensational and the tabloid aspects of the story, and they will remain nameless so as not to draw increased attention. The Channel 5 WEWS reporters seemed to understand the shock of the story, and were willing to focus the story on the reactions of friends and co-workers.

The Fox News outlet, WJW Channel 8, took an interesting angle by talking to the family of Raymond Ice. It was not disrespectful or an accusatory type of story. It seemed to be done in a forgiving manner. Overall, the media did a good job, in my opinion, of presenting this in a fair and balanced manner. I hope that this is a first step to healing for the homeless community.

Brian
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Condolences to the VOA Family

Other Homeless Service Providers Saddened

This message came to NEOCH yesterday:

Dear friends and members in Cleveland:

I was saddened to learn of the murder of the VOA shelter director today, and of the death of her apparent killer at the hands of the police.


Please know that our thoughts are with you at this unsettling moment, together with our appreciation for the difficult and sometimes dangerous work that you do every day.

Wishing you Peace,

John

John N. Lozier, MSSW
Executive Director
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
www.nhchc.org


Health Care and Housing are Human Rights. Learn more about our work or donate at www.nhchc.org.

NEOCH had a regularly scheduled meeting yesterday afternoon with many of the shelters and social service providers including staff from the Veterans Administration. All were still in shock over the loss of one of our colleagues. We know that the VA and Mental Health Services sent grief/trauma specialists to the shelter yesterday. NEOCH has offered to host a memorial to begin the process of healing for the homeless community. We have heard that the family wants some privacy, and we will respect that. Some of the other service providers in the community have expressed a desire to have a time or place to grieve after the initial shock wears off.

Brian Davis
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NEOCH Mourns Loss at VOA Veterans Center

Veteran's Center Director Dies At Shelter Today

There are no words to express our sadness regarding the incident this morning at the Veteran's Resource Center on East 152nd in Cleveland. The Cleveland media will cover the story, and there will be time to talk about the larger issues in the future. Now is not the time. Instead we need to focus on comforting the family, the other residents, and the agency. We hope that everyone involved can get help for the trauma that they witnessed this morning. We are stunned by the loss of Rita Ciofani who dedicated her life to serving others. The NEOCH staff and Board extend our heartfelt sorrow to the Volunteers of America family, over the loss of the director of this shelter.

Here is the press release from the VOA site about Ms. Ciofani who only took the job eleven months ago.

New Cleveland Veterans Resource Center Director - Friday, March 20, 2009

Rita Ciofani has been hired as the director for the Veterans Resource Center, responsible for running all program operations including transitional housing and employment services for veterans. Previously, Ciofani was the executive director of Lake County Committee on Family Violence, Inc. for 17 years. Ciofani is certified by the Ohio Supreme Court as a mediator and is the past-chair for the Coalition on Housing and Support Services of Lake County. Ciofani earned a law degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law and her bachelor’s in education from Lake Erie College.

We are all stunned and shocked over this tragedy.

Brian Davis
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Update on Cincinnati Hate Crimes

Madness Captured, Hate Crimes Legislation Needed

The Cincinnati Coalition is keeping us up to date on the situation with regard to the attack on Robert Meehan. On the first posting, we had a strange comment submitted from a self proclaimed witness to the event. It has to be said that the comment from "the witness" does not match the security videotape. In addition, the Cincinnati police were clear that no crime justifies the beating that Meehan suffered.

The alleged attacker, Michael K. Taylor, a.k.a. Madness was captured late last week. Lieutenant Mike John of the Cincinnati Police department reported that Taylor was captured in Las Vegas, late Friday night (02/05/2010). Taylor will be extradited to local officials on Monday. Michael K. Taylor is charged with felonious assault. Witnesses say that he severely beat Robert Meehan on January 24th, near Bootsy’s Restaurant on Walnut Street in Cincinnati. Mr. Meehan was known to be a homeless man in the neighborhood.

The surveillance tape and witness reports explain that Mr. Meehan was picked up and body slammed to the sidewalk, he was punched several times in the face and struck with a beer bottle. Lt. John reported that this was the worst beating he has ever seen in which the victim did not die from the injuries inflicted. Further, there was not enough intact bone structure in Mr. Meehan’s face to do surgery. Robert Meehan was placed into a chemically-induced coma.

