The Indigent Cremation Program Through the City of Cleveland

If a person is indigent and cannot afford a burial, the Cleveland Department of Public Health offers an Indigent Cremation Program. The deceased person has to have been a resident of the City of Cleveland with a Cleveland address, even if the address is a shelter.  The next of kin can call (216) 664-2317 to apply for the program.  They have to provide the following:

Deceased’s Name

Date of Birth

Date of Death

City of Cleveland Address

Social Security #

Place where the body is

Name and Number of Person applying for the Indigent Cremation Program

The program includes the cremation and a brief viewing for the immediate family only.

By Ohio law each city has to have something in place for indigent cremations. If outside of a city, call the municipality or township in which the person resided. If the deceased person is outside of the City of Cleveland, call the city or township where the person resided. “If the person was a legal resident of the county, the proper officers of the township or municipal corporation in which the person's body was found shall cause it to be buried or cremated at the expense of the township or municipal corporation in which the person had a legal residence at the time of death,” per section 1713.34 of the Revised Code.[i]

[i] Accessed 2/26/18 at http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/gp9.15.