People at-risk in their housing need to share their story with our elected officials. Anyone who is struggling to pay their rent should let Gov. DeWine and our public officials know that now is not the time to be at-risk in your housing. We need a statewide 90-day moratorium on residential rental evictions with tenant protections for all Ohio renters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreIt is critical that public transit officials acknowledge that there are literally no places besides shelter for people experiencing homelessness to go. Those who are homeless are more likely to ride the bus if it's free, whether or not they are traveling to an essential destination. This is a form of discrimination against those without alternatives, and it also causes unnecessary burden for our community’s essential workers.
Read MoreYou can take these 5 steps to increase the capacity of your organization while supporting work being done on the ground in our community.
Read MoreThere are nearly 2,000 people utilizing emergency shelters and over 200 people are experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the greater Cleveland area. This pandemic will continue to disproportionately impact the unhoused people in our community, especially since many of the unhoused are over 60 and struggle with COPD, asthma, HIV, and other chronic health conditions. A new report from the University of Pennsylvania, UCLA, and Boston University estimates that as many as 40% of people experiencing homelessness could contract the virus, up to 10% could require hospitalization and 2 to 3x as likely to die than the general population. The time to act is now.
Read MoreIn times of crisis, small groups of neighbors come together to meet needs in their community. Learn how to effectively utilize these networks to increase your organization's capacity during the COVID-19 crisis, and those to come.
Read MoreOur community needs to be providing comprehensive support to those “sheltering-in-place” outside. Rather than wait for people experiencing homelessness to grow ill and require quarantine or hospitalization, we can be proactive by putting people who are vulnerable into hotel rooms. Hotel rooms are broadly unoccupied during this crisis and they meet the definition of non-congregate sheltering. What happens when our friends can’t practice social distancing because they must stand in line for shelter and meals? What happens when they can’t stock up on supplies, “go home,” and wait it out?
Read MoreMutual aid provides rapid response assistance to people who desperately need it, without relying on large systems that can be slow to respond. We believe in radically loving our people, uplifting their voices, and responding directly to their needs.
Read MorePlease visit this page for updated information on changes to services and shelter during COVID-19.
Read MoreWe are asking you to add your organization name to this letter to Governor Mike DeWine to urge him to use his emergency powers to protect housing insecure Ohioans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreAs the number of coronavirus infections continues to rise, people experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable. Many people experiencing homelessness already have compromised health in many ways. Many have no choice but to be in congregate settings for sleeping and meals, which can increase the risk of transmission of the virus from person to person.
Read More“I was so incensed at that moment, I cried with anger. I realized that the utility companies are not very good neighbors, and that this scenario is yet another one of those insidious bricks in America’s system of structural racism,” recalls Garth. “I cried as I realized how easily one can slip into homelessness. I was told that some landlords will evict you if your utilities are off, including CMHA.”
Read MoreJoin us as we present the current state of homelessness in our community! We will look at the accomplishments of NEOCH in the past year. The Annual Meeting will take place at 6pm at St. Paul’s Community Church on Thursday, March 12th.
Read More1) Homeless individuals can receive SNAP, even if they get meals at a shelter.
2) The 3-month time limit for SNAP is returning on April 1, 2020 in most counties.
3) Anyone unable to attend an in-person “work assessment” at 1641 Payne Ave (VEB Building) can request a good cause exemption by calling 216-987-6820.
4) Those who receive “expedited SNAP” must submit all requested verification to keep getting SNAP beyond the first month.
Learn to identify the root causes of problems in your community, the key players involved, and how to come together to solve those problems through collective action. Participants will leave with the tools they need to make change, as well as a crash course in how to bring our best selves to cause.
Read MoreCome enjoy music and learn more about supporting NEOCH's advocacy and organizing work to end homelessness! Music starts at 7pm. $1 for every beer purchased at The BottleHouse Brewery Lakewood that evening will be donated to NEOCH!
Read MoreOur friends at the National Coalition for the Homeless launched the Housing NOW! 2020 campaign, a national call to action that is designed to re-energize local, state, and national advocates to come together to demand a significant increase in federal funding that keeps pace with rising local needs. It is based on the premise that housing is a human right and homelessness is NOT inevitable.
The following myths are part of our Myths of Homelessness series to help expose #RealFactsonHomelessness related to housing, homelessness, and funding.
Read MoreBy: Natalie Ziegler & Joe Gaston
Sleeping, a human necessity, is not free from the racism and classism that shape social and political life in the city of Cleveland. The conventional wisdom about sleep suggests that adults need at least seven hours of sleep in order to stay healthy and function well. Conventional wisdom also suggests that external factors and conditions necessary for an adequate amount of sleep include a comfortable sleeping position in a safe and secure environment.
Read MoreA number of reports are highlighting anticipated federal actions to address homelessness that would shift federal funding priorities in a major way. There are several highly concerning aspects of rumored changes, specifically around the criminalization of homelessness.
Read MoreA new report from the Cleveland Reentry Housing Committee highlights the extent to which Cuyahoga County’s federally subsidized housing providers may deny housing based upon prior criminal convictions. The report, “A Never-Ending Sentence: The Impact of Criminal Conviction in Project-Based Section 8 Housing Tenant Selection Plans in Cuyahoga County,” addresses the collateral consequences of criminal convictions on access to the county’s subsidized housing.
Read MoreThanks to our friends at the National Coalition for the Homeless, Housing NOW! 2020 is a national call to action to end homelessness. This campaign is designed to re-energize local, state, and national advocates to come together to demand a significant increase in federal funding that keeps pace with rising local needs. It is based on the premise that housing is a human right and homelessness is NOT inevitable.
For the next few months, we will share 14 Myths of Homelessness and #RealFactsonHomelessness to help expose myths related to housing, homelessness, and funding.
Read More