Mr. Meehan came out of his coma on Friday the 5th. He is coherent enough to know that he is in a Cincinnati hospital. Lt. John says the struggle is not over. It is essential for Cincinnati to show support for Robert Meehan in the courtroom and through the court procedure. Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) is part of a larger group from around the state and country that are pushing for legislation to be passed at both (State & Federal) levels, in order to prevent these types of hate crimes. Homeless individuals are a very vulnerable part of our society, therefore GCCH along with all the other Coalitions for the Homeless would like to see legislation passed on behalf of all homeless individuals, so that regulation will be enforced and the homeless will not be assaulted and taken advantage off.

The surveillance tape supports what every witness reports; that Robert Meehan was not aggressive, threatening or of a harmful nature towards Michael K. Taylor or the three women around him. Robert Meehan is the victim of a heinous hate crime that had the potential of killing him.

Brian
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Dayton Job Center

Massive One Stop Center for Jobs....

Dayton features the largest one-stop employment center in the United States called the Job Center. It is a huge--renovated old warehouse that was updated to be roomy, well lit, and easily accessible social service headquarters. It is basically, the Virgil Brown Building in Cleveland, part of Tri-C- and many social service providers housed together in an 8.5 acre campus. There are colorful floor panels so that people do not get lost. They have a huge cafeteria, and now some of the homeless providers are moving into the facility. There are charter schools and colleges have satellite offices in the building. Many government entities have offices in the building, and it is on the bus line. The big health care provider is right down the street and the Thrift Store is right next to this building.

We gathered for a meeting of all the Homeless Coalition's in Ohio. It was an awesome building, and made us all envious that we did not have a similar facility in our home cities. The Job Corps, Job Bank, Dress for Success type programs, GED classes, job training classes, Social Security, and youth services were all available at the Center.

The One Stop Center opened in 1997 and was funded by federal and local resources. WEA was first funding to help people get back to work. It eliminates duplication and reduces travel time to get help. It is in an old Federated (Lazarus/May/Macy's) Department Store warehouse that is now operated by County Government but the funding went to St. Vincent De Paul to open it quickly. Just the job bank with computer terminals for looking for jobs serves 3000 individuals per day. It is the biggest in county (8.5 acres). It was a risk to set this up, because it was unknown if other providers would want to set up shop in the facility.

• 18 conference rooms for meetings.
• It facilitates collaboration among agencies with quarterly meetings of all the directors.
  
• All the partners are briefed when big layoffs are coming.
• Development folks are now visiting and advertising the place as a community attraction to set up shop in the Dayton area. They champion that it will be easy to recruit labor through the Job Center.
  
• - They do have remote center for people subject to mass layoffs with specific case management. For example , the set up next to GM plant closing.
• The Vet Center is right down the street as well.
• Re Entry Program starting Feb. 16 starting Specialized Employment Center – training, screening, skills assessment supportive partnership Job Club will help Social Services partner with other agencies. (110 individual per year) Will try to help find a Job mostly soft services.
  

Other items from the meeting:

• Appalachia –The shelter served 164 People in 2009. They had to turn away 36 while 84 were turned away in 2008.
  
• They are working on funding and revising their structure to try to get help to shelters in the rural communities.
  
• Fundraiser was very successful in January with 521 people showed up and did a simulation about homelessness.
• - Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing is going well and getting out to the right people.

Cincinnati –
Talked a great deal about the Hate Crimes Forum that they organized after two recent events.

Columbus

The local groups are still trying to replace Barb Poppe who headed the Community Shelter Board and now is the new Homeless Czar in DC. The Columbus Coalition is working on workforce development. Their October conference went well in combining the religious and secular services.

Helping to employ people and try to work out all the details. They are proceeding forward on hiring a full time director. Their VISTAs are looking at a home deconstruction project in Dayton to look at replicating that in Columbus. They have 541 vendors for their street newspaper in Columbus, and 40 regular vendors. They have conducted a writing workshop with 3 volunteers who help.

Dayton

They have a new Mayor, and are waiting to see what the new priorities are locally. They are working on a community organizing project, which will look at the 10 year plan within the County. They have hired a national assessor to see how people are served within the homeless community especially to the Permanent Supportive Housing. There has been a good deal of media attention over a group of homeless people who were moved out of the woods and then into a neighborhood. Dayton Daily News did a story about a group that wanted have these guys removed from their neighborhood. The neighbors are really angry. The community groups are relocating some of the men to other places to keep them safe. With the move to the Job Center, they have space to help with a furniture donation program. A new site was opened with plenty of land that there is a thought to open up a Social Enterprise or Farm as part of the project where the residents can make money while residing in the housing.

