Volunteer Opportunity on Election Day

We have a fantastic opportunity to volunteer on Election Day Tuesday November 6—anytime.  We are looking for volunteers to transport homeless people back to their polling place of origin.  If people have become homeless anytime over the last 30 days, they might need a ride back to their polling place to vote.  We have notified shelters that we are available to help.   We still need volunteers early 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and late 3 to 6 p.m.  If you have a car and can help, give us a call at 216-432-0540.  If it is after business hours leave a message at ext. 100.   Or just send an e-mail back to this e-mail letting us know your availability.   We really need your help to assure that homeless people have access to the ballot box.  We have an entire homeless voting section here.

Brian Davis and Larry Davis

216/432-0540

Voting Changes Needed

As of October 20, 613,000 Ohioans have returned their absentee ballot by mail.  There are 750,000 who had requested an absentee ballot but not returned those ballots yet in Ohio as of Saturday.  In Cuyahoga County 12% of the voters have returned their ballot with 132,000 still outstanding.  Cuyahoga County has a return rate as 45% and Franklin County has a 55% and Hamilton County has a 53% return rate while Mahoning County is leading the state with a 57% return rate.  If your family or friends have not returned their ballot yet, please encourage them to dropping off their ballot at the board or mailing those into the Board (remember the extra postage).

We are still offering rides to the Board of Elections to take your constituents to vote early.  Voting early will allow the voter to provide the last four digits of their social security number instead of having to show ID as they would on election day.  For low income people it is much better to vote early at the board of elections site.  That staff over on East 30^th and Euclid are professional, efficient and will do a good job explaining the rules to the citizens so that their vote will count.  If you need to schedule a ride give us a call at 216/432-0540. 

Also, on our website we added some statistics on voter turnout rates and registration rates around the world.  Unfortunately, the United States is on the bottom of the list of the number of citizens registered to vote down with Cameroon with only 82% of our citizens registered in 2008.  Here is the link to the site. This just reinforces the need for dramatic changes in the voting procedures in the United States.  This is something that should be taken up as a constitutional amendment:

• Mandatory registration/voting requirements.  You should pay an additional tax if you choose not to vote.
• Minimum standards for registering every citizen in every state including the distribution of free identification to protect the vote.
• Ending all barriers to participating in democracy including challengers at the polling places.
• Removing oversight elections from the parties.  This should be operated in a non-partisan manner throughout the United States, and independents should have a seat at the table.
• Voting should not be tied to a house.  You should be able to cast a statewide only ballot or a county wide ballot if you choose. 
• Setting a goal to have 95% registered by the next presidential election. 

NEOCH will be doing a ton of work on Election Day.   If you would like to volunteer on Election Day to help get homeless people to vote, please give us a call.  Since the change of address deadline in Ohio was October 9, there are many who became homeless over the last month.  They may be registered in another area of the county or in a surrounding county and need a ride back to their polling place of origin in order to vote.  We can offer rides back to the polling place for residents of the shelter to assure that they can vote.  We will also be available at NEOCH to answer questions about ID provisions, where a person is supposed to vote, or if they need a ride to a distant polling place.  We will be available all day to answer  questions or respond to problems.  Call if you want to volunteer at 216/432-0540.

Brian Davis

All posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry

MedWorks Medical Care this Weekend at J Glen Smith

Organize Ohio Fair Lending Conference Friday

	Foreclosures – Fair Lending Solutions Conference You are invited to the 22nd Fair Lending Conference sponsored by Organize Ohio and the Ohio Fair Lending Coalition  It is being held at the Trinity Commons,  2230 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio  on Friday, October 26th  from 8:30am -3:30 pm .  The cost is $15 which includes continental breakfast and lunch.  It is free for students with ID's.  CLEs and CEUs will be available at no cost for attending attorneys and social workers.  Among the speakers will be State Senator Nina Turner and Stella Adams, Director of the National Fair Housing Academy. (1)    1.  An Update On Foreclosures --- this panel will address the “shadow inventory” of foreclosures; the City of Cleveland’s legal settlement, through Neighborhood Progress, Inc., with lender-servicers; “mortgage strikes,” a new initiative to tackle underwater mortgages; and establishing priorities for the Cuyahoga County Land Bank. (2  2.  Bipartisan Efforts to Rebuild Ohio’s Cities – through bipartisan cooperation, Ohio will devote 100% of its Attorney General’s housing settlement funds, $93 million, to housing needs. Ohio is among few states which will spend100% of housing settlement funds on pressing housing issues. The panel will feature Matt Lampke from the Ohio Attorney General's office and Jim Rokakis, director of the Thriving Communities Institute.  (3  3.  Race and Lending in Housing: How lender Servicers Have Handled Mortgage Modifications in Communities of Color – featuring Stella Adams, Director of the National Fair Housing Training Center.   4. A New Problem: Rising Single Family Rentals in the Suburbs – featuring housing professionals from First Ring Cleveland suburbs. For more information and to sign up for the conference go to http://organizeohio.org/22nd-annual-fair-lending-conference.html

Food Bank Expanding to Increase Food Stamp Utilization

The Cleveland Foodbank Help Center is officially open.  They have four new full time staff dedicated to answering the phones, completing applications, and helping community members access a variety of nutrition based and other programs.  The rates of food stamp/SNAPS programs is relatively low considering how many people are eligible for the help.  This is especially true among those who leave shelter who we find only 68% of the families leaving shelter receive food stamps. These services are needed in the region. 

The Food Bank Program is able to direct anyone in their 6 county service area (Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula, Richland, and Ashland) to the pantry, hot meal, or produce distribution site that is closest to their home, through a quick phone call.  They are also able to complete applications OVER THE PHONE for benefits including Food Assistance (Food Stamps), Cash Assistance (Welfare), Medical, Utility, and other programs available through the Ohio Benefit Bank. 

This is the first location in Northeast Ohio to be able to help connect people to these program applications over the phone.  They have trained Benefit Counselors that can help walk a client through the whole process and help them understand and navigate the system.  There are more than 50,000 people in our community that are eligible for assistance and are using the benefits they deserve simply because they don’t know they are available.  The Food Bank staff take calls Monday through Friday from 10am- 4p.m.   This allows us to remove the barrier of transportation and help people navigate the difficult path of asking for assistance.   The Help Center Number 216-738-2067 or toll free at 1-855-738-2067.

The Food Bank can also send staff out to a location to talk to groups of clients/ staff directly about benefits that are available for them.  They can schedule a time to talk to staff at a meeting or a gathering of social workers.  They can pass out flyers or referral sheets about the services available.

For more information on the services go to the Food Bank's website or you can e-mail  Manager of Benefits Outreach, Jamie Sullivan at jsullivan (at) clevelandfoodbank (dot) org.

Brian Davis

Posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry.