Key Accomplishments in 2018

Following our mission:

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  • We hosted  24 Outreach Collaborative meetings to coordinate outreach services to the two hundred shelter resistance people experiencing homelessness in our community

  • We gave 200 people boots, 105 pairs of tennis shoes, 70 tents, 15,000 pairs of socks.

  • We housed and/or prevented evictions for 120 people.

  • Our Outreach Coordination Collaborative key participants had help people over 30,160 times and supported an estimated 4,000 unique individuals.  

  • During the Polar Vortex, we advocated for 24 hour drop in center,  hosted four emergency  conference calls to identify and schedule multiple outreach visits to  people at risk of freezing to death.

  • We responded to the eviction by the metroparks of 10 residents in a homeless encampment by safely relocating them and advocating publicly for their rights.

  • We hosted our annual homeless memorial for the 83 people that died this year in the homeless community. We also hosted public memorials for the 4 people that died on the streets in 2018.

  • Our lawsuit challenging the practice of purging Ohio voters was heard the United States Supreme Court and continues to remain relevant in Ohio.

  • We advocated and prevented an aggressive solicitation ordinance from being heard at City Council.

  • We registered and got pledges to vote from 400 homeless and housing insecure people for the 2018 election. We also provided transportation to the polls for the week leading up to the elections.  

  • We expanded our Homeless Congress meetings to the West Side. We now host 24 meetings a year to empower people experiencing homelessness to speak their concerns. We hosted Executive Directors of service providers, development organizations, and elected officials to hear directly from people.

  • We expanded our education program to include an in-depth week long immersion experience for colleges to learn about poverty, homelessness, and Cleveland.

  • We published and distributed 10,000 street cards

  • We published four issues of Cleveland’s street newspaper, The Street Chronicle, which were distributed by a dozen vendors with lived experience of homelessness throughout Cleveland.

  • We expanded our training program for social workers, community activist, outreach workers, and services providers from two to ten trainings with a particular focus on LGBTQ and undoing racism.

  • We hosted our first summer internship cohort with five students from CWRU and JCU.

  • We hosted 12 Cuyahoga Alliance on Affordable Housing meetings to study and track trends in affordable housing in our community.

  • Our Street Voices Program spoke at 25 different locations to educate the community on homelessness and dispel stereotypes.

Partnerships

  • Partnered with Downtown Cleveland Alliance to solve transportation issues to and from the shelters.

  • Worked with Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries to find new spaces to meet the needs of the rising family homeless populations.

  • Partnering with Ohio City Incorporated, LAND studio, Port Authority, and others to make sure the homeless residents on River Bed Road are treated with dignity and offered real housing options as the development starts for IrishTown Bend.

  • Helped form a prioritization plan with the county stakeholders group to help the County Council implement its housing plan.

  • Partnered with Legal Aid and the Housing Center for Rights and Research to publish a report about the continued impact of Collateral Sanctions in people reentering life from incarceration.

  • Partnered with HandsOn Northeast Ohio to coordinated transportation from the shelters to The Homeless Stand Down.

Funding, Support, and Financials  

  • Held first fundraising event, NEOCHtoberfest, which generated a net revenue of $17,000+ for general operating to the organization

  • RE-engaged key funders, including Sister of Charity, The Callahan Foundation, The Gund Foundation, St. Luke’s Foundation, Neighborhood Connections.

  • We hosted educational and fundraising events throughout the community in partnership with MOCA, John Carroll University, Oberlin College, among others.

  • Increased our private donor funding.

Strategy, Board Development, and Professional Development  

  • Engaged consultant to perform external scan and SWOT analysis with key partners and funders regarding our transition to new leadership.  

  • Engaged consultant to perform governance and board analysis.

  • Added five new board members to fill strategic needs (legal, development, affordable housing policy).

  • Seeking to generate additional support for key staffing and strategic planning.  

Chris KnestrickNEOCH staff