Brian Davis

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Budget Freezes??

Did We Learn Nothing During the Depression?

Last week, the President announced that he was freezing discretionary funding except for defense, education and a bunch of other programs. First, I do not understand why the defense department is exempt, but second why do we need a freeze at this time? Didn't the current Fed Chair tell us that the Great Depression lasted longer than it needed to because government was not willing to take on debt in the early 1930s? We have only barely made it through this giant recession, and we are freezing the federal discretionary spending. It makes no sense.

The States all need help with massive budget deficits. Governor Strickland actually bragged that he has cut the state workforce by 5,000 in his State of the State address. How is this good? In a recession, we should not be cutting the public sector jobs. I get that it is an election year, and his opponents will run on small government and fiscal responsibility, but it does not make sense. The Republicans are always calling for a reduction in taxes and smaller taxes. This does not seem to be good fiscal policies right now. In good times, it makes sense to reduce taxes, but there have to be times to raise taxes or spend more money for government. Governor Strickland, there has to be times that we build roads and bridges or increase support for social services.

Now, the County transition group announced that they want a 15% reduction in spending to put more funds into economic development. This does not make any sense. How does cutting mental health services, treatment, human services by 15% in a time when there is increased demand make any sense? How much will economic development mean if families cannot find help with food or emergency assistance or help with a foreclosure? This whole push for a reduction in government at a time when our economy is so weak is cowardly and an ill advised course of action. It is like they are playing a game to win an election, while we slowly move away from the iceberg. They need to get together on a plan for the good of the country, and stop playing games. They need to come up with solutions to get us out of this mess together and stop thinking only about the next election.

Brian
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Another Hate Crime in Cincinnati

Man Beaten Within An Inch of His Life

A man was “beaten within an inch of his life” says Cincinnati Police Lieutenant Mike John after a January 24 incident outside of a local bar/restaurant. Sunday morning at approximately 3:48am Robert Meehan was severely beaten just outside of Bootsy’s Restaurant at 631 Walnut Street. Just moments before he was beat, Meehan was recorded by a surveillance camera walking with a black man who is approximately 30-35 years old, 6'02"-6'03" in height and 225 lbs. He was wearing dark blue/black jeans, orange dress shirt, black jacket and black knit type hat. Three white women were also walking with the man in question along side of Meehan.

Meehan a 56-year old white man, is known to be a local writer, recently working to submit an article for Street Vibes. He gains much of his information from spending time at places such as bars where people socialize. Patrons and employees in the area of Walnut report regularly seeing Meehan. Patrons and neighbors report that Meehan is never disrespectful, never violent and has a calm disposition.

Lieutenant John says that this attack was “brutal and unprovoked.” Surveillance video shows Meehan and the other four people involved in a civil walk and conversation with no altercation. It seems that the attacker, without any cause, suddenly attacked Meehan. Lieutenant John says that really there never is a cause for such violence. The attacker picked up Robert Meehan, body-slammed him to the ground, punched him, beat him and reportedly hit him with a beer bottle. Lieutenant John says that this is “the worst beating [he has] ever seen, in which the victim did not die.” Currently, Meehan is in the ICU at University Hospital of Cincinnati in a medically induced coma. The beating was so bad that there is not enough bone structure left in his face to do surgery.

Meehan spends time staying with friends or spends time on the streets. Meehan is known by those who frequent the area surrounding Bootsy’s Restaurant and other local entertainment venues near Walnut and also Fountain Square. "It is difficult to understand why an individual would commit such a heinous crime against another person, especially a person who did nothing to provoke violence," said Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless director Josh Springs.

It is ironic that the attack occurred in the same week that the Cincinnati Coalition was hosting a forum on Hate Crimes against people who are homeless, and two weeks after an attack near the stadium of a man who was set on fire. Crimes such as these take different forms, but often are the most heinous and vicious. Michael Stoops from the National Coalition for the Homeless attended the forum to call attention to this disturbing national trend and the yearly report produced by NCH. The report details the frivolous attitude of many if the violent young people caught attacking those experiencing homelessness. Many claim an attitude of, “He was just a bum, so he doesn’t matter.”

With this mindset attackers target hate toward those who are vulnerable and just minding their own business or quietly trying to survive from one day to the next. The Cincinnati Coalition will be working with activists from around Ohio to strengthen state laws to punish those who attack homeless people with additional punishments after these two attacks.

