CLEVELAND — Homelessness is on the rise in Cleveland. Data shows the city's homeless rate is lower than the national average, but higher than the rest of Ohio.
City leaders have confirmed to 3News Investigates they've seen the troubling trends, but a new initiative is attacking the problem head on.
On sidewalks, in alleys, sometimes tents. There are many places to spot the unhoused population, and almost all of them are places that no one wants to be.
"It's a horrifying experience to be there. I'm not ashamed of it; I'm grateful for where I'm at now," Frank Petrovic admitted. "I fell victim to mistakes, bad decisions."
A sixth-grade dropout, Petrovic struggled for years with substance abuse. He knows life on the streets, then and now.
"It's definitely getting worse," Petrovic claimed about the homeless issue. "There need to be resources."
As winter approaches, he worries about the scariest and most dangerous time to be without a home.
"It's terrible to even think about," Petrovic shuddered. "It's horrifying. Freezing."
'A Home For Every Neighbor'
As the colder months set in, the city of Cleveland is taking action, launching the "A Home For Every Neighbor" campaign earlier this year. While Cuyahoga County's Continuum of Care has been in action for years, it's a landmark event for the city to roll up its sleeves toward a solution as well.
"This is really unique to see the city of Cleveland and county work together," smiled Linda Uveges, CEO of City Mission. "It's fantastic."
Having worked for City Mission since she began as a volunteer, Uveges understands the homelessness problem better than most. She speaks with unhoused residents firsthand, and knows that a handful of issues can lead to life on the street.
"Mental health, addiction, trauma," Uveges listed as some of the main contributors. "All of those things put together really can throw somebody in a severe crisis where they feel they have nowhere to go."
Once housing is secured, the new program meets the population where they are, providing substance abuse treatment, mental health resources, and physical disability aid.
"You shouldn't be criminalized for being homeless," Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb told 3News Investigates in explaining how he hopes to approach the issue. "At the end of the day, that's what this work is all about: Giving people hope, giving people a second chance that they deserve."
Targeting homeless group encampments
City officials admit they're casting a wide net. More homeless group encampments popped up during warmer months, and that has helped direct resources.
"The increase in the number of encampments that we saw really alarmed us and called for a different approach," Bibb admitted.
3News Investigates visited three different areas where homeless encampments used to sit. The city housed those people as a part of the Home for Every Neighbor initiative. Weeks and even more than a month after the encampments were broken up, the areas remained clean and vacated.
While city and support experts insist that encampments are not a hotbed for criminal activity, local law enforcement will police the unhoused, including tented groups.
"Please call 911," Bibb urged. "We will make sure we hold those accountable doing criminal activities in our streets in any encampment."
'Being empathetic, being compassionate'
Frank Petrovic says he mostly stayed on his own when he was unhoused, noting the toll his mistakes took on him.
"When it happened to me, it was devastating," Petrovic reflected. "It consumed me mentally, emotionally."
Now a client at Stella Maris addiction recovery, just blocks from the same area where he once wandered the streets, he remembers those less fortunate and still suffering.
"They’re family members. They're somebody's children — somebody's sister, somebody's brother," Petrovic insisted. "We need a lot of help."
City Mission estimates about 150 to 200 people are currently living unhoused needing that help in Cleveland. It's an issue the city will fight for a long time, but one they'll fight with compassion
"We're doing it in a way that represents our values as a city in terms of being empathetic, being compassionate, and making sure that we see the best in people," Bibb summarized.
"It's a horrifying experience to be there. I'm not ashamed of it," Petrovic repeated. "I'm grateful for where I'm at now."