Our Team

Latanya “Toni” Burton-Mickey

she/her

Toni serves as NEOCH’s Office Manager and provides support for NEOCH’s advocacy and organizing work, specifically with the Homeless Congress and the Cleveland Street Chronicle. She is also responsible for incoming and outgoing donations. Toni began working at NEOCH in February 2018. She received an Associate of Arts and Associated Sciences degree from Cuyahoga Community College in 2006 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Administration and an MBA in Healthcare Management from Ursuline College in 2012 and 2016, respectively.

 In her free time, she does ministry work with Five Ladies Delivering Hands. Through this effort, she feeds those experiencing homelessness, as well as procuring and distributing items in her neighborhood Newburgh Heights and other neighborhoods throughout the city of Cleveland.

Josiah Quarles

he/him

Josiah Quarles is NEOCH’S Director of Organizing and Advocacy. A long-time soccer coach, he views the sport as an apex of cooperation, communication, skill building, and endurance. Nurturing these attributes while appreciating the dignity and creative sovereignty of the individual permeates the way he thinks about organizing. The interplay of freedom and structure, space and connectivity, urgency and patience animate the points of tension that create moments of brilliance in what they call the “beautiful game”, and in movement work. 

Josiah has a background in grassroots organizing, public speaking, education, sport-based youth development, and multimedia arts. Social Justice and the liberation struggle have been at the heart of many of his professional and artistic endeavors. He views two-way education, community-based solutions, and decentralized power building as fundamentally essential to challenging the politics and policies that have codified the oppression and disenfranchisement of so many. Housing is foundational to creating community stability, safety and success, and he is happy to help lay that foundation.

Torria Catrone

she/her

Housing Justice Community Organizer

Torria graduated in May 2024 from Denison University with degrees in Journalism and Political Science. Her passion is in advocacy that centers community storytelling and aims to influence policy in ways big and small. As a Housing Justice Community Organizer, Torria is learning what it means to build collective power that’s sustainable and centers long-marginalized voices. She is humbled to be walking alongside Clevelanders in the fight for housing equity.

Mike Jones

he/him

Mike Jones works at NEOCH as our Justice Housing Strategist in our Organizing and Advocacy team.

“Being bi-racial my father (deceased), is African American and my mother is Puerto Rican, I often struggled as a youth with racism and discrimination both within my immediate family and in the community. Being a preachers’ kid, the values of keeping Matthew 25 Alive, were instilled in me at an early age: When I was hungry you fed me, thirsty you gave me drink, naked you gave me clothes, homeless you gave me shelter and in prison you visited me, this is my moral compass in which I live by daily as I try to serve the community through service and advocacy. I enjoy helping R.E.P.A.I.R. (Restoring Ethnic Pride Among Inner-City People), our broken communities and always seek to serve and support people in underserved and impoverished communities giving them real H.O.P.E. (Have Only Positive Expectations) through the 7 E’s (Breaking The Cycle Inc), the 4 F’s (Building Freedom Ohio) and NEOCH’s Core Values.”

Anthony Bennett

He/him

Anthony Bennett is the Development Director for the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) and a proud Cleveland native. A lifelong supporter of the Cavs and Guardians, with unwavering hope for the Browns, Anthony brings his deep love for the city into everything he does.

He is passionate about uplifting neighbors in need and strengthening the community he calls home. With a background in performing arts, theater, and spoken word, Anthony carries the heart of an artist into his work, using creativity and compassion to build meaningful connections.

When he’s not advocating for housing justice, Anthony enjoys time with his dog Arya and remains grounded by the love of his sisters and mother.

Kathryn Boor

she/her they/them

Kathryn joined the NEOCH team in August 2023 as a Communications Coordinator and manages NEOCH’s social media platforms, e-newsletters, and print media to increase public awareness of NEOCH’s mission, advocacy work, and resources available in Northeast Ohio. 

Kathryn graduated from The Modern College of Design in Dayton Ohio in 2022 with a Bachelor’s in Design Thinking and Graphic Design. They are passionate about linking their community with social movements through social media and the design thinking process. They were active in helping Love on a Mission in Mansfield, Ohio and helped found a GSA in college. Now Kathryn is focusing on applying their design work to helping create a better future one project at a time. 

Chelsea Horvath-Black

She/her

Chelsea Horvath Black is NEOCH’s Director of Street Outreach. Chelsea lives and works as an artist, mother, educator, and social worker. Each of these roles inform her work as a community oriented and socially engaged nonprofit leader, dedicated to highlighting the beauty and meaning that exists in vulnerable spaces, people, and relationships.

Chelsea has a portfolio of work in community-based approaches to homelessness spanning more than a decade in New York City, New Jersey, and Shanghai, China. Chelsea has a B.S. in Art Education from Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Art, and a Master of Social Work in Organizational Management from Hunter College—City University of New York. Her background in homelessness includes therapeutic group work, drop-in center and shelter operations, and program leadership for multi-city street outreach and volunteer mobilization. A firm believer that all people have the responsibility and ability to contribute their innate gifts and bestowed resources towards the restoration of humanity, Chelsea chooses to invest herself in work that effectively encourages collective curiosity and care for human growth.

