CLEVELAND — After a week filled with snow and freezing temperatures, and days before money is set to run out, the city of Cleveland has approved emergency funding to house the homeless.
City Council passed the resolution at its meeting Monday night.
"It's an emergency in that if the funding runs out, we don't have shelter," Emily Collins, senior advisor to Mayor Justin M. Bibb, told 3News. "It can be life or death. I think we all know that."
Collins says about 250 people have made Cleveland's streets their home, but this season, there seem to be more tents.
"We're really trying to put our finger on the pulse of it, too," she added. "We, too, understand that their needs are popping up in the public space, and it's the city of Cleveland's public space. So we feel an incredible weight to make sure we are doing everything we can to provide options for folks, and seasonal shelter is one of those things."
Cuyahoga County dollars to fund seasonal shelters this winter will run out this month. The city's emergency ordinance fills the gap by providing $225,000 — enough to shelter the homeless at night through April.
"This is about saving lives here in our community," Chris Knestrick, executive director for the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, said. "It's about making sure people have a safe and warm place to sleep tonight."
According to Knestrick, the money would help fund about 80 beds at these seasonal shelters.
"What we've found through years of this work is that seasonal shelters [are] also one of the best paths to housing for people," he said. "When we really understand and know about homelessness, it's not just about the bed count; there are real reasons why people don't go to particular places, and so it's about providing a variety of options to individuals."
The funding will also support other services to help with food, medical, and mental health needs, with the goal of helping the unsheltered find permanent homes off the streets.