Brian Davis
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Local Reports from Around United States

Local Reports from the National Coalition Meeting

I attended the National Coalition for the Homeless meeting a couple of weeks ago. Here are a few things that I heard around the country.

Indiana: – There were large cuts from the Indiana State Budget—They are holding back on new Medicare enrollment to try to balance the budget. Homeless Prevention Rapid Rehousing (HPRP)/Stimulus funds for homeless people is slow going and not much going to people in Southern Indiana.

Texas: Governor refused to accept stimulus now refusing to accept education dollars. Austin held a let’s get to work forum in an attempt to fix the transitional shelters to get people to work. Workers Hotel initiatives planned to try to get Council support renovate old YMCA want to provide housing to the lowest income who may have some money but no place to live.

Florida: Still struggling with residency restrictions for sex offenders. Many Florida cities are passing anti-street feeding ordinances. Miami is proposing to license those who serve food downtown and they must provide a bathroom. HPRP is working very well, but giving out a ton of money very quickly.

Massachusetts: Legislation trying to make it illegal to provide shelter for sex offenders in the state.

Minnesota: Still trying to lobby for foreclosure protections from the Subcommittee on Housing that both Rep Waters and Rep. Ellison sit on. There is a proposed cut to General assistance. Spending more on HPRP/Stimulus toward homeless people then the state is spending on shelter now in Minnesota. The State Housing Link organization reports that only 166,000 households earning less than $25,000 per year, while there were only 82,000 units of subsidized housing. This translates to 50% of those who need affordable housing being able to find it within the state.

Montana: Governor not going after Education stimulus money. They are most likely not going to reappoint Governor’s. Council on Homelessness. This may lead to the group forming their own 501-c-3. They received a lot of press because of the subzero weather, and the impact on the homeless population.

California: - No Statewide Interagency Council in place within the state. They will not be appointed by end of the Swarzenegger term as governor. $20 billion hole in the state budget which meant a 15% cut to TANF (welfare) spending. If they do not get Federal dollars to cut deficit by $6/9 billion, the plan is to cut more from welfare, Passport type program for seniors, and the Foster care system. All this will trickle down to result in massive cuts to the County budgets. Deep cuts to Human Services planned. – Sacramento has prioritized the 10 year plan to end homelessness. They are still working on finding a permanent site for the tent city, but they are moving forward on a new basketball arena. There are groups that are trying to get a deal for help with homelessness in exchange for support for the arena.

South Carolina: Sen. Jim DeMint new hero as leader of tea party group. Senator Graham will not support any expansion of hate crimes to include homeless people. The Stimulus money for Housing/HPRP was distributed in July; so far no money has been given out yet. Special needs populations are not getting any help in South Carolina especially in the area of housing. They focus more on homeowners or the elderly for help. They got none of the Neighborhood Stabilization/Foreclosure help. There was a story about two Greenville police officers who beat up a homeless individual. The officers were put them on administrative leave. The State coalition has just been passing out info/training and sharing opportunities. They are switching to do more advocacy since they are in the bottom of almost every negative category among the states.

Atlanta, GA: - The state has serious budget problems and are putting teachers on furlough – no money left for anything. The power elite in Atlanta are allowing Grady hospital to move to a private organization. They have allowed massive demolition of Public Housing and even the privatization of the Mental health system and the prisons. There was a big story about people dying because they cannot find affordable dialysis in Atlanta. The Task force shelter building is in Foreclosure with a due date in February 2010. Borrowed money in 1998. They have a lawsuit involving the loans from that period of time when the city began de-funding the organization. Homeless people have really stepped up to keep the shelter open.

Colorado: Budget cut may terminate General Assistance, which currently helps those waiting for SSI. The Colorado Coalition saw a $3.4 million cut. They had to eliminate the mobile health clinic and close group homes, cutting salaries and implementing a hiring freeze. The good news is that the State is matching the $10 million in HPRP/Homeless Prevention money that came to the state using TANF/welfare funds. 40 organizations across the state got together to do a common assessment form. They are still opening new housing units for homeless people. Boulder successfully advocated against laws restricting camping. The Mayor has signed a moratorium on enforcement of this law.

