The Cuyahoga County Health, Human Services, and Aging Committee met on July 28, 2021, to discuss three contracts, one related to emergency services, another for workforce development and the last for permanent housing for the homeless. The first contract presented was a new master contract for emergency assistance services for families. The first contract presented...
Author: William Tarter, Jr.
July 30, 2021
Community engagement on American Rescue Plan Act dollars vary widely across the county
When the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was passed, the federal government recognized that the $1.9 trillion plan offered a unique opportunity to greatly impact the future of the United States economy. Specifically, the $350 billion in one-time funding, which was earmarked for cities, counties and states across the country, offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to...
July 6, 2021
Cuyahoga County HHSA Passes Contract Expanding Popular OPTIONS Program
The Cuyahoga County Council Health, Human Services and Aging Committee met on June 15, 2021 to discuss one contract, the OPTIONS for Independent Living program (a.k.a. OPTIONS). Administered as a master contract by the Cuyahoga County Department of Senior and Adult Services (DSAS), the program contract is worth $6,800,435.60 and is distributed through 26 different...
June 17, 2021
Ohio and Juneteenth
This week marks the Juneteenth holiday. In honor of this important day in American history, several Community Solutions staff members have written about the history of Juneteenth, and every day this week we will share posts about the holiday, the lasting impact of slavery and what structural racism means for Black Americans to this day. Read...
June 1, 2021
Federal aid through the American Rescue Plan Act begins to take shape
Throughout the past year, The Center for Community Solutions has written about the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was passed in March 2020 to aid the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), passed in March 2021, was meant to be a supportive catalyst for America’s...
May 24, 2021
County Executive delivers State of the County address amidst recovery
The 2021 Cuyahoga County State of the County speech was sure to be memorable due to the pandemic and its effect on county residents and the economy. That was indeed the case, as Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish presented the first-ever virtual State of the County address. …the county devoted $20 million towards eviction protection...
April 19, 2021
Cuyahoga County HHSA Committee passes two contracts, hears update on vaccine rollout
The Cuyahoga County Health, Human Services and Aging (HHSA) Committee met to consider two contracts, one related to transportation and the other for homeless services at its March 31 meeting. The first contract was awarded to AmeriCab, in an amount not-to-exceed $8 million for non-emergency transportation services for Medicaid-eligible individuals. The contract began on March...
April 19, 2021
Public transit funding, cut in initial DeWine proposal, restored by General Assembly
The State of Ohio’s transportation budget for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 is now complete. Transportation is a vital part of the social determinants of health, as it plays a critical role in access to jobs, health care, and allows for independent living and mobility. As the state ages, transportation will become an increasingly important...
March 29, 2021
Cuyahoga County HHSA Committee approves homeless services contracts
The Cuyahoga County Council Health, Human Services and Aging Committee had a meeting on March 17 where it heard authorization requests for five contracts, and one presentation from the Cuyahoga County Office of Re-entry. The first contract was for $870,271 with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD), which runs from January 1, 2021...
March 12, 2021
HHSA Committee concludes final contract year of former Tapestry program, hears update on May Dugan Center and Diversion Center plans
The Cuyahoga County Health, Human Services and Aging committee heard several important items at its March 3 meeting. The first item was a contract extension, another was a presentation from the May Dugan Center, and finally, an update on the Cuyahoga County Opioid Mitigation Fund. The first item was the final extension of a master...