The Broken Alcohol/Drug System

They Have it All Wrong

I am sitting in a meeting--minding my own business--not bothering anyone--when I am smacked right up side my head by another failed system in our community. I am listening to the presentations of why people sleep at the airport, and the problems with homeless people when a woman from the Alcohol and Drug Addictions Services Board of Cuyahoga County pipes up that she can assure us that she can get an "assessment" of those people sleeping at the airport within three days. She could not tell us how long it would take to get treatment, but at least we would have a confirmed diagnosis of alcohol or drug addiction within 72 hours. Thank you for nothing. What the hell good is that to the community? The smell of alcohol and the unresponsiveness was my first indication that there was a problem beyond the casual after work cocktail, but of course I can't pass out those certifications.

Imagine the riots in the streets if you showed up at MetroHealth with a gun shot wound and they rushed out within three hours to "assess" you with a diagnosis of an lacerated artery that will need surgery. Then the kind nurse informed you that the doctors were not available and there is no time frame when that surgery could actually happen, but at least you can rest easy with your certified diagnosis. Yes, Rest in Peace easy. How could this ever be considered progress? What is the use in telling someone they have a problem if you are not prepared to solve it. "Frank, you have colon cancer, now go out and enjoy the rest of the day because we have no idea when we can do anything else." And for someone with an addiction telling them that they have an addiction, but that you have no idea when or how you will treat them without money is just what they need to hear to keep them from drinking or injecting.

I would quit my job before I would ever brag that a three day assessment is progress. More people in the homeless community have a drug or alcohol problem than a mental health problem and yet the Alcohol Services get a tiny amount of money compared to Mental Health. It is a joke, and they should just close their doors. At this point, I really think that they do more harm then good in our community. Most of the beds were purchased by the courts so basically you have to go to jail to get residential treatment. You really have to way to cure yourself to get help and then they will let you go to volunteer driven AA classes or you have to be near death and they will give you a couple of days of detox. How does this help us?

I don't want people to think that we do not appreciate the work of the alcohol and drug case workers, but the best in the business get burnt out quickly. It is strange because alcohol and drugs hit the wealthy, the middle class and the poor, but we do a pathetic job of treating this health condition. You really have to destroy your life, the life of others around you, burn all your bridges and most of the time commit a crime before someone sends you some help. Then we punish you with a shelter and force you to live by some rules until you have are sufficiently repentant that you no longer have the addiction. At least, we now can assure that you will get assessed within three days.

Brian
Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless staff and Board.

Are People Moving Away from High Poverty?

Child Poverty in 2005

Back in the welfare reform debate of the late 1990s, the officials told us that people do not move for benefits. The experts said that it has never been the case that people move from one area especially one state to another in order to get better entitlements. But now living in Cleveland and experiencing decreases in jobs for six straight years, I have to believe that some of our population loss has to do with lower income people looking for better places to live. In looking at the poverty statistics for Ohio, I have to wonder if some are not making calculations about the State of Ohio and the safety of raising their family in this environment.

• How many kids will get a good education with such an unfair system for funding schools?
• How many of my kids will have the opportunity to go to college in Ohio with such high tuition rates? Maybe moving to another state to establish residency would be beneficial?
• If I loose my job will I be able to find another before ruining my family?
• Will I be able to find a job with health care? If I do lose my health care will the state be able to afford to provide any health care beyond the emergency room?
• Will I need to go into bankruptcy or will I be taken advantage of by a mortgage broker?
  
• Will three years of cash assistance be enough when nearly every other state gives five years? If I exhaust my three years, what is the use of staying in Ohio?
• Why not move to another state that has a higher minimum wage?
• What is the use of relatively inexpensive housing if you have no job?
  
• Would rental assistance be more available in another state?

At this point in the recession, these questions have to come up. There must be a great deal of anger over the lack of help by our government. There was assistance for those fleeing Katrina, but what about the home grown poor? There is money for playgrounds like stadiums, but not for people. I would be angry if I went to the election booth and saw a levy on the ballot for the arts, while I struggle to find a job. How do they justify paying for art while my child's school is in bad shape and I can't find a job? How do they justify raising taxes for art, while I can't pay my rent? Anger, frustration, a feeling of hopelessness, and then resignation and moving to a state that cares, would be how I would react.

Here are the statistics from the U.S. Census on poverty by County. By the way, Ohio 's official poverty rate was 13.0% of the population is living below poverty with 18.2% of our children living in poverty in Ohio. These are in order of the Counties around Cleveland and the other big cities in Ohio from poorest to better off.

County % Living Below Poverty % Children Living Below Poverty
1. Lucas County (Toledo) 17.4% 25.3%
2.Cuyahoga (Cleveland) 16.9% 25.1%
3. Columbiana 16.3% 26.4%
4. Ashtabula 16.1% 23.3%
5. Montgomery (Dayton) 14.7% 23.4%
6. Franklin (Columbus) 14.5% 19.8%
7. Erie County 14.0% 21.8%
8. Hamilton (Cincinnati) 13.8% 19%
9.Mahoning (Youngstown) 13.4% 20%
10. Stark (Canton) 12.0% 18.1%
11. Lorain County 11.7% 17.6%
12. Portage County 11.4% 15.5%
13. Summit (Akron) 11.2% 14.4%
14. Trumbull County 10.7% 15.4%
15. Lake County 8.3% 12.9%

Those Counties Doing Best in Ohio
1. Delaware County (near Columbus) 4.6% 5.5%
2. Warren County 5.1% 4.8%
3. Medina County 5.3% 6.6%
4. Geauga County 5.6% ---
5. Tuscarawas County 7.3% 8.1%

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

Ohio Department of Apartheid

Why the High Number of African Americans in Prison??

Friday September 8, the Urban Institute announced preliminary results from their Justice Policy Center study called "Returning Home: Experiences of Former Prisoners Residing in Cleveland" at the Cleveland Food Bank. This got no coverage in the Plain Dealer today, but was picked up by WKSU and WCPN. NEOCH attended the forum for the release of information. What we found to be the most amazing statistic that was not mentioned in the other media was the high number of African Americans returning from incarceration. This is the most damning statistic on the current state of Ohio with 53% of those leaving prison in Ohio are identified as "Black" while only 11.5% of the population of Ohio are "African American Only" according to the US Census. In Greater Cleveland 74% of those returning from prison are African American while only 28.9% of Cuyahoga County identify themselves as African American.

How can this not be identified as an Apartheid system? Are we enslaving a generation of African Americans through the judiciary instead of the public auction used from 1699 to 1865 in America? I do not understand why this fact is ignored? Why is this huge disparity not the focus of this report or at least mentioned boldly? It is just used as a dry fact in a lengthy report about the current state of our misnamed "Corrections and Rehabilitation" system. It is accepted as a reality that the percentage of those in the prison population contain four times as many African Americans as the population of Ohio. How is their not rioting over the incarceration disparity in Ohio? I do not understand how the large number of African American "Corrections" officers do not see this new form of slavery and speak out? How can the prison work industry not be viewed as the modern cotton field? I am floored by this disparity. How can we demonstrate to caring people that if all 5,300 returning from prison to Cuyahoga County every year were gathered together in one place only 18% or 985 people would have white faces.

Other statistics that are troubling from this report:
**47% of those returning from prison have a violent offense in their background. (Not the one tenth of one percent mentioned by Geoff in the Callahan police shooting discussion.)
**Only 27% of those in prison received any type of counseling which includes mental health counseling.
**Only 31% have lived with a spouse or partner or alone after their release. 4 out of 5 rely on family for housing after release.
**Prior to prison, 84% reported drug use or intoxication with half reporting daily drug or alcohol use. After release, 23% still report drug use or intoxication in last 30 days.
**Only 30% report legal employment upon release with another 23% reporting "under the table employment."
**Only 39% report participation in post-release programming.

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

County Helping Homeless to Vote

Shelters Now Active in Registration of Homeless People

NEOCH is often criticized for only giving the bad news. We also constantly harp on the lack of accountability within the system. I mean if a corporation had 10 straight years of losses it is unthinkable that the existing leadership would be able to keep their jobs. But in the social service community 10 years of increases in homelessness can be blamed on something else or just plain ignored. We have to go before our constituency every few weeks, so it is easy to see why we are impatient with the slow progress made in addressing poverty. But today we give you some good news undertaken by your government.

We must credit the great job that the County Office of Homeless Services has done in making sure that homeless people are registered to vote. It is funny that now that the state has put huge barriers in the way of homeless people voting is the time that the County steps up their efforts. We certainly appreciate their efforts and have asked for every provider be required to register people upon entry for years. We finally wrote a letter to the Commissioners late last year asking for some intervention in getting every homeless person to vote, and that seems to have happened.

The OHS staff are strongly encouraging every publicly funded facility to assure that they are registering people. They are collaborating with Ohio Votes to make sure that every staff person knows the rules and can encourage their clients to go vote. Each provider needed to put in a plan for how to register and get all their clients to vote. They are regularly updating the providers about new issues regarding voting. So, the Coalition thanks Cuyahoga County for helping to empower homeless people.

NEOCH is supporting this effort with two training sessions in collaboration with Ohio Votes coming up:
**Friday September 15, 2006 at 1:30 pm.
**Tuesday September 19, 2006 at 11:00 a.m.

Both will be at NEOCH and will last one hour. Please call if you would like to attend at 216/432-0540.

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

Peace Show Next Door to the War Show

A Celebration of Ione Biggs at the Peace Show

Labor Day brings the annual tradition of the Peace Show interrupted frequently by the War Show at Burke Lake Front Airport. This year was a remembrance of Ione Biggs who passed away in December of 2005. Also, 5 Catholic Worker protesters were arrested for praying under the wing of a War Plane at the Air Show. This is not homeless news except that our good friend, Jim Schlecht who does outreach to homeless people, was also arrested and will sit in jail until Tuesday. They stood singing under a war plane to let people know that the entire "Air Show" glorified war and killing people. Imagine, arrested for putting a sobering tone on "entertainment," while we occupy another country and our sons and daughters in Iraq hope and pray every night that the road below them does not blow up.

So, I was asked to say a few words about Ms. Biggs. I know that if Ione were still alive she would be protesting the arrest at the War Show or down talking to those waiting in jail by using her connections in the corrections system. Anyway, I wish Daniel were here because he would know what to say a lot better than most of the rest of us. When Ione got the award from her church, Daniel revised one of his poems to fit the occasion. Poets are the life blood of social justice movements.

"The homeless community lost one of our strongest champions with the passing of Ione Biggs. She was not loud or "in your face" about her passions, but was powerful in a quiet dignified manner. She gave great advice, and knew what would work and what would not. She had that rare quality that has nearly disappeared in our society she actually listened to people including those she did not agree with. We at the Coalition keep her in our thoughts every day, and we try to react to injustice as Ione would react. What would Ione Do? She would be at the Peace Show supporting her friends and fellow activists. She would be at the vigil for peace on the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attack. She would respectfully question the use of excessive force by the police in Cleveland Heights.

