Greetings!
 The Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance oversight committee met in January to review the past year and discuss plans and goals for 2011. Committee members highlighted accomplishments from 2010, including completion of the volunteer handbook, creation of the newsletter, and improvement in provision of services to the area's homeless population through a net gain of one additional intake site.
The 2011 plan includes continuing the summer intern program with NEOCH's assistance, coordinating a fall CLE program, increasing involvement with CMBA practice sections, and contributing to a proposed roundtable on Juvenile/Domestic Relations issues with leaders in the courts and legal service community.
Thank you all for your service - the continued success of the program is entirely attributable to the contributions of its many volunteers.
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Upcoming clinics & events
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland Clinics
For a calendar of Legal Aid brief advice/intake clinics, please visit the Legal Aid website at www.lasclev.org.
Cleveland Lawyers' Initiative on Reentry (CLIR)
Brief Advice/Intake Clinics
North Star Neighborhood Reentry Resource Center, 1:00-4:00 p.m.2011: March 11, April 8, May 13, June 10, July 8 Periodic training sessions for new volunteers TBA - call Brian Lamb at (216) 566-5590 for more information.
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In the News
Federal Housing Budget Provides More Money for Homeless, Less for Community Grants
On Feb. 14, Bloomberg News reported that President Obama's proposed budget would reduce spending on housing programs by $1.1 billion, including a $300 million cut in community development block grants, while boosting spending for the homeless. The proposed HUD budget would spend $577 million more on assistance for the homeless and $145 million in new vouchers for homeless veterans and others. In addition, $200 million would be included for a new program designed to provide housing for more low-income tenants. The program would help developers obtain funding to renovate apartments, provide vouchers for tenants and create housing developments for a mix of residents with different incomes.
Click here for full article, or here for article by Washington Post.
Funding Helps Homeless Veterans in Ohio and Michigan
On Feb. 10, Cincinnati.com reported that The Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati and Huntington Bank are financing the development of 209 affordable rental units to create transitional housing for homeless veterans in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit and Northern Michigan. Huntington received about $3 million in grant funding from FHLB Cincinnati to support its approximately $5 million in construction financing for the five veterans housing projects. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides the bulk of remaining funding for the $11 million of total housing development costs. Additionally, Huntington has assumed a $999,500 Federal Home Loan Bank affordable housing program grant for a $1.9 million 50-unit Veteran Center in Cincinnati, sponsored by Volunteers of America-Ohio River Valley and Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio. Huntington will provide $1.1 million in construction financing.
Click here for full article.
Volunteers Help Those on the Street During Annual "Homeless Stand Down"
On Jan. 30, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that nonprofit coalition InterAct Cleveland organized and held this year's Homeless Stand Down over the weekend, which served more than 600 homeless people in its 20th year. The massive three-day event provides winter clothes, medical screenings, haircuts and more for homeless individuals and families in Cleveland. Erin Maxin, a local marketing executive and vice president of InterAct's board, said that providing the essentials is important, but extras such as picture portraits and musical entertainment say to the homeless, "We care enough about you to give you something you don't need."
Alternative Correctional Facility Opens in Cuyahoga County
On Jan. 27, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that a new alternative correctional center in Cuyahoga County was unveiled Jan. 26 and would open its doors to about a dozen non-violent offenders Jan. 31. The Judge Nancy R. McDonnell Community Based Correctional Facility, the 19th program of its kind in the state, offers clients the chance to take part in community service, access treatment for chemical dependency, and obtain help finding employment in lieu of prison time. Officials who spoke at the center's ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday said that state money, which funded the $10.2 million project, has been available for years but the question of location impeded progress. The facility, located on Cleveland's East Side, guides participants through a series of stages with gradually increasing privileges until they are ready to re-enter the community, which process is expected to take between four and six months.
Click here for full article.
States Help Ex-Inmates Find Jobs On Jan. 25, the New York Times reported that faced with increasing budget gaps and high unemployment, California, Michigan, New York and several other states are attacking both problems by helping ex-convicts find jobs to keep them from ending up back in prison. The approach is backed by prisoner advocates and faith-based organizations, as well as liberal and conservative government officials, who compare the amount of money spent by states to incarcerate offenders annually versus funding that supports various re-entry programs, including substance abuse treatment and job training.
Click here for full article.
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2011 Intake Schedule
For the current 2011 Intake Schedule, please click here. If you have not done so already, please review the posted schedule and contact Melissa Zujkowski if you need to make an adjustment.
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Find out more
For the most current list of community events and resources, check out the CHLAP page of the CMBA website by clicking here.
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Volunteer Spotlight
Nicole Braden Lewis
 Tucker Ellis & West LLP
Nicole has conducted monthly intake sessions at the Norma Herr Community Women's Shelter since 2002 and is instrumental in training new CHLAP volunteers. Her other civic and community projects include serving as finance chair for the University Circle United Methodist Church, past chair of the City Club of Cleveland New Leaders, and on the Near West Theatre Benefit Committee. Nicole can be reached by email or at (216) 696-3882.
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Nominations for the Volunteer
Spotlight:
Please contact CHLAP Chair Melissa Zujkowski by email or by phone at (216) 583-7364.
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Archived CHLAP Newsletters
Issue 5 - January 2011
Issue 4 - December 2010
Issue 3 - November 2010
Issue 2 - October 2010
Issue 1 - September 2010
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