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FAQ^s

Frequently Asked Questions:

These are questions that have come to our website more than once over the last few years.  Staff of the Coalition have answered these questions.  If you would like to follow up on one of these answers or ask a questions go to our “submit a question” section. (Private Questions)

         1.     What can I do to help?

Answer:  There is so much to do both to directly serve the population with sustenance and indirect assistance to provide social justice to the population.  We have a section on our website that gives a good overview of volunteering (Volunteer Page).  We also have a section on areas in the community that need your help.  (Volunteering - Direct Service Opportunities).   These worthwhile programs are always looking for people to help.  Please after providing a nurturing meal or a warm blanket, please turn your attention to the injustice of homelessness.  Make some room in your life to volunteer on advocacy efforts to end homelessness.  Keep informed and keep us in mind with our sheet on (Things that We Can All Do to Win the Battle Against Homelessness) the things that we can all do to address poverty.  Besides the advocacy work of the Coalition, there are more mundane activities that we need help with to keep our doors open (Volunteer With NEOCH).  Whatever you decide please keep in mind that the goal is to end homelessness for everyone as soon as possible.

         2.     Where can I donate items to be given to homeless people and not sold? 

Answer: The issue is that the programs that will give clothing and other items directly to homeless people at no cost do not have the resources to pick up those donations.  The only way to get donations directly to homeless people is to give it to them personally or donate directly to the shelters or the two drop in centers (Cosgrove and West Side Catholic).   The Coalition has the best success with donating to the City Mission and West Side Catholic.  We have worked with them for years and have every confidence in their reliability.   They are very good about giving out donated items to homeless people and they have a regular weekly schedule to distribute items. 

         3.     Do the shelters collect money based on the number of people that enter every night?

Answer:  No.  This is perhaps the biggest myth in the homeless community.  None of the emergency shelters get paid by the person coming in the door.  They each have a set budget for the year no matter how many people enter the shelter.  The Emergency Shelter funds from FEMA are strictly based on the percentage of the total beds in the community. So for example, 2100 Lakeside has 61% of the shelter beds and so they get 61% of the funds.   Most of the other funding is based on a historical split of the funding.  The Salvation Army was requesting a per person set dollar amount for running the shelter at 2100 Lakeside, but this could not be negotiated with the County and they eventually left oversight of the shelter.  The mental health agencies and some of the treatment facilities in the community are reimbursed through Medicaid, Alcohol and Drug Board, or the Mental Health Board based on a per client rate. 

         4.     Why do we need a local advocacy organization for homeless people?

Answer:  It seems that in an environment of shrinking resources and expanding numbers of homeless people that the last thing needed is an organization that does not provide one meal, one shelter bed, or one unit of housing.  The problem is that shelters save lives, but do not solve homelessness.  Meals are essential, but they do not solve homelessness.  The only way to solve homelessness is to have one organization working on this problem full time (Solutions to Homelessness).  There has to be an organization that keeps the issue in the face of the media.   There has to be an organization that keeps politicians focused on the end of homelessness. A quick look at the United States shows that the cities with a strong local Coalition working independently on solving homelessness are in a better position than those without a Coalition representing the interests of homeless people.  The reality is that the shelter staffed are overwhelmed and stretched to the point of breaking.  They move from one crisis to the next, and do not have time to come up for a breath let alone worry about solving poverty issues in the community. 

     5.     Isn’t the problem too big to solve because the poor will always be with us?

Answer: For the foreseeable future we may have poor people, but that does not mean that the United States has to have homeless people. Eventually, we will end the greed and realize that everyone benefits when the standard of living is raised for everyone, but until then we could still solve homelessness. We are the richest country on the planet, and we have placed men on the moon, so homelessness should be a piece of cake. We spend a great deal of time making homelessness into a complicated matter that only “professionals” can handle. In the end, the bottom line is that a certain segment of our population cannot find safe, decent, and adequate housing. This is not a huge obstacle for a country that created the Clapper, the Ginsu knives, Mt. Rushmore, and conquered travel by plane. We can move mountains, bring a country out of depression, and eliminate a number of diseases from the face of the planet. Surely, we can end homelessness in the United States.

     6.     How do I get into shelter?

Answer: The best way to get into shelter is to call First Call for Help/211 at 216/436-2000 or by dialing 2-1-1. FCH/211 does a census of every shelter at least once a day. They know which shelters have availability and which are full. They will try to place you in the most appropriate facility in the community. If it is not possible to call, the two entry shelters in our community always have open doors. The Community Women’s Shelter at East 22nd and Payne Avenue can help single women and families led by women find a place to live at night. The men’s shelter at 2100 Lakeside is always available to men in need of a warm place to sleep. These two facilities are the starting point to move into the rest of the shelters.

 

     7.     Where can I find shelter?

Answer: Nearly every shelter is full every night. While the entry shelters will offer a bed, the other shelters are usually full. Calling First Call for Help/2-1-1 or 216/436-2000 is the key to knowing which shelter has availability. The only way to get into the other shelters is persistence. Calling and getting on the waiting lists is critical to moving out of the two entry shelters. The person in need of housing is the best advocate for making this move to one of the smaller shelters in the community. Our only advise is: “Don’t give up hope.” It might take some time, but most people are able to find stable housing after a period of homelessness. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
 

Answers by the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless www.neoch.org