She would be organizing petitions, writing letters, and speaking out against this horrible war and the dreadful policies of the current administration which devastate the poor. She would have an answer for the state of fear gripping America, because I certainly do not. Ione would know how to fight the destruction of the current first amendment, and the expanding domestic spying by our own government. She certainly had a unique talent of cornering elected officials to get them to do the right thing, and she would have found a way to force the State of Ohio to get back in the business or reducing poverty. How could anyone turn down the All American Grandmother? She would be volunteering for the Coalition or other peace organizations. Ione had the unique talent of staying in contact with all the peace and justice organizations in the city, but we all felt that she was working exclusively on our issue.

Ione Biggs would find a way to break the racial or gender barriers that continue to exist in our community. She would be leading the charge to implement a real rehabilitation component to our criminal justice system. In a more enlightened time, Ione Biggs would have followed Howard Metzenbaum as Senator Biggs from Ohio. She was one of the strongest women in Cleveland, and we miss her.

I have no better way to express my sorrow than with Daniel's Words:

Those in power always want
Those in poverty to live on poetry
The best things in life are free
They're fond of saying. Of course
If you help yourself to what's
Second best, they lock you up
And if you tell them all you wanted
Was just a little bit more on your plate
They'll hit you with, Man shall not live
By bread alone. They certainly don't
They've got the bread and the gravy
The meat and potatoes, the Army
The Air Force, the Marines and the Navy
And what have we got? Our loneliness
And our need to break bread
For that sound breaks the silence between us
And out of that broken silence tumbles everything
A cornucopia of words to feed the heart
Night words that rise and fall with each breath
Each shadow, words as light as light
Whose wings brush against us
And we are never the same
Words that are famous
With only four letters
Like food, love, home, sing..."

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

Donate On-Line Now

NEOCH Has Moved into the 21st Century

We have selected "Network for Good" as a secure way that you can support the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. If you find something useful or something helpful please give a few dollars to support the important work of the Coalition. If you appreciate our advocacy or our programs, we could use your help. If you have a relative who has become homeless or had experience with homelessness, please help the Coalition solve homelessness locally. We also could preserve your legacy with a gift from your estate. We are very good stewards of money from the public and will use your money as efficiently and effectively as possible.

On another note...there is an interesting discussion taking place at Callahan's site. There is a lot of pain on the West Side over the death of the artists in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood and the death of the police officer in the West 98th neighborhood. Low income advocates are commenting on a proposal made by Bill to hold landlords accountable for their tenants. Check it out.

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

The Best Judge in Ohio

Federal Judge O'Malley Strikes Down Registration Rules

Federal judge Kathleen O'Malley proves once again why she is one of the best judges in the state of Ohio with her decision to strike down the new Ohio registration rules. O'Malley was the federal judge who sided with the Grapevine in our fight with Mayor Michael White who wanted us to get a city issued license to sell the street newspaper. She was overturned by the conservative 6th Circuit Appeals Court, but she was correct in the Grapevine case and now with the voting rules.

Our friend, Rev. Tony Minor and the NAACP filed suit to overturn this horrible new requirement to suppress voting registration activities. NEOCH had stopped registering people because the rules were so complicated and confusing. We thank O'Malley for throwing out these horrible rules. It raises the question about all the state legislators who should have listened to the League of Women Voters and all the other experts. Earlier this year, groups from all over the state came to Columbus to testify against this horrible piece of legislation (HB 3) to largely empty conference rooms. They should have listened, because we were correct. This law is now under fire for disenfranchising immigrants, the registration rules were thrown out, and Secretary of State is constantly misrepresenting the rules. The ID provision has confused County election boards, and will certainly be challenged after this part of the law messes up the November election. They "fixed" the irregularities and the lack of polling places in 2004 by blowing apart the whole system.

State legislators addressed a problem that did not exist in the face of the real problems with the 2004 election. They messed up the registration and voting regulations so that fewer people will cast a ballot. It is no wonder that most of the population holds politicians in such low regard, and most do not trust government. Voting, as the cornerstone of democracy, needs repair in Ohio. Where are you Jimmy Carter?

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

Poorest City in the United States Again

We Are #1 in Poverty Again

I still do not understand how we went from #1 poorest city in 2003 to #12 in 2004 then back to #1 for 2005. I have to believe that the data is somehow flawed. Katrina destroyed an entire city and yet Cleveland is the poorest City in the United States? The further that we get away from the actual Census it seems the more suspect the data. I do not question the fact that Cleveland is one of the poorest cities in America just the huge swing out of the Top 10 then back to #1.

Just a simple look at the facts show that we are certainly one of the poorest cities:

• Highest concentration of foreclosures in the country.
• 20 straight years of increases in homelessness.
• An economic recession since 2000.
• Plenty of housing vacancies, but thousands who cannot afford the relatively inexpensive rents compared to other American cities.
• Most of the available jobs in the downtown area are minimum wage if you are lucky.
• Thousands of jobs lost to other states and other countries from Cleveland. Major employers (BP, the Steel Industry, TRW lost with many more coporations downsized.)
  
• Thousands without access to healthcare while we have one of the "best" hospital systems in the world.
  
• There are 25,000 people homeless every year or 4,000 people homeless every night in Cleveland.
  
