Thanksgiving - The City Mission of Cleveland, Ohio

TOGETHER WE CAN

Reach hearts and change the lives of those in crisis in Cleveland

THANK YOU FOR CARING!

I hope you are inspired to take action through the gift of your time and/or treasure.

FOR DECADES NOW,

Too many Americans have been lost in an epidemic of homelessness.

THERE ARE

individuals experiencing homelessness in Cuyahoga County today. According to the American Community Survey, among large U.S. cities, Cleveland had the second worst poverty in the country from 2016-2020.

IT COSTS

million dollars per year to effectively run the Mission, and they do this without taking government funding.

EACH NIGHT

men, women, and children stay at the Mission. They go beyond a safe place to sleep and eat – their holistic programs, and access to spiritual, educational, and mental health resources provide each resident with help for a new, brighter future, one filled with hope.

WE HAVE HAD

women and children call Laura’s Home to seek shelter as of the latest count.

ON AVERAGE

unique individuals have called Laura’s Home each month from October - July to seek shelter.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO

Disrupting the cycle of poverty in Cleveland

Homelessness often hides in the shadows, under bridges and overpasses. It hides in the transience of those who rely on the temporary kindness of family and friends – doubled-up, it’s called – until time and circumstances force them to move on.

Did you know that homelessness centers on families?

– and by that we don’t mean the traditional, two-parent kind with kids. We speak now, almost entirely, about women and children. They are the fastest growing segment of our city’s homeless. They are the primary reason we have been at capacity at Laura’s Home for the past 9 years. In Cuyahoga County, there were almost 3,000 CHILDREN in Pre-K through 12th grade who were identified as experiencing homelessness during the 2021-2022 school year.

The City Mission believes that our residents are NOT DEFINED by their current situation. Experiencing homelessness is incredibly disruptive in every area of a person’s life. The causes are complex and require a multi-faceted approach. People come to the point of crisis in many ways – substance abuse, mental health challenges, incarceration, generational poverty, domestic violence, and the high cost of housing. We see them every day at Laura’s Home and Crossroads and must turn away pleas for help when beds are full.

With more than a century of service to Cleveland, The City Mission is UNIQUELY QUALIFIED to stand with its residents, creating community impact through a blend of time-tested and cutting-edge services that offer people a holistic approach to overcome poverty, homelessness, and employment barriers.

OUR TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROVIDES

The gift of an additional 18 to 24 months of time on our campus to help mothers:

increase their income

further their education

continue to access resources at Laura’s Home

THE THREE PILLARS

Support a structure of compassionate care to move our residents towards stability

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR FIRST PILLAR

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR THIRD PILLAR

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the two-bedroom wage in Cleveland is now $21.31. A person would need to work 82 hours/week at minimum wage ($10.45) to afford a two-bedroom at fair market rent in greater Cleveland.

Many of our residents experienced such childhood trauma that the option to continue their education or even thrive in school took second place to basic survival. This means they face a severe disadvantage in the workforce. We can help them find employment, but average wages are $10 to $12 an hour. This means working 60–70 hours per week for the same basic apartment. If a single mom has young children, she also needs to pay for daycare and transportation. Do the math with those figures and they simply don’t add up.

Dozens of men and women graduate from our program each year eager to start a healthy and secure life, but many face an insurmountable obstacle – affordable housing. During the final months of their stay with us, we work with each individual to help find the right home for their unique needs. For some, this may mean an apartment or group home, and for others this may mean reuniting with their families. We also assist our residents with applications for subsidized housing, but unfortunately, the wait can be as long as 1-2 years to get selected. The residents most impacted by the high cost of housing are single mothers.

For the health of our city and families, we began to address this need in 2014 through New Horizons, a program that provides our single mothers with a path towards homeownership. We currently partner with Habitat for Humanity and Cleveland Landbank Charities to rehab a blighted home or build a new home in one of Cleveland’s neighborhoods. Concurrently, a single mom is getting ready to graduate from Laura’s Home. Specially selected as a New Horizon’s recipient, she prepares for homeownership through individualized training, casework, and financial planning classes. Her family then moves into the renovated home. We work with her family to ensure they are receiving the necessary supportive services and specialized case management. After demonstrating the ability to hold a full-time job and successfully care for the home for approximately 12-18 months, The City Mission transfers the deed of the home to the mother free and clear.

The result? A woman who was once homeless is now a homeowner, and the cycle of poverty which trapped her family is broken. Her children, who may have fallen into the same situation, can now experience a completely different kind of life. Since 2014, we have completed ten homes and, in a few months, will complete our 11th! Each refurbished or newly built home is especially meaningful to the children involved.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SECOND PILLAR

Overarching support comes through comprehensive case management, with on-site case managers working to provide compassionate care that restores residents and moves them towards a path to wholeness. During their stay with us individuals are given the gift of time to access a wide range of supportive services to develop goals and a personalized plan to achieve them. Spiritual care is a key component. Our residents come to us from many different faith backgrounds, and we respectfully welcome each person to hear the message of God’s love that can provide the hope and peace they seek. It can be a truly profound experience.

The heart of our program is a holistic approach that makes us unique in the city. As a result, the quality and level of services available to residents has consistently expanded. In addition to our case workers, we collaborate with a network of community partners centered on mental health

that engage our residents on site and offer continued services to them after they leave the Mission. We know that emotional stability is crucial for happy, healthy, and independent lives.

For those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, we have partnered with an agency that offers intensive outpatient programs on our campuses at no cost to our residents.

At the same time, we take proactive steps to help families hurt by the many challenges of homelessness, by connecting them with the services they need to prevent emotional health crises in a new generation.

Heart is especially seen in our Family Ministries program, which aims to positively impact the lives of every child, from birth to age 17 who comes through the doors at Laura’s Home. We know that children experiencing homelessness are twice as likely to have a learning disability, repeat a grade, or be suspended from school. Offering services that encourage and support our younger residents in a Christ-centered manner, Pathways enables moms to focus on their own coursework and counseling, knowing that their children are not just in safe hands, but growing alongside of them. From tutoring and help with schoolwork, to spiritual mentoring, arts, recreation, computer literacy, and many off-campus field trips, our kids are learning and receiving necessary interventions while also experiencing life in a new way after coming to us in crisis. Our goal is to compassionately care for the whole family including our youngest residents, who need stability in school and time to work on the past traumas they may have experienced prior to arriving at Laura’s Home.

With more than a century of service to Cleveland, The City Mission is committed to disrupting the cycle of poverty in Cleveland.

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Contact

5310 Carnegie Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44103

(216) 431-3510

18120 Puritas Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44135

(216) 472-5500