Free Webinar: Advocacy, Homelessness Prevention, and Resources in the Time of COVID-19

Untangle the web of challenges currently facing housing insecure people in Ohio, and discuss the response from local, state, and federal agencies.

Discover what resources are currently available for homelessness prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep people stable in their housing. Discuss gaps within the CARES Act and what proactive steps can be taken to keep people housed and to address groups most strongly impacted by structural inequity. Advocates, attorneys, and public officials come together to inform those working and living in northeast Ohio of available resources, what their rights are, and where further advocacy is still needed.

Participants will gain a clear picture of the complex housing landscape by getting up-to-date information about funding, policy, and available resources. They will also learn about ongoing housing advocacy efforts aimed at keeping vulnerable residents housed during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Ohio’s unemployment platform has struggled to keep up with the surge in applications from workers laid off due to the pandemic. We will cover what workers can and should expect from the unemployment application process. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program changes will also be discussed, and participants will leave better equipped to maximize the benefits their clients receive. Information on available rental assistance will be detailed, as well as what resources are available to tenants if they are at risk for eviction.

All of these issues are intertwined with racism and other forms of systemic oppression, which compound hardship for Ohio’s most marginalized residents. Margaret Mitchell, president and CEO of YWCA of Greater Cleveland, will discuss racism as a public health issue and how that affects housing insecure people.