• We have had a vacuum in local leadership to address poverty for 25 years in Cleveland with traditional business or religious leadership on the sidelines.
  
• For the past 10 years, we have lost fixed affordable housing structures or they were converted to vouchers.
  
• Families are the fastest growing homeless population in the city.
• At least 40% of the male homeless population have jobs, but cannot make enough income to pay the rent.
  

So, what do we do? One thing that we cannot do is to hold Jane Campbell style town hall forums where the usual suspects sit around tables and talk about poverty. There was not one homeless service provider invited to those forums in 2004, and very few actual poor people participated. Homelessness was not even discussed.

My suggestions would be:
1. Immediately release the plan to address the affordable housing crisis. (This has been in the works for around 2 years.) Gather community leaders to implement plan.
2. Create a County trust fund to build (on a large scale) affordable housing.
3. Develop a Public Works Program to create $10 per hour full time jobs to individuals to improve the city with art, clean up, renovation of housing, and improvement of the infrastructure. This could be paid for by a County income tax for those making above $150,000.
4. Universal Health Care within Cuyahoga County. Paid for by the cost savings from health insurance paperwork. So employers would pay into a universal health care fund instead of paying for health insurance. This would be a huge cost saving for most employers.
5. Pass a school levy and set up a financial accountability committee to respond to parents and the community to oversee every dollar. Every school needs to be more accountable to the community with transparent and frequent interaction with the neighborhood.
6. Every public employee within County or City government needs to be responsible for improving the area and reducing poverty. They are on the public payroll and together could make a huge impact on reducing discrimination, disseminating information on resources, and solving problems people have with bureaucracy.

These few steps would make Cuyahoga County a destination point for families, retirees, and those struggling to find housing. Housing, jobs, health care and public education are the most important issues that we face. Too often we have spent the last few years fighting about other issues that really don't make much of a difference. We need unity, leadership and some vision out of this hole that we began digging with the bankruptcy of the City in the 1970s and have yet to stop.

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

Voting Issues and Disconnect Notices

Voting Town Hall Last Night Raises Issue

The Greater Cleveland Voting Coalition hosted a town hall last night at the AFL-CIO/Laborers Building with two representatives of Cuyahoga County and some activists. Candace Hoke of the Cleveland State Election Integrity Project also presented. The new nanny of the Board of Elections, Tom Hayes was also in attendance. I got to ask the first question and the answer certainly did not inspire confidence in the upcoming election.

I asked if an individual shows up at the correct precinct and is already registered, but his identification does not have that address will the individual be able to vote with a regular ballot? The Board of Election official, Francis Lally, said that the individual would have to vote a provisional ballot. Greater Cleveland Voter Coalition volunteer and Case professor, Norman Robbins, said that the law was explicit that the individual would be entitled to a regular ballot. The guy from the People for the American Way said that the Secretary of State has already said that the person should get a regular ballot. I have read the law and I am sure that the intent of the law was for the ID to establish the person is the actual registered voter they say they are not to verify the address. So, I believe that the new law directs the poll worker to let the person vote a regular ballot, but I fear that there will be 88 different decisions in the State of Ohio.

Later, another member of the audience asked to clarify this identification question and there was a continued dispute. Ms. Hoke said that the SoState has only given guidance not a directive. She predicted that this would most likely be settled in the courts. Some Counties have sided with Blackwell's guidance. Why would Cuyahoga County fall on the side of making it harder for citizens to vote?

The two key outcomes of the town hall for me were: Vote absentee to avoid all the problems that will happen at the polls this year. Cuyahoga County announced that they were, finally, going to pay for the mailing of the ballots into the election. Second, the precinct voting system sucks and should be scrapped. If you want to vote for a County wide ballot anywhere in the County you should have that option. Many do not care who the local dog catcher or councilperson is, and just want to vote for state, national and county elections.

Other thing I learned from the meeting:

• You should be able to check that you are correctly registered to vote in mid September at the Board of Elections website.
• There is supposed to be two technology people at each polling place to help on the Electronic voting machines.
• There is supposed to be a greeter at the door of the polling place to make sure that people are at the correct polling place.
• Provisional ballots are worthless, and you should try as hard as you can not to use a provisional ballot.
  
• League of Women voters is very unhappy with the new disenfranchisement law (HB3).
• Every voter will get a mailing explaining the process in early September including an application for absentee ballot.
  

It is going to be a rough election especially for homeless people--vote absentee.

Amazing Statistic of the Week

Tim Walters of May Dugan Center has been doing some great work on utility monitoring. Cleveland Public Power no longer has the cheap electricity of years ago (see Callahan), and now they are disconnecting people at a rapid clip. Since January 2006, 14,000 families have been disconnected by CPP or around 100 people a day. Yes, 85% are reconnected, but that is amazing how many people are living on the edge with their housing.

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

Homeless Video Games

Oversimplification of Homelessness

Terry Lavender, a student of interactive arts and technology at Simon Fraser University, has created a video game as part of his master's thesis called Homeless: It's No Game. I have only been working with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless for a few months now, and often when I publish blogs to this here forum I worry that I am speaking outside my element. I make sure everything I say is solid, but being so new, I often worry I overlooked something small that will make me look quite the fool when the spotlight is turned upon it.

