Ending Homelessness

MOBILIZING TO PROVIDE SAFE HOUSING

The Sisters of Chartiy Foundation of Cleveland’s commitment to ending homelessness in Cuyahoga County positioned the foundation among key local stakeholders who acted urgently to mitigate the tremendous risk of a spreading pandemic among communities of individuals experiencing homelessness.

A March 2020 report from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, UCLA and Boston University projected that people experiencing homelessness would be twice as likely to be hospitalized, two to four times as likely to require critical care and two to three times as likely to die than the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Black and Indigenous communities and other communities of color would experience a compounding effect, as these communities are already more likely to experience homelessness and to contract and die from COVID-19.

Meeting this crisis with the urgency and investment it had never before received warded off the worst effects of COVID-19 among communities experiencing homelessness. The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness reports the incidence of COVID-19 cases and deaths among people experiencing homelessness has been significantly and dramatically lower than had been originally projected.

In the last year, as communities quickly mobilized to protect individuals and families experiencing homelessness from the effects of a virulent public health threat, the value of a safe and stable home became undeniable. To inform the work ahead, we must uphold the lessons learned over the last year. Response and recovery efforts must include:

• Strategic investment of philanthropic resources that bridge gaps and complement public funding • Coordinated policy advocacy • Sufficient public resources to support stable, affordable housing for communities at greatest risk of homelessness

SHELTER CAPACITY REDUCTION AND THE COVID HOTEL

Working in close collaboration with the Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland and Homeless Continuum of Care partners responded rapidly to the effects of COVID-19. Through outreach, testing, sanitation stations and shelter access, those experiencing homelessness in Cleveland were holistically supported throughout the pandemic. The Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund, with SOCF’s partnership, supported immediate de-concentration of emergency homeless shelters until federal dollars began flowing for this purpose.

The statewide business shutdown left many local hotels unoccupied, and single adult and family shelters were trying to reduce census to allow for social distancing and safety measures. To reduce the number of individuals in shelter, service providers coordinated logistics for hotel stays.

Ultimately, this initiative provided nearly 120,000 nights of shelter to more than 1,100 shelter residents through access to hotels. Single adult shelters maintained a census at or below 50 percent capacity throughout the pandemic. Perhaps most importantly, the reduction in shelter census has greatly contributed to the reduction and spread of COVID, resulting in a test positivity rate of less than 8 percent throughout Cuyahoga County’s emergency shelter system.

For those who did contract COVID-19, a specific COVID hotel offered shelter upon hospital discharge and during mandatory quarantine periods. Since March 2020, this hotel provided more than 1,500 nights of shelter to approximately 259 individuals.

HOUSING POLICY ADVOCACY

Our work to end homelessness locally is influenced by state and federal policy and strengthened by partnerships with national organizations and funders engaged in

efforts to end homelessness across the country. Our many collaborative relationships have deeply informed our knowledge and understanding of homelessness on a local and national scale, and the pandemic required swift advocacy for government response.

At the onset of the pandemic, leaders of the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund sent a letter to senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) to advocate for funding in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to protect individuals experiencing or at immediate risk of homelessness. Previous drafts of the legislation had no housing provisions included. Ultimately, CARES Act legislation passed with more than $12 billion included for federal Housing and Urban Development programs.

Throughout the year, SOCF Cleveland worked alongside national partners like Funders Together to End Homelessness, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, A Way Home America and the National Low Income Housing Coalition to lend our voice to advocacy efforts for adequate funding and targeting of resources to individuals and families at disproportionate risk of homelessness.

EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE

In July 2020, SOCF President Susanna Krey and leaders of several philanthropic organizations sent a letter to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine illustrating the need for emergency rental assistance from Ohio’s federal Coronavirus Relief Fund.

Cuyahoga County government provided $6.8 million from its allocation of Coronavirus Relief Funds to support rental assistance, with the City of Cleveland contributing $11.3 million in federal coronavirus aid.

The emergency rental assistance program launched July 1, with more than 1,000 Cuyahoga County residents initiating or submitting applications for assistance. SOCF Cleveland mobilized its Fast Response Team to approve a $40,000 grant to CHN Housing Partners to build infrastructure and capacity to administer the emergency rental assistance to prevent eviction and loss of housing among low- and moderate-income families due to the pandemic. “The coronavirus pandemic has illustrated the intimate connection between stable housing and good health. We are concerned that the economic recession will sever this connection for many Ohioans who are struggling to maintain their housing.”

Excerpt from letter to Gov. Mike DeWine from Ohio philanthropic leaders, including Susanna Krey of SOCF Cleveland.

EVICTION MORATORIUM

Funders Together to End Homelessness has been extremely active in advocating for national support in response to the pandemic. As members, SOCF Cleveland can help to amplify the organization’s policy activity. In September 2020, SOCF added its voice to Funders Together’s statement in response to the CDC’s eviction moratorium notice.

“While the CDC's eviction suspension order will prevent the immediate loss of housing for millions of vulnerably housed tenants, it is incomplete without significant federal investment in rental assistance to support long-term housing stability,” said Angela D’Orazio, senior program officer of housing at Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland. “Here in Cuyahoga County, nearly 5,100 tenants have requested $8.5 million in rental assistance in just two months; this demand alone would nearly exhaust all of the $8.6 million in philanthropic funds raised for pandemic response. The scope and scale

of the need for emergency rental assistance is simply outside the limits of what philanthropy alone can do."

In Spring 2021, the CDC extended the eviction moratorium through June 30, 2021. In addition, the federal government has made a significant investment in Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA). In December 2020, the COVID-19 Relief Package included $25 billion for ERA with another $27 billion committed in the American Rescue Plan Act approved in March 2021.

ONGOING COMMUNITY RESPONSE

At the end of 2020, Cuyahoga County contributed $4.25 million to the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund with $4 million earmarked to support the ongoing response to protect individuals and families experiencing homelessness in our community. A task force was assembled to ensure the most strategic investment of these dollars to further support the homeless services system's efforts to maintain de-concentration of congregate emergency shelters, provide accommodations for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, and begin planning for intermediate and long-term recovery efforts.

In addition to the county’s contribution, this task force will inform strategic investment of new federal resources to support long-term recovery efforts and new development to prevent and end homelessness. In Spring 2021, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced allocation of funding in the American Rescue Act for Homeless Assistance and Supportive Services Programming (HASSP), which includes nearly $30 million to Cleveland and Cuyahoga County to support the development of more affordable housing, non-congregate emergency sheltering and housing vouchers. This once-in-a-generation infusion of federal resources is an opportunity to significantly improve the availability and accessibility of housing resources in our community.