“What the elders see while sitting, the young ones standing on their toes won’t see.” – African proverb For the past three months, Americans from all backgrounds and of all ages have dealt with COVID-19, and its dramatic alteration of everyday life. The disease, combined with the structural racism playing over and over on screens...
Author: William Tarter, Jr.
June 19, 2020
Congresswomen Marcia Fudge headlines HSAN on food insecurity
More than 150 people heard from the Honorable Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (D-Warrensville Heights) at the Human Services Advocacy Network (HSAN) via Zoom on June 19. Fudge has been a champion for food access during her tenure in Congress, and provided opening remarks about the issue of food insecurity during and after the pandemic. In...
June 19, 2020
Cuyahoga County Council hears update on diversion center
The Cuyahoga County Council committee of the whole heard an update on June 9 on the newly proposed Cuyahoga County Diversion Center, from the Chief of Special Operations, Brandy Carney. The council had not heard an update in more than six months, according to Council President Dan Brady, so there were quite a few updates...
May 18, 2020
Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services levy passes with flying colors
On April 28, Cuyahoga County voters overwhelmingly approved an increase to the Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services (HHS) levy, passing by an unofficial margin[1] of approximately 70 percent to 30 percent. The 4.7 mill levy[2] is a replacement levy for the county’s previous 3.9 mill levy. Cuyahoga County homeowners will pay an additional $41.58...
April 27, 2020
What to watch for: The effect of the pandemic on Cuyahoga County’s finances
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the health and economic fabric of the State of Ohio, the United States, and the world. Labeled by policy experts as “an economic catastrophe,”[1] the crisis has impacted finances and services at each level of government, including the county level. In this post, we will examine the fiscal picture...
March 31, 2020
Cuyahoga County Executive discusses county’s COVID-19 response at City Club forum
The City Club of Cleveland held a virtual forum on March 27, at the ideastream studios, with Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. Moderated by the Chief Executive Officer of the City Club, Dan Moulthrop, the hour-long forum focused on several issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is a disaster. It’s tough,” Budish began, noting...
February 24, 2020
Cuyahoga County HHSA committee approves foster children, homeless services contracts
The Cuyahoga County Health, Human Services and Aging (HHSA) committee met February 19 to discuss two new contracts, one for the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) and another for the Office of Homeless Services. Additionally, the committee heard a presentation from the Western Reserve Land Conservancy. Children and Family Services Christine Alexander, from...
February 24, 2020
Calling out systemic racial disparities and responding to inequality: What will our legacy be?
It’s all right to tell a man to lift himself by his own bootstraps, but it is a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps. ― Martin Luther King Jr. Earlier this month, the staff at The Center for Community Solutions had a conversation about...
February 19, 2020
Committee approves public funding for temporary staffing agency serving people recently released from prison
The Cuyahoga County Health, Human Services and Aging (HHSA) committee met on February 5, with a three-year contract between Cuyahoga County and Towards Employment (TE) on the agenda. The contract, worth $750,000, runs from February 2020 to February 2023. The contract, worth $750,000, runs from February 2020 to February 2023. TE is a nonprofit, headquartered...