Today is different. Today, thanks to Terry Lavender, the ball is in Josh's court. That ball is homelessness and that court is video games. You see, my fair audience, when I was growing up, my best friends were a pair of Italian plumbers and a green-clad elf with a thing for triangles. Songs whose only melody is "blip bleep blip" make me cry. I have never been more confident in any blog I've ever written than the one I'm about to write for you now for I know the secret of manna.

First, it is important to note what Terry says about the game: "The game is a gross oversimplification of homelessness and the people who are forced into that situation. I have tried not to be condescending or judgmental and if the game comes across that way, I apologize" (from his website). His thesis is to find out if it is possible to entertain someone and encourage social change at the same time. He says, "A lot of organizations are jumping on the so-called serious computer games bandwagon to get their message out. Often their games are poorly made and are just not fun to play.

Given that, I don't want to detract from the importance of what Lavender points out and what he is trying to do. However, I can say straight up full of confidence that this game sucks. It just plain is not fun. It was a chore just to finish it. There seem to be a few bugs in it: I won after amassing only 18 esteem points when you're not supposed to win until you reach 50. The graphics are atrocious. I know it's petty, but the fact that the main character just spun slowly in circles the whole time really bothered me. Also, even though I know Lavender already said the game is a gross oversimplification of homelessness, it bears repeating because it is a really gross oversimplification of homelessness.

Despite all that, what Terry Lavender has said and attempted to do is important and needs to be expanded upon. A work of graphic art can communicate a vital social message, as can a song, movie, play, work of animation, poem, or story. When all of that is put together in a video game, so, too, can the video game communicate a message. Some other than Terry Lavender have tried. The Lord Jesus knows I sat through the hour long rambling about the dangers of nuclear weapons at the end of Metal Gear Solid because he sat next to me the whole time rolling his eyes. Thus far, social messages in video games have failed in their communication because they're either too direct or too forced.

Lavender's game is an example of too forced. It's the video game equivalent of the God-awful short films I was forced to watch in grade school that attempted to make learning fun. It's not really fun because it's not really a game. All you try to do in the game is rack up points. The points are acquired by going to different places. When you go to a place, it is randomly determined whether the outcome is good or bad. If it's bad, you lose points, and if it's good, you get points. It's totally random. There's no real sense of control over anything, and although that may be part of the message Lavender is trying to communicate, having no control isn't fun and appeals to no one. The message is lost because no one will play the game.

But, I believe Lavender's thesis is possible even though his experiment failed. I believe it is possible to entertain someone and encourage social change at the same time, especially in the realm of video games. It hasn't happened yet because no one's done it successfully and therefore it isn't guaranteed to be profitable. There's so many different angles one could take on this idea. A SimCity-esque game could be created in which the player is in charge of conducting the new city's 10-year plan to end homelessness, getting people to begin thinking not only about how to solve homelessness but also about the credibility of a city's 10-year plan to end homelessness. A game could be created in which one plays a cop trying to reduce the sudden rash of hate crimes against homeless people.

These are just a few suggestions and I am by no means the final word on this. I just wanted to get the conversation going and get the minds thinking.

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

Voting and Homeless People

Disenfranchised from Democracy

There was a good letter to the editor in yesterday's Columbus Dogpatch from Bill Faith regarding the potential problems faced by homeless people in the upcoming election. Bill Faith is the director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio and they just started a new project on voting for Ohio. Remember that Bill is coming to Cleveland to speak about state issues on September 11 (see previous post). The new ID law is going to be a disaster for poor people and especially homeless people. It is already a problem to get a migratory population to the right polling place to take part in democracy. Now, we have the complication of mandatory identification or a whole series of other forms of identification tied to housing before a person is entitled to cast a ballot.

The big issue is that each County seems to have their own interpretation of the ID law. Some say that if the ID does match the registration then the person must vote with a provisional ballot. Some say that the ID is just to verify that the person is who they say that they are. Poll workers have different ideas and Boards of Elections are also not consistent. I do not know how Cuyahoga County is going to come down on the issue, but based on the May primary I think that we are in trouble locally.

My Mom who just received an award for working every single election for more than 30 years has decided to sit this election out. She decided that based on the primary where it took hours to close down the new electronic machines and the lack of direction by the State over the new rules, she could not be a part of this pending train wreck. She lives in a suburb of Columbus where today's editorial cartoon suggested that they bring in Jimmy Carter to Ohio to supervise the elections.

The Coalition is going to try to get clarity over the law with the local board of elections over the next month. We will also have observers at some of the polling places that we anticipate problems. If you would like to volunteer, please call Brian at 216/432-0540. Our democracy and this election are both too important to leave an entire population out of the process.

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

Upcoming Events from the Coalition

Homeless Coalition Plans for the Next Quarter

1. For those members of NEOCH we are sending out the Annual Report and the Quarterly newsletter over the next three weeks so look for that in your mailbox. To become a member go to our website here.

Street Voices Training
2. NEOCH is having a training for possible speakers on Street Voices on September 13, 2006 at 9 a.m. This would be for people who have experienced homelessness and are interested in talking to local religious groups, youth groups or schools about their experiences. The training is from 9 to Noon with lunch provided. Please RSVP to Sara at 216/432-0540.

The State of Affordable Housing in Ohio
3. The September Cuyahoga Affordable Housing Alliance meeting is the annual forum on Housing Issues for this group that meets monthly. We will have Coalition on Homelessness and
Housing in Ohio Executive Director in to speak about the state of affordable housing in Ohio. He will talk about predatory lending and state funding of affordable housing. The event is September 11, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. at 1350 Euclid Ave. in the lower level of the US Bank Building. All are welcome to attend.