Jonathan “2 braids” Harris

he/him

Jonathan Harris, who commonly goes by “2 Braids” to those who know him, has deep roots in his hometown of Cleveland. Jonathan began his work to end homelessness by experiencing homelessness himself. After staying at 2100 and working with street outreach workers in our community, he got into a place of his own and became an Outreach Trainee with NEOCH in 2018. He is now a full-time Outreach Worker ending homelessness for veterans in our community.

2 Braids has a passion for service, helping others, and building trusting relationships with people on and off the streets. In his free time, he is an active member of his church community and he loves to go on long drives (sometimes you’ll even find a client with him who has become a friend).

Patrick Bebie

he/him

Patrick is coming to NEOCH from the harm reduction field where he provided syringe services. Continuing to work in the atypical public health field, Patrick is working with participants find stability through the Home for Every Neighbor program. 

Patrick was brought to this work after graduating with a degree in political science where he focused on drug policy failures in relation to the drug overdose crisis. Following school, Patrick joined Americorp and was embedded in syringe service program in Pueblo, Co. Working with vulnerable communities directly, as well as his classroom work, radicalized Patrick to work to address the massive, multi-faceted public health crisis (houselessness, drug related fatalities,  blood borne illness, gaps in mental health services) that is devastating our community locally and nationally. 

Dennis Ashton

he/him

Dennis grew up in Washington D.C. and has lived in Cleveland for the last 40 years. Over the years, he has worked in a variety of trades, including pipefitting, construction, and manufacturing. Dennis started working with the unhoused at the Bishop Cosgrove Center and as a staff member at The Metanoia Project, providing overnight hospitality to those who are unsheltered during the winter months. Dennis started as an Outreach Worker at the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) in November of 2019.

He enjoys the work he does because he loves helping people and giving back to his community. At NEOCH, Dennis spends his time out in the community, meeting people experiencing homelessness where they are and matching them with the resources they need to get into housing. Dennis lives in Shaker Heights and is the proud father of a son, Puff, who lives in Washington D.C., and a daughter, Taylor, who lives in Cleveland. 

Drew Martin

They/them/any

Drew Martin graduated from Purdue University with a major in Philosophy and a minor in Political Science. They first moved to Cleveland in 2020 shortly after graduating and they decided that they wanted to work in the nonprofit sector. Drew has a passion for working with others to combat systemic societal issues and better the lives of others. They believe that the greatest strength we have as a species is each other.

Drew believes that there isn’t just one way to do things. Rather progress comes from having a diversity of opinions, backgrounds, and strategies. A plurality of tactics is what’s necessary to combat oppression and injustice.

In their free time, Drew likes to play TTRPGs (mainly D&D) and make art.

Mik Lumumba

He/him

Mikail Lumumba—known to many simply as Mik—is an Outreach Navigator for the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH). He began this chapter of his career at the end of summer 2025, working with the City of Cleveland’s Home for Every Neighbor initiative.

No stranger to homelessness, substance use disorder, or mental health challenges, Mik has transformed his personal journey of recovery and wellness into a passionate career of service. Drawing from his own experiences living on the streets and as a survivor of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, Mik brings a rare depth of understanding and empathy to his work. He knows firsthand the struggles faced by displaced citizens and is committed to helping others until they can help themselves, believing that one of the worst feelings is not knowing that help exists—or that someone truly cares.

Mik’s goal and purpose as an Outreach Navigator is to aid and assist individuals on their journey out of homelessness, alcoholism, addiction, and mental health issues—barriers that have long crippled progress and productivity today. He is dedicated to giving back what was so freely given to him: a chance, an opportunity, and hope.

Mik holds an associate’s degree in liberal arts from Cuyahoga Community College, a Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant (CDCA) certification, is a Certified Peer Recovery Supporter, and a Qualified Mental Health Specialist. He is currently working toward completing his bachelor’s degree in social work, continuing to build his skills and capacity to serve others.

Through both lived experience and professional training, Mik strives to be a beacon of support and hope for those seeking a path to recovery and stability.

Khorianna

she/her

Khorianna is the HOPWA Manager and Outreach Specialist for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program at NEOCH. She works closely with individuals with HIV/AIDS, experiencing homelessness and collaborates with the Nueva Luz Urban Resource Center and the Aids Taskforce of Greater Cleveland. Khorianna ensures clients’ housing needs are always met and as a proud Black woman with lived experience in homelessness, she brings an insightful perspective and knowledge to her clients and the systems she works in.

Khorianna is also a Public Opinion Leader (POL) for the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland and an advocate for the Transgender community. With her extensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS, Monkeypox, and prevention, she goes out into the community to spread awareness, educate, and provide safe sex materials and community resources.

