Below is a list of organizations that may be good resources for clients/students and anyone in the department who want to affect change in specific areas that could benefit the community. 

GENERAL:

  • United Way 2-1-1, serves 4 counties and covers 1.5 million people in Ohio, the United Way 2-1-1 Help Center provides free and confidential 24-hour access to a compassionate professional who will review options for help, develops a plan and acts as an advocate if one is faced with barriers to service. Simply dial 2-1-1.
  • MetroHealth Institute for H.O.P.E.™, has three focus areas: healthy families and thriving communities, transformative knowledge and education, and innovative practices.

AGING:

  • Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging, serves older adults and individuals with disabilities in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties.
  • Senior Transportation Connection, provides accessible transportation for older adults.

CLOTHING:

  • Catholic Charities of Cleveland Clothing Closet, The Clothing Closet at the Bishop William M. Cosgrove Center provides new and lightly-used clothing to men, women and children in need. All items are distributed at no cost.
  • Dress for Success Cleveland, helps unemployed and underemployed women achieve economic independence by providing no-fee programs, development tools and professional attire to thrive in work and in life.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:

  • Health and Human Services Cuyahoga County, Witness Victim Services and Family Justice Center, 216-443-7345.
  • WomenSafe, provides emergency shelter and support services to survivors of domestic violence throughout Northeast Ohio.
  • Journey Center for Safety and Healing, provides information and services for domestic violence and more.
  • Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, helps with civil protection orders, divorce and custody.

EMPLOYMENT:

  • Towards Employment, provides skill development for in-demand jobs, comprehensive support, extended career coaching, direct connections to employers, and advocating for workforce investments that promote quality skills training, strengthened career navigation and second chance hiring practices.
  • Health and Human Services Cuyahoga County, Workforce Opportunity Resource Centers, 216-987-6578.

FOOD INSECURITY:

  • CWRU Community Pantry, offers free resources such as perishable and shelf stable food items, hygiene products, and cleaning products. Open to all community members.
  • Greater Cleveland Food Bank, provides nutritious food and essential resources so neighbors facing hunger can thrive.
  • Hunger Network, one of the largest emergency food providers in Greater Cleveland.
  • Catholic Charities Food Pantry Program, individuals and families may visit a pantry one time per month for an emergency supply of food, which consists of breakfast, lunch and dinner items for a minimum of three days. Offers non-perishable items, as well as meats and fresh produce.
  • Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging Nutrition Support Programs, available to persons age 60 and older and their spouses regardless of age in many communities throughout Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties. Priority is given to frail, homebound or isolated older adults and consumers.

HEALTH:

  • FrontLine Service, a private, non-profit organization that reaches out to adults and children in Northeast Ohio to end homelessness, prevent suicide, resolve behavioral health crises and overcome trauma.
  • Cleveland Ibn Sina Clinic (CISC), is a completely free, sub-specialty medical clinic dedicated to enhancing the lives of our neighbors and serves everyone in need, regardless of background and insurance status.
  • Circle Health Services,  formerly known as The Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland is one of the oldest free clinics in the United States and the largest in Ohio. The Uptown facility, located in University Circle, is equipped with 18 exam rooms, 5 dental chairs, 3 group therapy rooms, a modern laboratory, and an expanded pharmacy. The Free Clinic also houses a Community Education Center that is used to educate patients about both health and wellness topics.
  • Thrive for Change, a peer-driven nonprofit based out of Cleveland, OH focused on harm reduction strategies to reduce opioid overdose deaths, disease, and infections. Through these services and connections to ongoing care, they increase the wellbeing of people who use drugs and health of our communities.
  • MetroHealth Compass Services, a special program offered exclusively at MetroHealth for people living with HIV/AIDS. The program is designed to support and guide people living with HIV/AIDS along the path to wellness, 216-778-4051.
  • NAMI Greater Cleveland, provides support to those with serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression and anxiety disorders and their family members. Offers a variety of free support groups, education programs, information and referral, and advocacy.

IMMIGRATION/REFUGEES:

  • Refugee Services Collaborative (RSC) of Greater Cleveland, is the hub of collaboration, coordination, and creativity for organizations dedicated to ensuring the success of international newcomers—including refugees, asylees, asylum seekers, and other disadvantaged migrants—across Northeast Ohio.
  • Re:Source Cleveland, serves international newcomers as they navigate challenges and collaborates with them to reach their dreams.
  • CWRU Schubert Center resource guide, Supporting Immigrant Children: Resources for Ohio Child Providers and Practitioners.

LEGAL AID:

  • Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, provides legal services at no cost to clients with low incomes, helping ensure fairness for all in the justice system. They handle cases that impact basic needs such as health, shelter and safety, economics and education, and access to justice. Attorneys practice in the areas of consumer rights, domestic violence, education, employment, family law, health, housing, foreclosure, immigration, public benefits, utilities, and tax.
  • ACLU Ohio, envisions a just and equitable Ohio where all people are fairly represented in a strong democracy, unoppressed by racism, and able to live their fullest lives.

UNHOUSED:

  • Cleveland Metro Bar Association Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance Program (CHLAP), volunteers provide pro-bono legal assistance for those in need, meeting them where they are – in area shelters and at social service agencies where they gather for meals, shelter or other services. Volunteer attorneys share their legal knowledge and time by attending CHLAP clinics, providing brief advice and counseling, offering resources and perhaps most importantly listening to clients’ issues. Some volunteers provide direct representation or follow up with additional direction where needed.
  • Family Promise of Greater Cleveland, provides families facing the crisis of homelessness with a safe place designed to engage, inspire, and guide them toward a future where they feel empowered to control the course of their lives.
  • Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM), provides families facing the crisis of homelessness with a safe place designed to engage, inspire, and guide them toward a future where they feel empowered to control the course of their lives.
  • Neighborhood Alliance, provides emergency shelter, homeless outreach, daily meal delivery, nutrition services including an emergency food pantry and socialization activities for seniors, childcare and child enrichment programs, and access to family support programs such as Help Me Grow for those in need.
  • The City Mission, using trauma-informed care, they provide immediate access to food, clothing and shelter, enabling men, women, and children to feel safe and secure.
  • FrontLine Service, provides the largest and most comprehensive continuum of care for homeless persons in Ohio. Homeless assistance programs provide assertive street outreach, coordinated intake to the county’s emergency shelters, temporary housing, case management, psychiatric and drug and alcohol programming for individuals with co-occurring disorders, and permanent supportive housing.

UTILITIES

  • CHN Housing Partners, offers assistance with water bills for customers of the City of Cleveland Division of water who own and occupy their home.
  • Step Forward, helps residents of Cuyahoga County apply for programs that make energy more affordable and prevent disconnection.