On June 13, 2022, the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS) announced a new contract with Conduent State & Local Solutions, Inc. to manage Ohio’s Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) and Electronic Payment Card (EPC) Systems for the State of Ohio. This is an important development for Ohioans who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or...
Poverty in the LGBTQ Community; Ohio and Nationally
June is Pride Month, a time of celebration for the LGBTQ community, and we should recognize and honor comprehensive lived experiences. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nationally, “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT) respondents to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS) were more likely than non-LGBT respondents to experience economic and mental health...
Race appears to be the greatest determinant of child poverty in Ohio
Nearly 20 percent of Ohio children under 18 lived in poverty during 2015-2019. At 19.9 percent, poverty under the age of 18 is higher than any other age group, compared with 13.8 percent for adults 18 to 59 and 8.8 percent for seniors 60 and over. For all ages together, the poverty rate was 14.0...
Honoring our treasured volunteers
Health and social service organizations rely on dedicated volunteers to work side-by-side with their staff to support their services. They work, not for a paycheck, but for the joy and satisfaction of helping others. The time of day or time of year makes no difference; they just want to serve. Volunteers provide meaningful services in...
Local efforts to address racism as a public health crisis in Northeast Ohio
Since 2020, many municipalities across Northeast Ohio either declared racism as a public health crisis or condemned racism. According to an article from The Land, 10 towns and cities across Cuyahoga County declared racism as a public health crisis (RAPHC) and six cities passed resolutions to condemn racism. Cuyahoga County, for example, established the Citizens...
Ohio’s Capital Budget includes over $6 Million for Cuyahoga County Health and Human Service projects
The behind the closed doors state capital bill process finally came out into the open on May 24 when both the Ohio Senate Finance Committee and the Ohio House Finance held hearings on Ohio Senate Bill 343 and Ohio House Bill 687. Both committees heard testimony from Ohio Budget and Management Director Kimberly Murniecks. She...
There is no Other anymore: our community engagement and racial equity work
Ninety days ago, I left my role as President-CEO of the historical and effective East End Neighborhood House. After two decades working in the Buckeye neighborhood, the assignment became clear, I wanted to elevate the voice, value, and engagement of our community to be part of policy and advocacy efforts. The opportunity to serve as...
One primary election still to go: what do we know?
It was supposed to be just like any other midterm election year in Ohio: 2022 would require a single partially open primary election on May 3 to determine who would represent each political party as the nominee in the November 8, 2022 general election. Historically, midterm elections, which in Ohio have typically included all statewide...
Bridging the COVID Cliff: preparing for the Public Health Emergency Unwind, watch webinar
The flexibility and expansions that kept many households afloat during the pandemic will end when the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) expires, perhaps as soon as July, causing a COVID Cliff. Families still fighting to gain stability will face the end of enhanced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the redetermination of the full Medicaid...