Veteran homelessness increasing in Cuyahoga County

Scene at the Sept. 17 Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services Advisory Board meeting

See the agenda here. The county lists the Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services Advisory Board’s members on this webpage.

The OHS Advisory Board started its Sept. 17 meeting by discussing and approving updated bylaws, including changes clarifying board membership categories such as proxies and alternates, and attendance requirements. 

Cuyahoga County Probate Court Magistrate John Spiccia was approved as a board member. One person mentioned that his work in the court with mental health would be beneficial. 

Some board applications were also announced later in the meeting by Nick Butina, an administrator with the county. He said the board chair position will be open, as the current chair’s term ends at the end of this year. Applicants should submit a letter of interest and resume by Oct. 23.

The board is also looking for a community representative and an at-large member.

Finally, the Program Policy Committee is also accepting applications. That committee works on policies affecting shelter, supportive housing and outreach. Current members must reapply. 

Veteran homelessness increasing

Luke Drotar and Shawna Gurley, from FrontLine Service, reported increases in veteran homelessness. As of their Sept. 1 census, 142 veterans were experiencing homelessness, Gurley said. Providers are working on plans for 11 chronically homeless veterans. 

The benchmark for reducing the amount of time veterans spend waiting to enter permanent housing was met. The goal is 90 days, and the current wait time is 85 days, Gurley said. Fifty veterans entered permanent housing, while 97 entered the homelessness system during the reporting period. The increase in veterans entering the system continues to outpace the number moving into permanent housing. 

HUD funding opportunity update

The board also received updates on federal HUD funding, which seems to be something to keep an eye on as HUD’s policies have been in flux due to court challenges. Howard Burchman, co-founder of Housing Innovations, provided an update on the federal notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). See July 23 notes from Cleveland Documenters for more background information.

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Burchman said a federal district court in Rhode Island had issued a stay blocking HUD from moving forward with the NOFO after determining the changes to the program should have gone through public comment before becoming official policy. Later, on Sept. 16, a U.S. appeals court in Boston greenlit the changes.

Housing options include new supportive housing for seniors and veterans

Shifting again to local issues, Levine Ross, director of OHS, talked about shelter contracts that are expected to be introduced to Cuyahoga County Council on Oct. 13 and will be before council’s Health, Human Services, and Aging Committee on Oct. 21. Ross also said that levy-funded contracts will move to a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 cycle to streamline the invoicing process.

Ross added that the coordinated-entry will launch Sept. 30 at 10 a.m.

Erin Kray, director of Strategic Initiatives at the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH), provided information on the Navigation Center. It opened in August and serves 12 people at a time who have been identified as unsheltered and have a housing plan. A seasonal shelter component will add 30 spaces from November to April.

Elaine Gimmel, executive director at Emerald Development and Economic Network, Inc., spoke about Emerald Senior. It is a 62-unit supportive housing development for seniors with disabilities and senior veterans ages 55 and older. Twenty-five units will be set aside for veterans. Phased move-ins are expected to begin in October. The importance of senior housing was emphasized, with stats of seniors facing rapid-paced homelessness being brought up by Loh, a resident and community activist. 

Gimmel said that coordinated entry is already accepting applications for the continuum of care units. Veterans will use a separate process through the VA and CMHA for the veteran units.  

A meeting attendee spoke about the new youth drop-in center for people ages 16 to 24 experiencing homelessness is being prepared at a new location. The organization is currently hiring a center manager. 

About 200 people on unsheltered-by-name list

Chelsea Horvath-Black from NEOCH talked about the unsheltered homelessness report. The report is mainly about the county’s unsheltered-by-name list, which is maintained through collaboration among outreach organizations and volunteer groups. About 200 people were on the list. The list is reviewed each month to determine factors, such as if people have entered permanent housing, temporary shelter, hotels, navigation centers, or other settings. It also tracks if people die, have been incarcerated or are missing. About 30 to 50 people are removed from the list at any point, the majority being MIA. Horvath-Black said keeping track of people is a challenge, specifically the capacity to do so. Since January, there have been 273 people added to the list. 

Notes by Documenter Brooke Adams.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org  with “Correction Request” in the subject line.