~Homeless to Homes~

On October 8, 2008, an emergency ordinance was passed by Cincinnati City Council which mandated that Strategies to End Homelessness "address the inadequacies of the current provision of services for single homeless individuals in the City of Cincinnati, and to put in place a comprehensive plan to implement such services."  Further , the ordinance states "the plan must ensure that as a critical segment of the homeless community, single homeless men and women, will have access to safe, appropriate shelter facilities and that such facilities will provide comprehensive services necessary for homeless individuals to obtain and maintain housing." This ordinance, combined with Council's instructions to "take a blank slate" approach, set the framework for the Homeless to Homes planning process.

The Homeless to Homes Plan provides a comprehensive framework for ensuring that single homeless men and women have access to safe, appropriate shelter facilities that provide them with the necessary services to move out of homelessness. This plan represents hundreds of hours of work by more than 70 individuals representing City and County government, housing and human services providers, the business community, philanthropists and funders, and leaders in the faith community, working with the common goal of taking a blank slate approach toward designing a model system for Cincinnati's homeless citizens. This plan is only the beginning, as it makes recommendations regarding how our current homeless services system for individuals should develop over the next three to five years.

Highlights of the Homeless to Homes Plan include:

• A higher level of service system-wide to move individuals out of homelessness quickly

• An ambitious increase in transitional and permanent supportive housing, with a workable strategy for its development

• Targeted services, specific to the individual's gender, age, or special needs, with reduced reliance on emergency shelter

• Homeless to Homes in the News~

  Watch a May 3, 2009 Channel 12 Newsmakers interview on Homeless to Homes here.

  Watch a March 21, 2010 Channel 12 Newsmakers interview on Homeless to Homes here.