Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless
3631 Perkins Ave. #3A-3 @ www.neoch.org
Cleveland, Ohio 44114 216/432-0540 FAX 216/432-0620
Press Release
For More Information, Call: Brian Davis from NEOCH at (216)432-0540.
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3631 Perkins Ave. #3A-3 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 |
August 31, 2005 |
Kucinich’s District Office Intervenes to Bring Parties to the Table Over Women’s Shelter
District Office Staff from Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s Lakewood Office have asked for a “cooling off” period and face to face negotiations to work out this conflict over the problems at the Community Women’s Shelter. Late on Tuesday August 30, 2005, Martin Gelfand, attorney and staff member of Dennis Kucinich asked for an opportunity to sit down with the Coalition for the Homeless and Mental Health Services to come to a compromise over the shelter. Kucinich has always advocated for improvements in the conditions of homeless people. He has the trust of the homeless community and the trust of the social service providers, and it is hoped will find a solution to the level of anger and fear that has developed at the shelter. Kucinich has repeatedly challenged HUD decisions about local programs cut in the annual Continuum of Care funding. He has fought to preserve funding for Mental Health Services, which administers the Community Women’s Shelter, as well as proposed cuts to the Coalition for the Homeless. The Kucinich Lakewood office coordinated a planning process to end homelessness and held a hearing in the 1990s with homeless people testifying about being swept from the Downtown.
Gelfand will convene meetings next week between the Coalition and the administrator of the Community Women’s Shelter in the hopes of resolving the issues raised by NEOCH. The Coalition agreed to delay the “Help us Reform Guantanamo Bay Shelter” until October 14. “If we cannot workout the problems at the shelter, we will continue with our advocacy efforts beginning with an October 14 protest. We are certainly not abandoning the women at the shelter, and hope to involve them in the discussions with management of the shelter in a safe environment,” said Brian Davis, director of NEOCH.