Veterans Teach In Set
4. The September Teach In is set for September 20 at 6 p.m. and will focus on the issues of veterans. This Teach In will be a little different in that we will meet at the Volunteers of America Veterans Resource Center at 775 East 152nd St. We will have veterans who will talk about their experiences and groups who provide shelter, housing, and job training to veterans
present to talk about their programs. Please call NEOCH at 432-0540 to RSVP or reserve your space on line at www.neoch.org under programs/Teach In.

Homeless Voting
5. There are two upcoming events for those concerned about the upcoming elections. Thursday August 24, 2006 Town Hall Meeting sponsored by the Greater Cleveland Voting Coalition entitled "Will My Vote Be Counted in November?" at the Laborer's Local 310 Hall at 3250 Euclid Ave. at 5:30 p.m. Ohio Votes staff, Board of Elections staff, Ohio League of Women Voters, CSU Center for Election Integrity and Cleveland Voting Coalition will be on hand to present on the topic of "Restoring Public Confidence in the Election Process." There will also be exhibits on absentee ballots, poll worker recruitment, electronic voting, and joining the voting Coalition.

b. The second event is actually a series of demonstrations of the new electronic voting machines for providers and homeless people. The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless along with the Bishop Cosgrove Center and West Side Catholic are hosting a series of demonstrations of the new Electronic Voting Machines. Staff of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections will be on hand to demonstrate the new voting machines and answer questions about the new identification requirements. Please plan to send homeless individuals or homeless provider staff over to these locations to practice with the new electronic voting machines.
Wed. August 30, 2006 from 11-1:30 p.m.
@ Bishop Cosgrove Center (1736 Superior Ave.)

Thurs. August 31, 2006 from 11-1:30 p.m.
@ Bishop Cosgrove Center

Friday Sept. 15, 2006 from 10-2 p.m. (Lunch break from 12-1 p.m.)
@ West Side Catholic (3135 Lorain Ave.)

Friday Sept. 22, 2006 from 10-2 p.m. (Lunch break from 12-1 p.m.)
@ West Side Catholic Drop In Center

Future Dates to Mark Down the Date
6. Mark your calendars for two upcoming dates. Friday October 20, 2006 will be the special Stand Down focusing on Housing. The event is at the Bishop Cosgrove Center and is being called "From Homelessness to Housing." There will be a special Training class on housing resources available in the community. The other event is the Annual Homeless Memorial Day on December 21, 2006 to remember those who have passed away. This year the event is at
Franklin Circle Church in the evening.

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

No More Homeless at Airport

Homeless Evicted from Airport after September 1, 2006

Responding to the yellow journalists at Channel 19 fake news channel, the City is relocating the individuals who sleep at the airport. In a meeting on August 2 with homeless service providers, the city said that homeless people need to leave the airport. The individuals were making a mess and were a security threat and so they must leave. From the perspective of homeless who stay at the airport, this was a clean, safe and secure place to sleep. There was no threat of being beat up or having your stuff stolen at the airport. The federal government is concerned that terrorists could pretend to be homeless and scope out the airport in detail or slip into secure places.

We certainly understand that the airport is not an appropriate place to live, and we hope that this turns into a opportunity and not a black eye for the community. There are many women who stay at the airport because it is a safe place that no one will mess with them. We heard from the police that they want to make sure that there are no arrests. This is a much different police force from the 1990s who supported Mayor White's attempts to make homelessness illegal. The police seem to be more compassionate and learned a lot from these negative encounters in the 1990s. They want a relocation similar to the one at the Convention Center. They are committed to allowing the social service providers take the lead and not law enforcement. Staff at the Coalition certainly hope that all the providers can work together to find alternatives to the people who have found safe haven at the airport. Homeless providers (NEOCH included) have not always been very good partners in solving problems, and we will be measured on how we solve this problem without arrests.

Already we heard Mental Health Services offering housing to some of those who are regularly at the airport. We heard 2100 Lakeside keeping beds available at all hours to make sure that people can be relocated into a bed and will try to break some of the negative impressions of the shelter. The Women's shelter is re-evaluating policies and previous punishments to try to welcome some of the women at the airport back. The Veterans Administration is going to talk to those at the airport to see if any have served in the military. We shall see if this airport move is as smooth as the Convention Center. No matter what happens most of the people at the airport will not go to shelter or housing so they will end up somewhere, and someone else will be complaining about homeless people destroying the peace. Sometime in the near future we will have to deal with the overall problem and not just move people from one side of town to the other.

One other ray of hope is the possibility of a 24 hour drop in center opening. Back in the 1980s Ralph Delaney was taking bread and water to homeless people downtown with a goal of opening a storefront that could be a warm place for those forgotten by society could stay inside, get a cup of coffee, and start the process of rebuilding stability. West Side Catholic Board of Trustees approved the use of their facility on the near West Side of Cleveland to operate 24 hours a day. We need to find $250,000 to $300,000 in order to operate the facility. The heavy lifting is always finding the money. We all have ideas, but finding the money is always a problem.

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

Upcoming Coalition Events

Listen, Attend, and Learn

A few brief updates on Events coming up for the Homeless Coalition. Yes, we will update our website this week.

