2002
Accomplishments
A
Message From The Board President
Letter
From Past Director of Operations
2002
Financial Report
2002
Donors
2002
Auction and Annual Dinner Donors
NEOCH
Plans For 2003 and Beyond
Organizing/Advocacy
2002
can best be characterized as for every step forward, we took two steps backward
in our efforts to reduce the number of people without housing in Cuyahoga
County. For example, NEOCH staff
worked with the Cleveland Public Library to develop a fair policy that would
allow homeless people to bring bags and backpacks with them into the library,
but we had battles in two neighborhoods in which residents organized to prevent
homeless social services from developing projects in their residential areas.
NEOCH staff assisted in the creation of a Cuyahoga County Public Policy
Committee, but could not reform the restrictions at the Public Housing Authority
that prevent a number of homeless and disabled people from obtaining a housing
unit. We were successful in getting
the public and elected officials to see the problems at 2100 Lakeside shelter
for men, but we were not able to convince the County to make their funding
decisions
based on the impact programs make in the community or their effectiveness at
operating the program.
Additionally,
NEOCH staff worked on the release of some statistics from the United States
Census, but could not convince local shelters to adopt a discharge policy. We
began a discussion to identify the gaps in health care services to homeless
people, but we could not prevent the move of the Salvation Army PASS program
into the hostile, criminal justice environment of Harbor Light. We assisted with
policy development and research for the National Coalition for the Homeless, but
could not prevent the media from publishing negative stories that made it look
as though the local shelters were harboring criminals.
NEOCH was able to obtain a City and County resolution in support of a
dedicated revenue source for the Housing Trust Fund at the state level; however,
the number of people seeking shelter increased by 15% in Cleveland and overall,
we continued to slip behind in our efforts to end homelessness in Northeast
Ohio.
Public
Education/Research
AmeriCorps*VISTA:
NEOCH have had an amazing group of AmeriCorps*VISTA members this past year.
We hosted eight VISTAs throughout 2002 who worked on a variety of
projects. Our Lead VISTA, Teri’
Donelson, coordinated with the VISTAs throughout
the state, recruited for our programs and did a wonderful job of assisting the
VISTAs with their project goals. We
have VISTAs working on the development of a civil rights program, organizing a
group to improve health care for homeless people, organizing fundraisers for
NEOCH, developing a program for homeless youth, and
developing and implementing a wide variety of public education projects.
It is very rare to have such a dedicated group of national service
members, and we truly appreciate all the
hard work you have done for NEOCH this past year!
Creating
Nurturing Environments
Bridging
the Gap:
With the changing policies at CMHA, Bridging the Gap has had a difficult year. Our applicants, who are not eligible for senior only building
have to suffer the extensive waiting list.
However, we have still been able to assist 87 people with their
application this year. Christal
Jones became the new program director in September
2002 and is assisted by a team of AmeriCorps National Service members.
In her short time here, Christal has reached out to new partner agencies,
begun hosting intake sessions at shelter and drop-in locations and revamped our
database.
Cleveland
Homeless Legal Assistance Program:
The Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance Program took a hiatus throughout most of
2002 due to funding difficulties. We
met several times with the Cleveland Bar Association to find a way to
restructure the program with a smaller budget.
We collectively decided to hire another attorney but on a part-time
basis, and the program would rely more heavily on pro bono attorneys and law
students. By the end of 2002, we
raised enough funds to re-hire on a part-time basis. In February of 2003 we
hired Joan Burda for the Program Director Position. She brings several years of
experience and a strong commitment to serving homeless people with her.
NEOCH look forward to seeing where her energy and new ideas takes the
program.
Homeless Stand Down: NEOCH worked with Interact Cleveland to develop a Stand Down in the winter to provide a day of respite for nearly 500 homeless people. The Stand Down featured counseling, shelter services, a meal, and medical care for mothers and children, and was hosted in 2002 by Old Stone Church.
Empowerment
Cleveland
Community Voice Mail:
Cleveland Community Voice Mail now has 2200 boxes to allocate and in 2002, 1,570
people completed usage of a voice mailbox.
Of those who graduated off voice mail, 80.7% who were seeking housing
found it, 67% found employment and 65.8% maintained a communication link.
In order to help address the difficult fundraising climate, NEOCH
implemented a membership fee for our partner agencies.
Several Community Voice Mail programs around the country have resorted to
some form of membership fee to help sustain their programs.
Our partner agencies now pay a small fee depending on how many boxes they
use. We have lost a few agencies
because of this new policy, but the majority complied.
Homeless
Grapevine:
The Homeless Grapevine
street newspaper still continues to operate steadily.
We published seven issues in 2002. At
the North American Street Newspaper (NASNA) Conference we won an award for
Honorable Mention for best poetry in North America.