Brian Davis

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Met Dick Gregory Last Night

Photo from Smithsonian.com magazine

Civil Rights Icon Starting a Fast for Haiti

I was just sitting in the lobby of a Washington DC hotel enjoying an adult beverage and the football games when I look over and at the next table is Civil Rights icon Dick Gregory. I was in DC for the National Coalition for the Homeless Board meeting. I am not a star struck/autograph type of person , but this was Dick Gregory. I played his comedy routines on a radio show in college and used many of his anti-war speeches in my activism. He spoke frequently in the 1980s and 1990s about the problems facing the African American community in America.

This is the guy who did the heavy lifting so that kids today can wear their pants on the ground or choose a college based on the amount of zeros in their bank account and not the color of their skin. He was in DC because he was starting a fast on Monday for raising awareness about Haiti. I would have never recognized him, but I watched the Mark Twain Prize for Bill Cosby and he was a presenter. He is 77 years old and doing a fast to push Americans to continue to help this country as the shock of the initial tragedy wears off. Gregory is doing 7 days without food or liquids and then 23 days with only liquids. This is not his first hunger strike. He is amazing.

He talked to the three NCH Board members about the history of the Haiti and his theories about poverty in America. He says that he uses the sale of Alpo, Spam and Hamburger Helper as a gauge for the food security of a neighborhood. When the sales of these low priced "food" items increase in a neighborhood that means that people are having a hard time, according to Gregory. He said that in some extremely poor communities, people resort to eating dog food, and to avoid the embarrassment they remove the labels. Gregory claimed that the marketers at Alpo have realized that some people buy this food to eat, and so they removed the picture of the dog from the cans. The one good side of this, according to Gregory, was that dog food has more regulations on it than most human food.

Dick Gregory integrated comedy clubs and marched against the racist wars of the United States. He ran for president in 1968 and fought against corporate control, racism, and pay inequality for women. He looks like he has weathered many struggles in his life, but still looks good for 77 years. Gregory was sitting with an advisor and his doctor planning this fast for Haiti on Sunday night. All I said was thanks for all that you have done for the United States and good luck in raising awareness about Haiti.

Brian
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Report from NCH

From Chester Commons (which is now under renovation). Unknown artist

National Homeless Report on Winter Shelters

The National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington DC released a report on the state of winter shelters in the United States. Cincinnati and Columbus are the two cities featured in the report from Ohio. The report goes into a great deal of detail about hypothermia and the importance of staying inside during extreme weather conditions. There are warnings for those who are resistant to shelter to stay dry, and the report urges politicians to work for a regional approach to solving the winter shelter problem.

Cleveland was not featured, because we do not have a winter-only system for shelter. This is one thing that puts Cuyahoga County ahead of the rest of the country. We have had a 20 year commitment to providing shelter to everyone in need. We do not turn people away from the two entry shelters in Cleveland. The County Commissioners, the Mayor and the staff of the Office of Homeless Services have always found the funding to make sure that no one is turned away. This is expensive and a tremendous undertaking for a community. We have had old schools opened, church basements, and government buildings to keep people from freezing to death on our streets. This has resulted in significantly fewer deaths of people who have experienced homelessness compared to other cities. We need to thank our elected officials for remaining steadfast in protecting those without housing through multiple administrations.

Check out the report from the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Brian
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No Foreclosure Help for Youngstown

Mahoning Valley Application was Rejected by HUD?

I got notice of a petition drive in Youngstown to protest the rejection of the Mahoning Valley Application for Neighborhood Stabilization 2 funding that was announced last week. The Youngstown paper has been aggressively reporting this story here and here. Evidently, Youngstown has one of the highest rates of foreclosure in the country, and was denied the joint proposal submitted by nine communities in the Mahoning Valley. The Youngstown Mayor and US Rep. Tim Ryan are crying foul and pledging to raise the issue with President Obama. In addition, the foreclosure funds given to the State of Ohio were distributed throughout the state and Mahoning and Trumbull counties received the smallest amount of all the large counties in Ohio. The Dayton area received the largest per capita amount of funding from Ohio even though they have a smaller 12.1% foreclosure rate in comparison to Youngstown and Cleveland with foreclosure rates at 14.7% and 12.7% respectively.

Brian
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Looting vs. Survival?

Photo by Cheryl Jones of the Grapevine photo project

In Haiti, is this Really Looting?

