homelessness in clifton

For our problem pitch, we decided to focus on a prevalent topic in Clifton, Cincinnati which is homelessness. Over the course of time that we have been on campus, we have noticed an increase in the number of homeless people especially near Calhoun Street and Martin Luther King Drive.

On any given night in America, anywhere from 700,000 to 2 million people are homeless. In Cincinnati, there are more than 9,000 people on the streets, hungry and cold. The Greater Cincinnati coalition for the homeless says in the last 15 years, the homeless population here in the Tri-State has increased by 150 percent. Statistically, the homeless population is 68% African-American, 27% Caucasian, and nearly 2% Hispanic. Surprisingly, 25% of the homeless are children, 45% of children who are homeless are 5-years-old or younger. Single men comprise 49% of the homeless population, single women comprise 16% of the homeless population and unaccompanied children make up about 4% of those living on the streets. Cincinnati has the second worst childhood poverty rate at 53% behind Detroit at 59% where the national average is 20%. Kentucky has the worst childhood homelessness rate and children experiencing homelessness are typically two or three years behind in school.

Pat Clifford with the Drop In Center in Cincinnati has said, “We have an average of 200, a little over 220 people a night. It’s gone up this year. We have seen an increased demand of people staying a little longer than they normally would. We have people come through our doors that have had successful jobs, careers, college degrees that have gone through various circumstances.”

I also had the opportunity to interview:

Maris Herold: Police Chief - Department of Public Safety, University of Cincinnati
Brandon Kyle: University of Cincinnati Police Department (UCPD) Crime Analyst
David Hoffman: Community Engagement Lieutenant
Charde Jones: City Gospel Mission

Some of the questions we asked were to UCPD were:

How many calls on average does UCPD get regarding homelessness in a week?

One per week but usually varies with a rise during the winter months.

What is the protocol when someone calls in to report a homeless person?

Typically arrest, however if they are a student, we try to direct them to student resources or university housing and shelters.

What could be a potential solution to this problem?

Offer resources and educate the community.

How does UCPD contribute to resolve this problem?

Mainly by providing guidance. We also try to maintain a safe environment for students by patrolling.

What are the current steps being taken to control this issue?

Mental health awareness, officer training, working closely with various departments on campus.

What are the main reasons for people being homeless around Clifton?

Primarily mental health issues, there are quite a few repeat offenders who choose to be homeless since they do not want to be in shelters due to some of the rules they enforce, people fall in hard times and don't have resources, some people also do not like the stigma associated with being homeless.

The same questions were asked to Charde Jones, director of the homeless shelter, City Gospel Mission.

How many calls on average does the shelter get regarding homelessness in a week?

City Gospel Mission specifically shelters men in the Cincinnati area. We take donations, rely heavily on volunteers and supply food and shelter to around 75 men at a time. We get a plethora of calls from Men and women seeking shelter or trying to find out the process. If I were to give an approximate, it would be on average 30 calls a day that we refer to our CAP line, and which takes me to your second question.

2. What is the protocol when someone calls in to report a homeless person?

When someone calls asking to help find a shelter, we refer them to what is called the Central Access Point or the CAP line, for short. This line assists males and females, single parents, two-parent families, Youth, and LGBTQ seeking shelter or referrals to several agencies. They book our beds for us and can see past residents etc. The phone number for that is 513-381-7233.

3. How does the shelter contribute to resolve this problem?

City Gospel Mission is a holistic organization including, a Job Readiness program, Youth services, Recovery program in addition to the shelter. Our hope is to be able to address the entire family through these vehicles and get the root of generational poverty. City Gospel Mission goal is to, "Breaking the cycle of poverty and despair...one life at a time." We do so by assisting their physical social, mental and spiritual development in accordance with the bible. For the men who are residents, We offer either a Day Program or a Work Program. The day program consists of classes, support groups, and social activities. Each day program participant can choose a "track": Jobs Plus(Job readiness program); Exodus(Recovery Program); IKRON(Job readiness program for gentleman struggling with mental illness or substance abuse, specifically); Cincinnati Cooks(Culinary skills program). The Work Program is for men who are already working 20 hours or more a week, they do not have to attend the day program classes, but are encouraged to.

4. What are the main reasons for people being homeless around Clifton?

Being homeless can be caused by many circumstances. We run into people who may have lost a job and their home or family; had death in the family and were not able to maintain the home without them, some struggle with mental illness, others struggle from generational poverty and are unsure how to break the cycle of thinking that is associated with it. A common thread is the lack of a support system. It is hard to say why certain areas have more a population of homeless than others, but the circumstances tend to be the same.

Homeless Point of View

We were able to interview a homeless person in Clifton (identity is being kept anonymous due to privacy).

They were unable to afford housing due to their intense health conditions, they have had cardiac issues and was very emotional in explaining that they only had a few more months to live and living on the streets in the brutal weather conditions was not helping in achieving a longer life. In the meantime, they were sleeping on Cincinnati's tennis courts until escorted off by the police.

The three main causes of homelessness in Clifton have been a growing shortage of affordable housing, jobs and a simultaneous increase in poverty. The essential approach to reducing homelessness is to prevent it by ensuring that individuals can maintain housing stability and by promoting programs for low income families.

It is nationally known that Cincinnati has a large homeless epidemic for a myriad of reasons. The leading reason is due to the heroin epidemic that is raging across the Midwest and hitting the southwest portion of Ohio the hardest. In the span of one week in Cincinnati there will an average of 18 deaths and 180 overdoses linked to heroin. It has been discovered that nearly 16% of Cincinnati’s homeless willingly live on the streets due to the fact that homeless shelters are a drug-free zone. Most are so addicted giving up for just one night is more painful than sleeping brutally cold temperatures.

Following the homeless shelters strict rules can be a larger struggle than it is worth for about a quarter of the homeless. While not all homeless ended up on the streets due to drugs, some just got struck with unfortunate events such as job loss or poor health with rising cost of medical expenses.

How can you get involved?

Serve food to the homeless

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Help prepare and serve food
1528 Race Street, Cincinnati OH 45202
Flexible

Volunteer with Children living in homeless shelters

Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati
Assist with engaging activities for children experiencing homelessness
990 Nassau St. Cincinnati, OH 45206
Flexible

Healthcare for the homeless

HealthPoint Family Care Inc
Collect items for homeless patients including food and toileteries
Can be picked up from your location or dropped off at 1401 Madison Avenue Covington, KY 41011
Flexible

Provide a home cooked meal to homeless youth

Lighthouse Youth and Family Services
Drop off a home cooked meal
401 East McMillan Street, Cincinnati OH 45206
Flexible

Host a donation drive

Lighthouse Youth and Family Services
Help Lighthouse collect various items for children, youth and families in need such as school supplies, cleaning supplies, linen etc.
401 East McMillan Street, Cincinnati OH 45206
Flexible

Shelters in Cincinnati:

City Gospel Mission Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH 45214
513-241-5525
Transitional Housing, Substance Abuse Treatment, Homeless Shelter

Salvation Army Cincinnati Emergency Shelter
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-762-5655
Temporary, emergency housing for female clients with or with out children

Off The Streets - Emergency Shelter for Singles
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-378-2534
Non-traditional group services, connections to community resources, and emergency housing for women