Resident Leaders Guide Shelter

The men who stay at 2100 Lakeside have elected leadership, and they have compiled a list of the items that they want to see for the future of the shelter. These are the suggestion of programs or policies that need to stay in place or need to be improved with a New Contract for the Men’s Shelter. This was agreed on at the Meeting of the Resident Council of the 2100 Lakeside Avenue Shelter on August 10, 2004

• Keep the sobriety in the shelter by utilizing different communities.

• Need to keep the current management in place as well as their philosophy for how to run the shelter.

• Should keep all Communities, so that the shelter is divided up into smaller, easier to manage units.

• Need to keep “overflow” site to keep the peace at the shelter.

• Need to maintain relationships with agencies that currently come in to work with residents, like Care Alliance, VA, AIDS Task Force, and Community Resources. Activities, like anger management groups and morning reflections work well also.

• The system of staff, monitors, and stipend workers that is in place is effective, but can use improvements, like having more paid professional staff.

• More professional staffing will help residents link up with jobs, housing, and other opportunities.

• The Community Service Institute that is set up is valuable to many of the residents and the local community.

• The current building at 2100 Lakeside Avenue is certainly workable with additional space needed.

• Should take possession of an empty building (maybe the building next door) for use as housing/overflow/shelter.

• Should bring in a GED program or have a connection to make a GED program more accessible.

• Need to have more variation in food offered. Not balanced at all.

• Should have library access and access to computer terminals to allow residents to learn how to work with computers and allow them to take advantage of this valuable resource.

• Improvement of mental health services at the shelter.

• Should improve job training and jobs program.

• Should have more 24-hour services offered to the men.

• Should get a medical staff on-site. In other cities, hospitals take over one section of the beds and provide medical staff. This should not come out of the existing budget

• Should have an internal communication device, like a newsletter.

• Should get State and County Agencies to come in, like they do with Food Stamps. Residents need help getting Disability Assistance, SSI, Child Support, etc.

 Copyright Homeless Grapevine Issue 66 in September 2004 Cleveland, Ohio