Khorianna was able to take in two young individuals from the LGBTQIA + community who needed support and motherly love. At home, she enjoys spending time with her guinea pig, “Luna”, as well as making art, playing video games, and watching anime with her family.

Khorianna hopes to shed light and bring change to the treatment of the Trans community, ensuring that trans individuals receive proper health care, equal opportunities, and compassion.

Bronze

he/him they/them

Bronze (he/they) is looking forward to bringing their passion for advocating with and for our most marginalized neighbors to their role as the LGBTQ+ Youth Navigator at NEOCH (Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless).  Bronze centers empathetic and equitable access to resources, education, culturally resonant care and connection, and joy. These core concerns are the foundation of their work within campaigns, collectives, organizations, and universities in both Chicago and Cleveland. Bronze is grateful to have dedicated a decade of mutual uplift to their communities, and over 5 years of service to LGBTQ+ youth and young adults specifically.  They also value arts and culture, and believe strongly in the resiliency and power of the people as it shows up in archives, collective memory, storytelling, and creative works.

Evan O'Reilly

he/him

Evan joined NEOCH in the fall of 2025 as an LGBTQ+ Young Adult Navigator. He is driven by an unshakeable belief that every single person deserves dignity and security, and has been proud to live that belief through a career spent fighting against the unjust systems that harm so many of our neighbors. 

Evan graduated from Drew University in 2015 with a B.A. in Psychology and a Theater minor. Since moving to Cleveland from his hometown of Atlanta, GA in 2017, he has been heavily involved in community organizing projects fighting for criminal legal reform and economic justice. Evan has served as a staff organizer with the Ohio Student Association, Northern Ohioans for Budget Legislation Equality, People’s Budget Cleveland, and the Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition, where he has also been a steering committee member since 2019. In the field of direct service work, Evan has held administrative positions at Cleveland Treatment Center and the Circle for Re-entry Ohio and volunteered for a couple of years as a hotline advocate with the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.

In his downtime, Evan enjoys writing, playing music, and helping his partner, Colleen, transform trash into art and furniture for their house. He grew up in an extremely artistic family and still thinks imagination is one of the most important tools in the fight for a better world.

Jean Kosmac

she/her

Raised on Cleveland’s east side, Jean worked 24 years at Orange Blossom Press, a collective dedicated to printing for the progressive movement. As a member of the Community of St. Malachi for many years, she volunteered at the Back Door Ministry and was a cook for the Monday Night Meal. More recently, (the past 10-15 years), she has been involved at the Catholic Worker Storefront. Jean's path has led her to work at EDEN, the Metanoia Project, and recently NEOCH as a Street Outreach Worker. She still spends her weekends hanging out at the Storefront, and can be found there on Sunday afternoons assisting clients with housing.

Jim Schlecht

he/him

Jim joined NEOCH as a Street Outreach Worker in 2020. He has been involved in working and volunteering with a number of agencies and organizations serving those suffering from poverty and homelessness in Cleveland. During his long career of service to the community, Jim has worked at the Rose Mary Center, the West Side Community House, the West Side Catholic Center, and Care Alliance. A resident of the near West Side for the last 48 years, Jim has spent much of that time serving the community he calls home.

Jeffery Puchmajer

he/him

Jeffrey Puchmajer serves as Street Outreach Specialist with NEOCH starting fall 2024 to assist with the City of Cleveland’s “Home for Every Neighbor” initiative. His goal in this role is to build rapport and assess the needs of community members experiencing homelessness. He acts as their first line of contact to connect unsheltered folks with opportunities and community resources.  

Jeffrey’s career started after serving time in prison for a criminal history associated with drug addiction. While incarcerated at Grafton Correctional Institution, he found opportunity for growth through programming including Steppingstones Therapeutic Community and Edwins Leadership Institute. Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and the “community is method” model, Jeffrey gained the tools that allowed him to reintegrate into society and gain independence. 

Through Edwins, Jeffrey became ServeSafe© certified which helped him gain employment immediately after release. He worked in the food service industry leading him to Ohio City Pizzeria and the Westside Catholic Center. OCP, being a Social Enterprise of WSCC, merged the two worlds of food service and community advocacy together. This is where he discovered his passion for service work and keeps what he has by giving back every day. 

Jeffrey spends his free time loving the outdoors and exploring the world with his pup, Hank.  

Chris Knestrick

he/him

Chris Knestrick is the Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless.  He has over 10 years of experience working in homelessness in Cleveland and he has also directed advocacy efforts in the international and local community. Chris is committed to community organizing, undoing oppression, and promoting nonviolence that centers the voices of those most impacted by public policy.

His work has taken him from the streets of Cleveland to the mountains of Colombia. He is a graduate of the McCormick Theological Seminary. He likes to spend his days boating, fishing, and thinking about how to get the community to love so fiercely that homelessness is unimaginable.