We are asking you to add your organization name to this letter to Governor Mike DeWine to urge him to use his emergency powers to protect housing insecure Ohioans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was so incensed at that moment, I cried with anger. I realized that the utility companies are not very good neighbors, and that this scenario is yet another one of those insidious bricks in America’s system of structural racism,” recalls Garth. “I cried as I realized how easily one can slip into homelessness. I was told that some landlords will evict you if your utilities are off, including CMHA.”

Join us as we present the current state of homelessness in our community! We will look at the accomplishments of NEOCH in the past year. The Annual Meeting will take place at 6pm at St. Paul’s Community Church on Thursday, March 12th.

1) Homeless individuals can receive SNAP, even if they get meals at a shelter.
2) The 3-month time limit for SNAP is returning on April 1, 2020 in most counties.
3) Anyone unable to attend an in-person “work assessment” at 1641 Payne Ave (VEB Building) can request a good cause exemption by calling 216-987-6820.
4) Those who receive “expedited SNAP” must submit all requested verification to keep getting SNAP beyond the first month.

Come enjoy music and learn more about supporting NEOCH's advocacy and organizing work to end homelessness! Music starts at 7pm. $1 for every beer purchased at The BottleHouse Brewery Lakewood that evening will be donated to NEOCH!

Our friends at the National Coalition for the Homeless launched the Housing NOW! 2020 campaign, a national call to action that is designed to re-energize local, state, and national advocates to come together to demand a significant increase in federal funding that keeps pace with rising local needs. It is based on the premise that housing is a human right and homelessness is NOT inevitable.

The following myths are part of our Myths of Homelessness series to help expose #RealFactsonHomelessness related to housing, homelessness, and funding.

By: Natalie Ziegler & Joe Gaston

Sleeping, a human necessity, is not free from the racism and classism that shape social and political life in the city of Cleveland. The conventional wisdom about sleep suggests that adults need at least seven hours of sleep in order to stay healthy and function well. Conventional wisdom also suggests that external factors and conditions necessary for an adequate amount of sleep include a comfortable sleeping position in a safe and secure environment.

A number of reports are highlighting anticipated federal actions to address homelessness that would shift federal funding priorities in a major way. There are several highly concerning aspects of rumored changes, specifically around the criminalization of homelessness.

A new report from the Cleveland Reentry Housing Committee highlights the extent to which Cuyahoga County’s federally subsidized housing providers may deny housing based upon prior criminal convictions. The report, “A Never-Ending Sentence: The Impact of Criminal Conviction in Project-Based Section 8 Housing Tenant Selection Plans in Cuyahoga County,” addresses the collateral consequences of criminal convictions on access to the county’s subsidized housing.   

 Thanks to our friends at the National Coalition for the Homeless, Housing NOW! 2020 is a national call to action to end homelessness. This campaign is designed to re-energize local, state, and national advocates to come together to demand a significant increase in federal funding that keeps pace with rising local needs. It is based on the premise that housing is a human right and homelessness is NOT inevitable.

For the next few months, we will share 14 Myths of Homelessness and #RealFactsonHomelessness to help expose myths related to housing, homelessness, and funding.

The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless is seeking dynamic individuals who are interested in serving on the Board of Directors. Professionals, lawyers, community members, accountants, activists, and people with lived experience who support our mission to end homelessness by organizing and empowering homeless and at-risk men, women and children to break the cycle of poverty through public education, advocacy and the creation of nurturing environments are welcome to apply.

Email chris@neoch.org for more information.

Join NEOCH and Cleveland homeless advocates on Monday, January 6th, to call on City Council to take measurable action on a community cold weather plan.

Join Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and the broader Cleveland Community to demand action to keep our cold weather hospitality center open. As 6 people have frozen to death in our community in the last 2 years and Councilwoman Dona Brady is trying to shutdown UCC Denison and Metanoia, we are demanding swift and immediate action from our elected officials!

The Candlelight Memorial will take place on Friday, December 20, 2019 at the West Side Catholic Center at 3135 Lorain Ave. at 2 p.m. We will remember our family and friends with candles, prayers, and the reading of their names. State Senator Nickie J. Antonio will be offering short remarks to honor those who have passed.