The poem that won this honor was co-written by our very own Michael
Gibbs.
A Message From The Board President
The Northeast Coalition of the Homeless (NEOCH) have
developed programs and an advocacy message that remains consistent with the
mission of the organization by empowering and organizing homeless people. The
Board of Trustees of NEOCH is dedicated to making a difference in trying to
eliminate homelessness in Greater Cleveland.
We have constructed a Board forming a firm foundation to protect the
rights of homeless people and figure out ways to best serve their needs.
This may cause tension in the community, but we stand committed to the
broad goals of the organization.
The
NEOCH Board has struggled over the year to balance the demands of maintaining a
strong, vibrant advocacy voice with the pull toward offering direct service.
It is painfully clear to us that we cannot remain a credible voice to
homeless people by ignoring their calls for immediate help.
When we meet on a weekly basis with homeless people, they question us on
how homeless people can remain connected to the community, employers, and
landlords while staying in a shelter. It
is disingenuous to continue to address structural causes and broad solutions to
homelessness, and never attempt to solve the problems faced by homeless people
on a daily basis.
So
therefore, we are reluctantly drawn into overseeing programs that serve homeless
people on a daily basis with their immediate needs.
We have tried not to do direct service, but instead coordinate services
that directly serve homeless people. We
have recently considered the idea of collaborating to provide on-going technical
assistance, training, and client rights protection to the large number of men
using the men’s entry shelter. The
Board decided that we would never again make the mistake of providing technical
assistance to a proposed project, and then step aside and allow it to degenerate
into something in opposition to our mission.
So, we supported one shelter collaboration recently in exchange for
continued involvement to promote civil rights, and client oversight of the
operation and governance of the facility.
As
the country is going through tough economic hardship, and uncertain times
because of a rise in tensions around the world, we struggle with huge increases
in homelessness locally. The
unstable economy has caused an increase in the unemployment rate, and the tight
budgets have threatened our stock of affordable housing only deepens the
homeless crisis. The Greater
Cleveland area needs affordable housing with supportive services that will help
homeless people with entry into permanent housing.
Providing shelter only touches the surface of a growing problem, but does
not address the growing number of homeless people.
We need bold solutions to prevent homelessness and move people quickly
into housing that they can afford.
During the past year, NEOCH has made major steps towards our strategic goals. The overwhelming success our Cleveland Community Voice Mail Program is expanding to Lorain County so those individuals without phone service can have a communication link to the world. The Homeless Teach-Ins have had tremendous response from the community in providing education around homelessness for the community. Our Legal Assistance Program has remained vital to the organization even through the obstacles that were presented this year. In the second year of operation, we served 335 individuals with pending cases, legal advice, and referral assistance. The Homeless Stand Down is one of our major events co-sponsored by Interact Cleveland and we had the honor of serving over 400 homeless people. Our first Annual Dinner and Silent Auction was an excellent fundraising event because we received outstanding support from the community. The main office for NEOCH will be moving to a facility that is more adequate and accessible to serve to the homeless population and the community.
In
2003, The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless will continue to protect the
rights of individuals from exploitation in the shelters, temporary agencies,
health care industry, and by the social service providers. Also, we plan to
actively participate in all the local efforts to find a solution to the ongoing
problem of increasing homelessness in the Greater Cleveland area.
We
also intend to engage in a strategic planning process to evaluate future areas
to concentrate our resources. The
Board of Trustees wants to look at our commitment to our advocacy agenda and
strategies to improve our connection with the homeless community.
We will look at our programming and see if there are possibilities for
spinning those programs to other agencies, and we will set a plan for the agency
over the next five years. We hope
to settle the question of our role in providing services and to construct
criteria for agency involvement in programs that benefit homeless people.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for
the Homeless, we greatly appreciate your support in trying to make all of our
efforts successful.
Sincerely,
Roy C. Love
President of the Board of Trustees for NEOCH
Letter From Past Director Of Operations
It has been an honor to work at the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless
both as an AmeriCorps*VISTA national service member and as the first Director of
Operations. These last three years
at NEOCH have certainly been an adventure—as many of you know, there is never
a dull moment at NEOCH! My primary responsibility as Director of Operations was
to oversee NEOCH’s four programs: Cleveland Community Voice Mail, Bridging the
Gap, Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance Program, and the AmeriCorps*VISTA
program. Although searching for
sustainable funding for these programs has been extremely difficult, it is
rewarding to know that each program provides vital services to homeless people
in Cleveland that they cannot receive anywhere else.
Even though the difference between providing services and acting as an
advocate for homeless people is a fine and sometimes dangerous line to walk, I
am glad NEOCH chooses to take this risk as the benefits to such programs speak
for themselves.
NEOCH
and our fellow advocates truly have our work cut out for us.
We need the support of our community and membership now more than ever.
Fortunately, NEOCH always seems able to draw in dedicated and talented
people. I am confident that Brian
Davis; Teri’ Donelson, NEOCH’s new Director of Operations; the dedicated
Program Directors and the energetic National Service Volunteers will rise to the
challenge in 2003.
It
was a difficult decision to leave NEOCH, and I will greatly miss the staff, the
colorful cast of Homeless Grapevine vendors and other homeless people of whom I
have had the pleasure of meeting.
Sincerely,
Angela
K. Joyce
Past Director of Operations
This
Information based on cash basis accounting, and is not audited to date
Revenue:
Program
Fund Balance 2002 $15,774
Federal
Government $167,509
Foundations
$109,620
Corporations
$18,270
Community
Shares $15,243
Special
Events $14,878
Membership$11,674
Individuals
$11,127
Grapevine
Sales $5,835
Religious
Organizations $5,015
Program
Operations $3,303
Program
Fees $3,264
Other
Revenue Sources $2,344
Total
Revenue 2002 $383,856
Expenses:
Salaries
$231,815
Taxes/Fringe
Benefits $23,729
Professional
Services $26,355
Telephone
$19,269
Program
Operations $13,433
VISTA
Operations $11,628
Office
Rent $8,929
Printing
$8,533
Grapevine
Printing
$7,055
Office
Supplies/Equipment $5,047
Conferences/Memberships
$4,933
Staff
Travel $3,039
Postage
$3,004
Equipment
Maintenance/Purchase $1,915
Program
Fund Balance for 2003 $15,172
Total
Expenses 2002
$383,856
A.T.
& T.
Booz,
Allen , Hamilton
Dominion
Foundation
Executive
Caterers, Inc.
Travelers
Express Co., Inc.
Friedman,
Domiano & Smith, Co., LPA
Leonard
Davis Co., LPA
First
Energy Illuminating Co.
McCarthy
Lebit Crystal &Haiman Foundation
Porter
Wright Morris & Arthur
Hahn,
Loesser & Parks
St.
Angela Social Action
Plymouth
Church of Shaker Heights
Old
Stone Church
Cannon’s
Discretionary
Islamic
Center of Cleveland
Fund
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
St.
James Church
Southwest
Unitarian. Universalist Church
Fairmount
Presbyterian Church
Community
Shares
United
Way Contributors
Individual
Contributions to the Grapevine
Thomas
White Fondation
The
Cleveland Foundation
Murphy
Family Foundation
St.
Luke’s Fondation
St.
Ann Foundation
Deaconess
Foundation
Benjamin
S. Gerson Foundation
Cleveland
Bar Foundation
Individual
Donors to the NEOCH Auction
Case
Western Reserve University
UniversityHospitalsHealthSyst.
Cleveland
State University
Homeless
Grapevine Vendors
Aids
Taskforce of Greater Cleveland
Mac’s
Backs Paperbacks
Cuyahoga
County Auditor
Organizational
Members of NEOCH
Individual Members of the Coalition
The
Hilton Hotel
Rio
Bravo
Chipotle
Penn
Station
Renaissance
Hotel
Great
Lakes Brewing Company
Pickwick
& Frolic
Macaroni
Grill
Malley’s
Chocolate
Cookies
by Design
Panera
Café
Tandoor
Karen
Dessa
Finnerty
One-on-One
Fitness
John
Robert’s Hair Studio
Borders
Bookstore
Target
Stores
Ambiance
Country
Craft Mall
W.25th
Bookstore
Kwik
Car Wash
Bed
Bath & Beyond
Ohio
Bicentennial
Commission
City
Budda
Lake
Metro Parks
Northern
Ohio Golf
Association
Lake
County Captains
Minor League Team
Boston
Mills Ski Resort
Cleveland
Indians
Willoughby
Golf Course
American
Ballroom Center
Cleveland
Browns
Cleveland
Museum of
Natural
History
Fine
Arts Association
I-X
Indoor Amusement Park
Cleveland
Botanical Gardens
Regal
Cinemas
Dobama
Theater
Cleveland
Playhouse
Great
Lakes Theater Festival
Cleveland
Cinemas
Children’s
Museum
Cassidy
Theater
Cleveland
Opera
African
Safari Park
Improv
Comedy Club
Hilarities
Comedy Club
Cuyahoga
Valley
Scenic
Railroad
Trolley
Tours of Cleveland
Petsmart
Circuit
City
Ritz-Carlton
Hotel
Cleveland
Force
Beck
Center for the Arts
Great
Lakes Historical
Society
Mohican
Lodge
Fifth
Third Bank
Jack
Matia Honda in Elyria
Cain
Park
Angela
Joyce
Marilyn
Brest
Inter
Religous Task Force
Donna
Friedrich
Levin
Furniture
AT&T
Wireless
Joseph-Beth
Bookstore
Charter
One Bank
Key
West Bank
The
wonderful ladies who
provided desert
Mayor
Jane Campbell
Commissioner
Peter Lawson Jones
Council
President Frank
Jackson
Radio
Talent April Baer
Sheraton
Cleveland Centre
for
2003 and Beyond
Americorps*VISTA:
It
will be difficult to improve on the wonderful group of VISTAs that have served
over this last
year. We will continue to expand our efforts to develop programs to
serve homeless young people. We will
work on building coalitions to work on solutions to homelessness.
