The Initiative Has Successfully Engaged And Housed Residents At Seven Sites Across The City
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 — Cleveland — Mayor Justin M. Bibb announced the results for the third stage of the City’s “A Home for Every Neighbor” initiative. During the third stage of implementation, 21 highly vulnerable unsheltered neighbors who were experiencing long-term homelessness and dealing with untreated disabilities were engaged, housed, and are now receiving ongoing support. The initiative’s strategy identified three target areas for the third stage of implementation – along the Superior Avenue westbound exit ramp off of Interstate 90 near East 26th Street, on Carnegie Avenue between East 14th Street and East 18th Street, and near West 110th Street and Detroit Avenue. The team behind the initiative successfully engaged and found housing for 8 unsheltered individuals residing at the Superior location, 4 unsheltered individuals residing at the Carnegie site, and 9 unsheltered individuals residing in the Detroit and West 110th area. The team also coordinated with the Ohio Department of Transportation as they own the property at the Superior location.
“There is nothing more vital to individuals’ well-being than having a roof over their head and, as Mayor, it is my responsibility to ensure that Cleveland residents have that,” said Mayor Bibb. “Financial, social, emotional, and physical health cannot be fully-realized if people are living on the streets. Everyone deserves a place they can call home and – thanks to this initiative – we have been able to provide that to almost 70 neighbors so far and we’ll continue to work to make sure every neighbor is given that opportunity.”
The 21 unsheltered neighbors who now have homes follows the success the initiative produced in its last stage, where homes were found for 35 unsheltered neighbors residing at sites on Payne Avenue and near the West Park rapid station, as well as the success the initiative saw in its first pilot month, where homes were found for 12 unsheltered neighbors residing at sites in Canal Basin Park and near West Side Catholic Center. To date, 68 unsheltered neighbors in total have been housed through the initiative – with 72% of them experiencing chronic homelessness.
Earlier this year, Mayor Bibb launched this brand-new initiative with the City taking on a co-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; 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 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.
The success of the “A Home for Every Neighbor” initiative builds on the Bibb Administration’s commitment to supporting the city’s unsheltered community. In January, the Bibb Administration stepped up to fill a funding gap that supported emergency seasonal shelters and related services for unsheltered residents. That same month, the Bibb Administration announced more than $3 million in funding to seven local agencies for rapid re-housing efforts and various programs designed to support all residents – youth, families, and older adults – in shelters. The City has also opened several of its recreation centers as both warming centers this past winter and cooling centers this past summer during extreme cold and heat conditions, with thousands of visitors utilizing these sites so far this year.