I really need some clarity on the definition of looting from the media. I do not understand how this fits in Haiti in which for the last week government has for all purposes collapsed. If there is no way to get supplies in and people are starving and need water, how is it looting if they go in and "take" those items from stores. I asked friends at the National Coalition for the Homeless to define looting and they seemed to believe that it was the theft of extraneous items that have nothing to do with the emergency (plasma tvs, furniture, house decorations, etc.). So, the theft of items for survival should not be considered looting. I have also heard that theft associated with violence would be considered looting. But this blanket statement about looting seems misguided in the case of Haiti. A guy stealing materials for clothing or night time covers or to make a tent for shelter as pictured in the Washington Post does not seem to be looting to me.

I heard some discussion about this on NPR yesterday, but have not seen much discussion in print about looting with a definition. The report today was that 1.5 million people are now homelessness in Haiti or half of the Port-au-Prince.

Brian
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Death on the Streets?

Woman Freezes Near Flats

WKYC TV is reporting a woman froze to death on Vega and Train Ave. in the new flats. We have not had a hypothermia death of a homeless person for a couple of years. I am afraid that this was a homeless woman who was sleeping in one of the outdoor sites. We hope that some of the homeless outreach workers will be able to identify the individual so that family notification can be made.

Brian
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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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Haiti

It is Difficult to Imagine

I have read the Washington Post and New York Times every day regarding Haiti. It is hard to imagine an entire city that is now homeless. I have listened to the impressive coverage from the BBC and NPR; both doing amazing work in the area. Even with the rush of media down to Haiti, it is hard to wrap my head around the scale of destruction. One way to look at this disaster is to put it in the context of the United States.

If a similar natural disaster were to strike Northeast Ohio, it would have an effect on the citizens in Cuyahoga, Summit, Lorain, Lake, Medina, Geauga, Ashtabula, and Stark Counties to equal the population struggling to survive in Haiti. And it would be similar to everyone in the city of Cleveland Heights dying in this disaster.

To see similar numbers effected by the Haitian earthquake in the United States would be like a disaster hitting the entire states of Iowa or Mississippi. How long would it take to recover if nearly every building and all the infrastructure in Iowa were ruined?

The impact on the country of Haiti is similar to a disaster hitting every single state including every single resident of every state on our Eastern coast. Would the United States ever be the same if the entire Eastern United States were struck by a destructive event of the magnitude of the Haitian earthquake? Port-au-Prince contains basically one third of the population of the country. So, if a natural disaster struck the United States and knocked down buildings in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida that would be similar to the disaster that struck Haiti. From the tip of Miami to Edmundston, Maine all the way over to Buffalo and the heart of Appalachia in Virginia would all need rebuilding. From the panhandle of Florida to the Lake Champlain coast in Vermont, would all need new roads, sewers, and school buildings to be similar to the scale of the issues in Haiti. For the United States to see the same number of fatalities as they have experienced in Haiti would be for every single person in South Carolina or Colorado dying in a natural disaster.

We hope that you will support the Unicef Haitian Fund, American Red Cross, MercyCorps, Oxfam America, AmeriCares, Doctors without Borders, or the International Medical Corps in this time of extreme need.

Brian
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NCH Director Named Change Maker

Photo From the Change.org blog under End Homelessness: Changemaker

Donovan Featured on Best Homeless Blog in Country

He only was hired four and a half months ago, and he has already become a Changemaker. Neil Donovan, new Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless has been named by the folks at Change.org as a leading voice for social justice in America. Full disclosure: I am on the executive committee of the National Coalition, so I am one of the people who hired Mr. Donovan. There is no truth to the rumor that our only goal was to pick someone with the same name as the new HUD Secretary. While he is new to NCH, he has many years of experience with the National Alliance to End Homelesssness and he did some work on Rural homelessness in Ohio. Obama gets the Nobel Peace Prize in his first year, and Neil Donovan is named Changemaker in his first year of office. Both awards are well deserved for a lifetime of work and the promise of moving a huge agenda forward. Neil is a deep thinker and has worked closely with homeless people in Boston as his anti-poverty career began. This job at NCH is tough for anyone, because of the long history of the organization with basically 18 strong personalities who are all leaders in their states or local communities serving on this one board. So far, Neil has done a good job in balancing the agendas of civil rights, economic justice, housing and health care among all these passionate board members.

Donovan is able to bring some movement forward out of the chaos of "Blueprints for Roadmaps and Plans to End Solutions..." floating around the country. Part of the dirty secret with being a director of a non-profit is that you have to figure out how to keep your work on the big picture when in fact you are swimming in an ocean of bureaucracy and red tape. So far, Neil has kept all the plates spinning while trying to nudge his way onto the giant national stage.