Monday July 31, 2006 on WCPN 90.3 FM
David C. Barnett is doing a feature on the Street Voices Project of the Coalition. This will feature interviews with Sabrina Otis one of our formerly homeless Moms in the program. You will also hear from Teri' Horne who created the program in its current form and Charlene Higginbotham who currently administers Street Voices. This is an example of the amazing work of the AmeriCorps*VISTA program. Tune in at 6:20 a.m. and 7:50 a.m. at 90.3 FM for the report or as always you can catch it by podcast from their website.

Wednesday September 20, 2006 at the VOA Veterans Resource Center
The Coalition in collaboration with the Veterans Administration will host a Teach In to explain the services offered to homeless individuals who served in the armed services. We will meet at the Volunteers of America Veterans Resource Center at 775 East 152nd St. at 6 p.m.on 9/20/06. There will be a tour of this new shelter and an overview of the other projects in the community. We will also have a panel of current or formerly homeless veterans talk about the services. There will be more information on our website in the next few weeks, and the opportunity to RSVP on our website.

Friday October 20, 2006 at the Bishop Cosgrove Center
The Coalition along with a large number of social service providers will have a one day social service fair focusing on housing. The event is entitled "From Homeless to Housed," and will include tables and information from the social service providers in the community. The event will also feature a two hour class explaining all the subsidized programs in the community as well as an explanation of how to use the Housing Cleveland website and the First Call for Help website. The event is 10 to 3 pm and details will be on our website soon.

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

Oscar Goodman Laws Revisited

We Hold These Truths to be Self Evident: Las Vegas Sucks

A new law has been passed in Las Vegas. This law makes it illegal to provide food or meals to the indigent for free or for a nominal fee in parks. What's an indignant, you ask? The law defines it as "a 'person whom a reasonable ordinary person would believe to be entitled to apply for or receive assistance' from the government under state law." The mayor, Mayor Oscar GOODMAN, offers a better definition: "Certain truths are self-evident. You know who's homeless."

Is he alluding to a famous Thomas Jefferson quote in order to bash homeless people? Never in my life have I more wanted the skeletal remains of the Author of the Declaration of Independence to claw his way out of his grave and exact revenge on those who have invoked his name. How Mayor Goodman will shudder when the gaunt hand still crawling with maggots pins him down and he realizes that it is the Father of the University of Virginia that shall feast on his brains tonight.

Since that lazy fog-breather Jefferson isn't returning to a semblance of unlife anytime soon, I offer this in exchange: Your law doesn't say that people receiving assistance from the government aren't allowed to eat in your parks, it says that people who look like people receiving assistance from the government aren't allowed to eat in your parks. Oh, Mayor Goodman, you don't really have anything against people who are homeless. You just hate when people look homeless.

Don't you get it, Osky? What you have is a self-image problem. You're projecting your own inadequacies onto the people you govern. When you say, "You're not allowed to accept food because you look homeless," what you really mean is, "I'm not allowed to eat because I look homeless." It's okay, Osky-pooh. You don't really need stricter local regulation laws on the city's impoverished. You just need to hear someone tell you that you are beautiful.

Mayor Oscar Goodman, you are beautiful. You are as unique as a snowflake and as much an integral part of Spaceship Earth as the smallest budding seed. No one else can be a better Oscar Goodman than you, Oscar Goodman. If I lived in Las Vegas, I'd buy you an ice cream cone and we'd both sit in your park and be beautiful together.

If any of you beautiful people out there (because you all are beautiful, each and every single one of you) are concerned about Oscar Goodman and the people of Las Vegas, please, just write the mayor and tell him he's beautiful. He also has a phone number (702-229-6241), and I know he would love to hear an honest voice telling him he doesn't need to be afraid to look in the mirror. His fax machine can also be used at the fax number 702-385-7960. If nothing else, please visit him, City Hall, Tenth Floor; 400 Stewart Avenue; Las Vegas, NV 89101. Business hours are Monday-Friday 8 AM to 5 PM.

Josh
Posts by NEOCH Board and Staff

Oscar Goodman Laws

Las Vegas Tops Jackson Mississippi in Stupid Laws

From 1876 to 1964, the United States struggled against Jim Crow laws of the South that segregated African Americans to different schools, rail cars, drinking fountains, etc. Today, we are met with "Oscar Goodman" laws targeting homeless people. Las Vegas has remained in the top 5 of the "Meanest Cities in the United States" according to the National Coalition for the Homeless for the last three years. They have strict panhandling laws, anti-camping laws, and pretty much every other kind of law targeting those without homes. Now Vegas is trying to out shine Jackson Mississippi and their crazy curfew law.

Mayor Oscar Goodman has enacted an anti-feeding program which defines an indigent person as someone who a reasonable person would believe that the individual was entitled to government assistance or in other words anyone that looka like they just flew across the country arriving late at night or all those people who work 18 hours a day in order to make the rent. A totally unenforceable law enacted by a bully. Goodman, after making the mean city list in 2005 said that next time he was in Washington DC he was going to kick the NCH directors butt. I am proposing referring to all these laws directed at homeless people around the country as Oscar Goodman laws. His name would go down in history representing all that is wrong with American cities.

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

Update on NEOCH Board Secretary

Bufford Finally Released from Hospital

We posted a message in the middle of May 2006 about our Vice President, Marcia Bufford. A brief update for our friends. Marcia was in rehabilitation at MetroHealth for the past 2 months to regain the ability to walk and talk. She was released from the hospital on Tuesday, and is resting at home. Things looked bleak in May, but she has made amazing progress after being shot. She is walking and talking now, and working on putting her affairs back in order.

