Cleveland's "Home for Every Neighbor" initiative has found housing for 154 unsheltered people across 47 encampment sites, city officials announced Monday.
That puts the city ahead of schedule on its goal to house 150 or more residents within 18 months of the program's launch last summer.
The $2 million project aims to provide more resources, increase options and accelerate the housing process for unhoused people, such as acquiring or building homes and coordinating social services and programs to keep them housed long-term.
"We see cities and municipalities that are threatening arrest, forcibly displacing those who are unsheltered. But in Cleveland, we are offering housing," Liam Haggerty, Cleveland's Housing and Outreach manager, said at a Monday press conference.
Cleveland is working with Cuyahoga County and other advocacy groups like the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and the West Side Catholic Center.
“Local government cannot right the ship alone," Mayor Justin Bibb said. "Everyone needs to chip in and do their part because when they do, you see amazing results like this.”
In addition to housing 154 people, Cleveland officials say 28 pets have also benefitted.
The teams implementing the initiative are already working on other site locations, the city said.