For those who worry that one of the founders of homeless advocacy and one of the giants in community organizing has been put on a shelf in the dark basement of the National Coalition's office, you can rest easy at night. Michael Stoops went back to his true passions of community organizing and pushing for civil rights for those experiencing homelessness as an employee at NCH. Yes, Michael's office is in the basement of NCH, but that was his choice from a couple of years back. No one sent him to the basement. Besides great ideas do come out of the basement so stop making fun of basements. I believe that the internet was created in Al Gore's basement and the Beatles were created in Stuart Sutcliffe's basement.

Continued success to Neil Donovan of NCH.

Brian
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Neighborhood Stabilization Announced Today

HUD Announces Funds for Cuyahoga County Foreclosure Crisis

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today that HUD is awarding $2 billion in Recovery Act funding to states, local governments and non-profit housing developers, under HUD’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), to spur economic development in hard-hit communities and create jobs. Nearly 60 grantees are receiving awards.

HUD has released the list of states, local governments and nonprofits that have been awarded Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2) grants. Unlike the original NSP program, NSP2 funds were awarded by competition to states, local governments, nonprofits, and consortia of nonprofits, which were permitted to submit proposals in partnership with for-profit entities. The states receiving the largest allocations of NSP2 funds include California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. Additionally, four national applicants received NSP2 awards.

Cuyahoga County will receive $40.84 million in NSP2 funds. The City of Cleveland, the Foreclosure Task Force, County Land Bank and CMHA will work to get these funds out onto the streets quickly. At least one quarter of the funds must serve low income individuals.

Brian
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WCPN Picks Up Homeless Portrait Story

Lakeside Shelter Featured on Radio

The photo display by NEOCH Board member, Lydia Bailey opened on snowy Friday in Cleveland. It was a very nice show with narratives about the men featured in the photography. It is a big step forward in to dispel some of the myths.

On Monday morning, WCPN featured Mike Sering of LMM and Lydia Bailey for an interview about the project. It is a very good overview of the project and had some good stories about the men in the shelter giving back to the community. Mike mentioned a group of men who are repairing the school bus and even working to transport the men to the current overflow every night.

The show is available to view every day at CSU at the Levin College through March 31, 2010. Check it out.

Brian Davis
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New Rules for Receiving Identification

New BMV Rule Places Additional Burdens on Homeless

COHHIO is very concerned about a new rule adopted by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in September that places an undue and unfair burden on Ohio’s homeless population. The rule requires proof of residency to qualify for a driver’s license or state ID, effectively denying people who are homeless the ability to obtain this essential form of identification.

COHHIO has joined six other agencies in requesting that the acting registrar of motor vehicles issue a directive approving a signed, witnessed statement from an Ohioan without a residence as a genuine and reliable document under Administrative Code 4501:1-21 (H) (24); and that the BMV-approved statement form be issued to all BMV locations in order to be completed on site.
Under the new BMV rule, people who are living in cars, on abandoned property, on the streets, temporarily with friends or family, or in other nontraditional residency venues are prevented from obtaining the identification necessary to improve their lives. Because state photo IDs are required for employment, housing, health care services and registration for voting in person, homeless people are prevented from meeting their basic human needs.

The ability to produce identification is often the final step into subsidized housing, to a good paying job, or into a government office to clear up a problem with access to public benefits. By making it more difficult to obtain identification, the BMV is often extending the stay by Ohio residents at a shelter or on the streets and forcing communities to pay the additional costs associated with homelessness.

We feel that as currently written, this new residency rule places an additional and formidable burden on our state’s most vulnerable citizens. Look for updates in future issues of Breaking Ground (COHHIO's newsletter).

Editor's Note: This article appeared in the COHHIO newsletter today. NEOCH fully supports this advocacy effort, and has been active along with the Cleveland ID Collaborative to get the State of Ohio to see how harmful these new rules are toward homeless people. We will keep you up to date.

Brian Davis
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Cleveland Media Forgot About Homelessness in 2010

Top 10 Homeless Stories Missed by the Cleveland Media in 2009

There were so many stories in the homeless community from 2009, and below are the top 1o that were missed by the local media. I was thinking back to 20 years ago and how many options there were to get stories into the media. Every radio station had at least one reporter and there were magazines that featured news, and we had weekly newspapers from all over the community. Now there are blogs but very few feature general news stories that are not opinion driven.

