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Southeast Side Promise: A Vision for Hope. A Plan for the Future.


Overview

Mayor Bibb's Southeast Side Strategy is a multi-faceted plan to address the issue of concentrated disinvestment in the neighborhoods of Cleveland's southeast side. Our mission is to revitalize the area, providing residents with safe, equitable, and vibrant community they deserve
 

Southeast Side Geography

The southeast side neighborhoods encompass Lee-Harvard, Union-Miles, Lee-Seville and Mount Pleasant, spanning across wards 1, 2, 4 and 6 in the southeast part of the city. 

“Southeast Side Neighborhoods are… Communities with rich historic legacy and deeply engaged residents who have pride and investment in their neighborhoods”  
 

Visualizing Disinvestment

From 2010-2020, Cleveland's southeast side witnessed a 13.5% population decline, which is more than double the city's overall loss. Presently, the southeast side is home to around 55,000 residents, with over 90% identifying as Black.             

These areas have endured decades of disinvestment, resulting in generational poverty, substandard housing, limited educational opportunities, high unemployment, and reduced life expectancy. The impacts of historical redlining policies still loom large over these communities.

Mayor Bibb’s Southeast Side Revitalization Plan, aims to:

  • Address Blight and Deterioration: Define and target micro-geographies to employ demolition, home repair, home rehab, code enforcement, and clean-up activities.
  • Increase Quality Housing and Homeownership: Home repair and rehab within micro-geographies, with the intent of keeping people in their homes.
  • Change the Narrative: A public campaign that highlights the historical significance of the community, builds on neighborhood pride, meaningfully engages and empowers residents, and seeks to bring additional investment

The Southeast Side will focus on dividing $15 million in Federal Aid from the American Rescue Plan Act into, three key areas:              

1. Home Repairs and Rehabilitation             
Funding for home repairs and rehabs targeted in micro-geographies. The goal is to repair 100-150 homes and rehab 30-50 homes. This strategy targets home repair and rehab investment along commercial corridors for maximum impact.              

2. Commercial Corridor Revitalization             
Funding that will focus on revitalizing key commercial corridors through various programs. This phase of investment will work to stabilize surrounding neighborhoods, provide quality-of-life improvements for nearby community members and attract additional investment.              

3. Large-scale Site Developments             
This funding will be directed to spur catalytic redevelopment on key sites. Site repairs will likely include places such as, the Hamilton Recreation Center, John F. Kennedy High School and more. This objective will incentivize transformative outcomes that will directly benefit existing residents and align with other City initiatives and priorities.   
 

Current Progress

Since the launch of the Southeast Side Promise Initiative in the Summer of 2023, over $7 million dollars in funding has been deployed for home repair and small business assistance.   

Street clean-up and repairs were completed in the investment corridor on Kinsman Avenue with clean-ups currently underway on Lee Road. 

Over 50 blighted residential and commercial structures have been razed. 

The bi-monthly Southeast Side Promise Newsletter was launched with its first edition in September 2024.  
 

Looking Ahead

The interactive Southeast Side Map, set to launch in early 2025, will offer residents, current and future investors, and business owners a comprehensive view of the strategy and its impacts. It will highlight engagement opportunities for youth and young adults and outline plans for strategic construction and rehabilitation of residential and commercial properties within the Southeast Side investment areas.

And this is just the beginning!