We will work to expand a statewide civil rights
monitoring project, and build the capacity of organizations to empower homeless
people. NEOCH plans to seek funding for
a staff position in 2003 to work on public education campaigns.
Over the last year, many neighborhoods have become battlegrounds to fight
against homeless programs. NEOCH
must assist to reduce the myths with regard to homeless people and convince those
who support finding solutions to homelessness
to speak up with a staff person to fight these not in my backyard extremist
views.
Bridging
the Gap:
This
program had a tremendous set back this last year with the rejection of federal
support.
How a program that helps homeless people get into federally owned housing
would not qualify for federal
continuum of care dollars? Congressman
Kucinich is trying to get an explanation of how placing people in
housing would not be a fundable activity.
While we figure out the next steps, we are looking at refocusing the
program to concentrate on the thousands of Project Based Section 8
buildings in the community. These
units
are all privately owned, and there is no coordination and no central
place for homeless people to go to find out
about vacancies and qualifications for entry.
We feel just cataloguing this resource in the community would be
valuable.
Advocacy/Public
Education: Our
advocacy goals for this year include continuing our work at the state, local and
national level to develop solutions to homelessness. We hope to finally put in place a local plan to set a
comprehensive blueprint for eliminating homelessness in Greater Cleveland
that addressed the roles of each level of government and sets yearly milestones.
We are working on establishing a set of standard for the shelters, and we
will continue to work in our four core areas: health care, civil rights,
economic justice and housing. We
have a comprehensive advocacy agenda for these four areas with priorities and
goals to reach. As always, our single most important mission is to address the
affordable housing crisis that exists by fighting to preserve affordable housing
and expand the existing affordable options that exist in the community.
Community
Voice Mail:
The
program expanded to 2,200 boxes available in the Cuyahoga County, and in
2003 we are working on expanding to
Lorain County. The program is
seeking sustainable sources of funding to preserve this valuable community
resource. Voice Mail continually must train the service providers because
of the high turnover rate.
Homeless
Grapevine:
The
Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless will celebrate 10 years of publishing
Cleveland’s street newspaper. While we are usually embarrassed by
anniversaries because it means another year that we are not doing our job in
ending homelessness, however we are proud of reaching this milestone. We
continue to buck all the trends in publishing by concentrating on what was
described as “uninterrupted depression”
with 16 pages on nothing but poverty. We
have trained nearly 500 people over the 10 years, and many have earned money
enough to get housing. The Homeless
Grapevine joined the North American Street Newspaper
Association, and has broken stories about corrupt charities that led to
indictments. We reported
on a bogus shelter, and major problems with a state funded welfare
program, but in the end we provided an outlet
for homeless people to communicate with the rest of the world. We will continue
to publish and celebrate the ten years of
publishing the voice of poor people, and work on sustaining this valuable
resource.
Homeless
Legal Assistance: We
have hired an attorney to rebuild this program.
We have solidified our relationship with the Cleveland Bar Association, and have constructed
a schedule for all of 2003. We will
look for opportunities to work with local law firms to “adopt” the shelters
in the community so that the homeless individuals that stay at that shelter have
access to an attorney. We hope to expand the scope of the program by utilizing
students and expanding the number of attorney’s volunteering for the program.
Also, this year we intend to address the sustainability of the project by
attempting to stabilize the funding of this vital program inthe community.
These
are our on-going core areas of service that NEOCH will attempt to stabilize in
2003. A few ideas for projects that
homeless people have brought to us that we will try to get organizations to
develop in the community.
1.
A non-profit hiring hall to provide a decent livable wage job that does
not exploit the individual.
2.
A pay to stay shelter in which a person can have some degree of freedom
for a small fee for a bed and locker space.
3.
A central referral center for homeless people or one place that an
individual can go to get information on shelter, housing, education, support
services without bouncing around the city looking for help.
4.
A massive increase in mental health services so that homeless people
would have better access to counseling and other support.
5.
A better system for transporting homeless people to available jobs,
housing, education and support services.