Here are the stories that were missed in 2009:
1. Despicable Process for Distributing Stimulus Dollars. President Obama helped get $1.5 billion out to the states and communities for preventing homelessness. Cuyahoga County received $14 million. There was one story in the Plain Dealer that focused entirely on a NEOCH vs. the County dispute over these funds. The story was much bigger and was the prime example for why voters distrust County government. The City let down their constituency by just giving their $10 million from the Stimulus over to the troubled Cuyahoga County. A good plan was developed by homeless people, service providers and advocates which was set aside by the County and for some inexplicable reason a different plan was funded. So far in the first 2 months only 10 people were given housing help. So much for stimulating the local economy.

2. Homeless Memorial Day 2009. We read the names of 45 people who passed away over on the first state designated homeless memorial day. This was the 23rd time we have presented the homeless memorial day, and the first time no media showed up to cover the event (except the Grapevine).

3. Homeless Stand Down 2009. Again, an important event with over 2,000 homeless people in attendance. This year no media showed up to cover this huge social service fair. We had entertainment, 60 health care/social service groups, and hundreds of volunteers. No television, no radio news reporters, and no special interest coverage.

4. Huntington Bank Help with North Point Transitional. Introduced in late 2008 and early 2009 was a new effort to get homeless people to start using the banking system. There are so many poor people excluded from the banking system, which manifests itself in the proliferation of payday lenders. Huntington Bank has stepped forward to help guys who are trying to rebuild their lives with support in getting a bank account. A good program that has received no publicity.

5. County Publishes Blueprint for Change. As part of the stimulus dollars and the new focus on prevention efforts, the County Office of Homeless Services published a new strategy for how to end homelessness on July 1, 2009. This document got ZERO coverage in the media, and is a fairly radical departure from what was done in the past. The document had zero input from homeless people and very little input from homeless shelter providers. It was also unfortunate that it came out one and half months after all the groups submitted proposals for how to use the prevention dollars. Maybe it is better that this got no coverage, so that it will be easier for this document to quietly fade away.

6. Shelters Overflowing even in the summer. The New York Times, Washington Post and other papers did stories about the overflowing shelters in their cities due to budget cuts and the instability in the housing sector. There was a brief mention on WCPN, but for the most part the story did not get any coverage in Cleveland.

7. Many work while living in the shelters. This is on the list every year, but it is a good story that never gets enough attention. The mythology is that most people living in a shelter or on the streets are lazy. No one ever does a story about how these guys get up at 4 a.m. to try to get sent out to work at the Temp. company. No media tries to dispel some of these horrible myths about homelessness in America.

8. Failures of the Alcohol and Drug System and its impact on the Imperial Ave. murders. It was said over and over that most of the women killed on Imperial Ave. were substance abusers, but I never saw one story breaking this down. What happened to the alcohol and drug addiction system and the safety net that we pay for as tax payers? Where was the breakdown? Did these women try to get help? Why do we base most of our treatment on outpatient assistance? Why does the alcohol and drug system not follow people long term and why don't they help with housing? How does this system work or how does this system fail poor people? There was such a wealth of stories about the failures of government to protects its citizens from this predator that just never got any coverage.

9. Tough Decisions Made By the Shelters in this Bad Economy. There were a number of stories this past year about the problems of suburban hunger and the growing issues with pantries. I never saw similar stories about the struggles within the shelter community. Cleveland has seen a loss of six shelters in the last six years, and none of the shelters have seen a cost of living increase from government. They should all be given metals for the ability to keep costs under control in the face of flat funding from the government. Despite the rumors, no shelters gets paid based on the number of people entering the building. All the shelters get a set yearly budget and have to figure out how to make that work.

10. The Ability of Social Service Providers to keep the Outdoor Homeless Numbers Down. Over the last three years, despite increases in the number of people sleeping in shelters, the numbers sleeping outside in the downtown area have remained steady. This is a testament to the social service outreach units that go outside every night to build relationships with those who are resistant to shelter. The Volunteers of America, Care Alliance, Veterans Administration, Mental Health Services, Salvation Army, and John Carroll's Labre Project all provide a valuable resource to Cleveland. The media did not do any stories about these wonderful people who earn the trust of those disenfranchised from government and "the system" and in fact save many lives.

Brian

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