Cleveland, Ohio’s Mayor Justin M. Bibb recently announced a major milestone in the city’s “A Home for Every Neighbor” initiative.

The plan was to reduce homeless encampments around the city by connecting unhoused neighbors with landlords willing to accept them as residents. Then, the city would pay rent for 12 months as residents got back on their feet.

The effort started with a pilot over the summer of 2024, successfully housing 12 individuals. Two additional phases followed in the fall, resulting in another 100 people being housed across 13 sites.

By December of last year, outreach efforts expanded to eight other locations — totalling in 154 residents housed across 47 sites citywide.

City officials had initially projected it would take 18 months to rehouse 150 or more unsheltered Cleveland residents at the time of the program’s launch. 

In a recent press release, announcing the results of the most recent stage of intervention, leaders were eager to share that the city is far ahead of schedule.

“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.”

In addition to housing, the program also connects each person with a case manager, who helps them access wraparound health and job services, as well as donated furniture, hygiene items, and groceries from partner organizations. 

As part of the latest round of the program, 42 “highly vulnerable unsheltered neighbors” who were experiencing long-term homelessness and dealing with untreated disabilities were successfully engaged by the city’s services. They are now receiving ongoing support.

“This initiative demonstrates the power of targeted, compassionate intervention,” City Councilwoman Stephanie Howse-Jones said in a statement.

“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.”

Mayor Bibb first announced the Home for Every Neighbor initiative in February 2024. After proposals were vetted and consultants were chosen, the city worked to identify which geographic areas of the city to target, documented the unique needs of unhoused neighbors, and recruited landlords with signing bonuses, among other key tasks.

Once the summer pilot program was launched, success came quickly.

“To date, 154 unsheltered neighbors across 47 different sites now have homes through the initiative — with approximately 70% of them experiencing chronic homelessness,” a statement from the city shared.

Community partners supporting the initiative include I’m In Ministry, Frontline Service, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, and more.

These partners provide services ranging from case management and connections to mental health care and drug treatment, to legal aid, charitable donations, and more. 

“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,” Deacon Lou Primozic, president and CEO of I’m In Ministry, said in a statement. 

“But we made the impossible possible for every participant.”

Moving forward, the city and its partners are working on other site locations to serve and will continue to improve procedures and streamline processes. 

Councilwoman Howse-Jones added: “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.”

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Header image courtesy of Aeroplanepics0112 (CC BY-SA 3.0)