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...
Dozens of organizations around the state, including several in Cuyahoga County, set to receive TANF funding from Governor’s Office of Faith-Based Initiatives
In late July, Governor Mike DeWine issued two executive orders laying out the allocation of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding through the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (GOFBCI). The two orders identified funding recipients through GOFBCI for state fiscal years 2022 (July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022) and 2023 (July 1, 2022-June...
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...
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...
How the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition is making an impact in the community
The Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition (LSCC) conducted its bimonthly convening meeting on May 7 to present the coalition’s progress now that the Lead Safe Ordinance is taking hold. The coalition is comprised of many community stakeholders such as landlords, contractors, pediatricians, parents and teachers. The coalition is moving away from initiating action after children are...
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...
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...
Inability to miss work contributes to vaccine hesitancy and likely, lower vaccination rates
By: Kate Warren, kwarren@communitysolutions.com Taneisha Fair, tfair@communitysolutions.com Loren Anthes, lanthes@communitysolutions.com With about 41 percent of Ohioans having started the COVID-19 vaccine as of May 7, and weekly vaccinations slowing, it remains important to understand what barriers exist for people to get vaccinated. Attitudes and behaviors around the vaccine are complex, and it would be impossible to pinpoint one...
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...
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...