Jan. 22: Health, Human Services & Aging Committee Meeting, Cuyahoga County Council
Covered by Documenter Marvetta Rutherford (notes)
Keeping families together
Providence House is set to expand its crisis nursery services to Buckeye-Shaker in February. The nonprofit’s CEO and president, Natalie Leek, detailed plans at the Cuyahoga County Council’s Health, Human Services & Aging Committee on Jan. 22.
The nonprofit has a crisis nursery on Cleveland’s West Side, and adding services to the East Side will help families that live there, according to Leek’s presentation. One of the main goals of the organization is to keep children out of foster care and with their families.
The new east campus can accommodate 20 kids at a time, which helps Providence House serve roughly 250 more children per year. The Buckeye-Shaker location currently features a Family Resiliency Center, community meeting spaces, and the nonprofit’s administrative office.
Over the nonprofit’s 44-year history in Cuyahoga County, about 16,000 babies and children have had stays with the organization. Its mission is to keep children safe during stressful times within families. For example, 82% of children served have stayed out of foster care, Leek said.
To date, Providence House is the oldest and one of the largest crisis nurseries in the United States, according to Leek’s presentation. She said 99% of children served have been reunited with their families for 15 consecutive years. More than 70% of families say the bond with their children is better than it was prior to receiving services from the organization.
If you build it, they will come
As part of its expansion to Cleveland’s East Side, Providence House is also looking to secure additional funding to build a community services hub at the same site. So far, $13 million has been used to fund the East Side campus. Cuyahoga County contributed $100,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars for the hub.
Providence House is still fundraising to accommodate the 35% increase from original costs. The initial investment helped get the site construction ready, and the next phase is raising $4.7 million to complete the project, Leek told the committee.
The hub will rent space to social service partners, according to the presentation. The goal is to give them an East Side home closer to many of the families Providence House supports.
At Providence House’s West Side Campus, Leek said they work with more than 100 community partners to meet the needs of children and families.
The goal is to begin construction in 2027.
Remembering Rosa Parks
The committee also moved forward a request from The Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition for $9,000 of ARPA money. Founded in 2011 as a nonprofit, the coalition’s mission is to create equity and address racial disparities within the community.
With the money, the coalition plans to host its annual Black History – or “Herstory” – event on Feb. 17. The event is called “A Talk With My Daughters: Black Herstory Meets Black Health.” The program this year will honor Rosa Parks and feature remarks from the coalition’s Healthy Communities Director Sharon Spruill.
Read the notes from Documenter Marvetta Rutherford
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