The City Had Initially Projected It Would Take 18 Months To Hit Its Goal, But The Dedicated Team Behind The New Initiative Helped Reach This Milestone Several Months Early
Monday, April 14, 2025 — Cleveland — Mayor Justin M. Bibb, Councilwoman Stephanie Howse-Jones, and community partners announced the results for the latest stage of the City’s “A Home for Every Neighbor” initiative. To date, 154 unsheltered neighbors now have homes through the initiative. The City had projected it would take 18 months to rehouse 150 or more unsheltered Cleveland residents at the time the initiative was launched, but it achieved that goal much more quickly thanks to the efforts of numerous community partners.
“This proves that we can fix complex problems when we work together and affirms why Whole-Of-Community strategies are the right approach to solving larger issues that our city faces – whether that be homelessness, public safety, or economic development,” said Mayor Bibb. “Local government cannot right the ship alone. Everyone needs to chip in and do their part because when they do, you see amazing results like this.”
During this most recent stage of implementation, 42 highly vulnerable unsheltered neighbors who were experiencing long-term homelessness and dealing with untreated disabilities were successfully engaged and are now receiving ongoing support. The team behind the initiative focused on 32 target areas across twelve different wards for this latest stage of implementation. These target areas were much smaller – with most having one or two neighbors residing at each site – than prior stages of implementation.
“This initiative demonstrates the power of targeted, compassionate intervention. By focusing on our most vulnerable neighbors, especially those dealing with long-term homelessness and disabilities, we've not only provided housing, but we've also offered a pathway to stability and support,” added Councilwoman Howse-Jones. “The success of ‘A Home for Every Neighbor’ is a testament to the dedication of our community partners and the City’s commitment to ensuring no one is left behind.”
Last year, Mayor Bibb launched this brand-new initiative with the City taking on a lead role to provide more resources, increase options, and accelerate the housing process for unsheltered residents. Within just the first couple of months, a Request for Proposals was issued, multiple responses were vetted, and a consultant was chosen – who then refined the City’s strategy based on best practices from model cities and tailored it to Cleveland-specific strengths and community partnerships.
The finalized execution strategy included identifying geographic areas for targeted housing-focused outreach; documenting unique needs specific to each neighbor in these areas; recruiting landlords with signing bonuses and twelve months of guaranteed rental payments if the resident remains housed; aligning and collaborating with various partners for health, employment, transportation, and other services; intensive and compassionate engagement with neighbors during the transition process; and ongoing case management along with additional support following move-in.
The City moved forward with implementation over the summer launching a pilot where homes were found for all 12 unsheltered neighbors residing at sites in Canal Basin Park and near West Side Catholic Center. The success continued as an additional 56 unsheltered neighbors residing at five other sites were housed in the two stages that followed in the fall. The City then shifted its focus to smaller sites housing 44 more neighbors residing at eight additional sites by December. To date, 154 unsheltered neighbors across 47 different sites now have homes through the initiative – with approximately 70% of them experiencing chronic homelessness.
The initiative is supported by I’m In Ministry!, Frontline Service, Clutch Consulting Group, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, West Side Catholic Center, Downtown Cleveland Inc., Cleveland Mediation Center, and Safe Spaces. These partners provide various services that include case management, outreach, strategy consulting, connections to mental health care and drug treatment, legal aid, funding administration, and facilitating charitable donations for furniture, clothing, and other items. The City’s Departments of Public Health, Community Development, and Public Works also provide support.
“The people I’m In Ministry served during the ‘A Home for Every Neighbor’ project thought it was impossible for them to achieve what they received, but we made the impossible possible for every participant,” stated Deacon Lou Primozic, President and CEO of I’m In Ministry.
The teams implementing the strategy are currently working on other site locations across the City and continue to look for ways to improve procedures and streamline processes so that unsheltered neighbors can get access to housing more quickly and maintain their housing.
Landlords who are interested in providing housing for “A Home For Every Neighbor” should contact Liam Haggerty, the City’s Housing & Outreach Project Manager for the initiative, by emailing LHaggerty@clevelandohio.gov or calling / texting (216)-857-1104.
Those who would like to donate items should contact I’m In Ministry! by emailing info@iminministry.com, calling (440)-502-1060, or submitting a pickup request form online. They accept various items and are always looking for volunteers as well. They are also seeking a box truck driver (CDL is not required).