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

More on City of Jackson

Doublespeak Alive and Well in Mississippi

I just want to report on whatÂ’s going on in Jackson Mississippi. A lot of the articles I read tend to spin it as a great idea. Just for fun, let's try a different spin:

Mayor Frank Melton of Jackson, Mississippi, has set a curfew specifically for homeless people. If you are homeless, it is illegal for you to be on the streets after 10 PM. If you are found on the street after 10 PM, you are taken to a "facility" where you are clothed and fed. It's not a jail, though, because these people aren't under arrest. It's just a building the local police forcibly escort you to and which you are not allowed to leave until they say so.

Think what you want about the above spin, I would like to point out a small passage that turns this whole topic from debatable to creepy:

"Melton closed the shelter in the gym Sunday afternoon because it is used during the week for summer youth programs. The remaining homeless people were taken to the Billy Brumfield Shelter, with the exception of Jonathan Graham, a 17-year-old from Texas who now is living with the mayor."

Frank, I'm not here to judge you. I'm just here to say that rounding up all the homeless people in your city and from them picking a minor to take home like a five-year-old picking a puppy out of a store window is, well, it's weird, Frank. I know you must think I'm just ants at a picnic. All I can say to that is: I am not a colony of ants, and what you are doing is no picnic.

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

The Worst Law Against Homeless People in the US

Jackson Mississippi Mayor Violates Rights with "Homeless Curfew"

The City of Jackson and its Mayor, Frank Melton, have developed a strategy to sweep homeless people off the streets--a "homeless curfew." The plan went into effect on Friday July 13, and would force homeless people into a gymnasium at 10 p.m. or face arrest. To justify the City extending the "hospitality" to homeless people, they will be required to mow the lawn, clean and do other menial tasks in exchange for their stay.

This is the worst idea ever by a major American city to address homelessness. Melton is African American and his city has passed a 10 year plan to end homelessness. This effort to make it illegal to be homeless kills the concept of ending homelessness. I can only characterize this as an internment camp for homeless people.

Many people choose not to use shelter because of the large number of rules or others feel that it strips them of their dignity. There are many who do not want to accept charity or do not want to have to admit that they have a problem. Some individuals have a paranoia about living in a group setting. Others do not trust the government or have health complications that make it difficult to live in a group setting. Forcing people into a shelter is a violation of the rights of the disabled and the freedom of movement of an adult population.

Shelter is only an answer for a small number of individuals. Forcing people into shelter is not the answer for anyone. The solution is a diverse path off the streets to serve the diverse needs of those who end up homeless. A community needs direct housing, comprehensive supportive services, treatment on demand, preventative health care, income support, and mixed income housing. Forcing people into a shelter and then forcing them to work for their stay can only be characterized as slavery.

With 25% of the homeless population veterans, imagine the indignity of the man having served in Iraq coming back to the safe streets of Jackson where he graduated from high school, worked, and paid taxes then being forced into a gymnasium after becoming homeless. This veteran had honorably served to protect democracy on foreign soil then returned to America and was unable to find democracy in his home city of Jackson. Many veterans develop addictions or mental illnesses because of the trauma they witness, and then cannot find the help they need in the States. It is the ultimate betrayal to force veterans and in fact any homeless person into a gymnasium and then forcing them to work for their stay.

I agree that homeless people should not live on the streets and there is one way to solve this problem: affordable, safe, decent housing for all. Judging homeless people as a threat is wrong headed and must be challenged in court. In a Southern city that did not see African Americans actually free to vote for 100 years after the Civil War, this law is a throwback to the 1950s.

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

One Year of Panhandling Law in Cleveland

Panhandling Law Results

The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless filed an open records request to look at the first year of the Cleveland panhandling ordinance. Here are the results. We will have a more detailed look in the next Grapevine.

From July 2005 when the ordinance was passed until December 31, 2005, the City Police issued 9 tickets. In the second six months (January 2006-June 2006), they issued 62 tickets for aggressive solicitation or asking for money in the wrong place. 65 different people got tickets of the 71 total tickets issued, so only a few were repeat offenders. The most aggressive panhandler in the City of Cleveland over the last year was Kenneth Tate with three tickets. He actually was responsible for 22% of the tickets in 2005 with two, then another one in 2006.

It seems that if your name is Brooks or Jones you tend to be aggressive when you ask for money with 3 different people named Brooks and three different Joneses receiving tickets.

The worst two day period to be a panhandler was May 11 and 12, Thursday and Friday, when 5 tickets were issued to five different people.

The worst month to be a panhandler was April 2006 when 27% of all the tickets were issued with April 22-26 Friday to Wednesday the worst week of the year.

The most bizarre and most likely made up name for an aggressive panhandler was Calvin Myhand Jr. who received two tickets. Also, a patriot who has his own beer, Sam Adams, was given a ticket for his aggressive behavior--TWICE.

We are still waiting from the Courts to see what the disposition of all these tickets have been. Were these guys jailed? Did they pay their fines? We will see, and report on this when we get that information.

Do you feel safer in the Downtown? Are the panhandlers that you meet nicer since the ordinance went into effect? When this ordinance was debated in City Council, Ward 21 (Lakewood Lite) Councilman Mike Dolan said that his wife was afraid to come Downtown because of the panhandlers. We need to ask our good friend Mike if his wife has visited the center of her City in the last year.

The most surprising part of all of this information is that the Wolstein Group did not receive one aggressive panhandling ticket over the last year. They have gone to extremes to take the East Bank of the Flats, and have not received one aggressive solicitation ticket. No justice.

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