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Upcoming Events – Please join us!

2023’s Homelessness Awareness Week

Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week kicks off with You Will Be Found, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 at Christ Church Cathedral

Tickets: https://tickets.chorusconnection.com/fluidity/events/766

You Will Be Found is an invitation for you to make a difference. You’ll be captivated and inspired through the choirs singing to raise awareness about homelessness in our city. We strive to use our voices for change, advocating for more affordable housing options for our neighbors living on the streets. Through the power of music, we aim to touch hearts, ignite compassion, and encourage a collective effort in addressing this undeniable human right – housing for all. Together, we can transform our city and create a compassionate and inclusive community that leaves no one behind.

Check out the interview on Cincinnati Edition and get your tickets to help support the Homeless Coalition’s Education Program: https://www.wvxu.org/show/cincinnati-edition/2023-11-09/christ-church-cathedral-queen-city-street-choir-concert

Join our upcoming community meeting to learn how together, we can build a Cincinnati that truly works for all of us! Together, we win!

WHEN
December 09, 2023 at 11:00am – 1pm

WHERE
Truth & Destiny Convent Ministries
2645 W North Bend Rd
Destiny Hall
Cincinnati, OH 45239

RSVP at https://www.cincyhousingforall.com/wearebuilding

Each year, we usher in the longest night of the year with a memorial to people whose lives are cut short by homelessness.

Join us as we read aloud the names of the far too many people who cannot be here to speak for themselves. All are welcome to share stories, mourn the loss, and celebrate their lives in remembrance.

RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/1021766049096206/

From 2022:
Homelessness decreases the average lifespan by 25 years.
In December 2022, we read aloud more than 168 names of people who lives were cut short by homelessness in 2022.
Each year, this number grows because the housing crisis continues to get worse, worker exploitation rises, and evictions continue at the maximum rate in our county.
Every one of these deaths could have been prevented or delayed by a truly affordable housing trust fund, one that the city currently lacks.
168 is the largest number of people for a single year so far, and the average age was roughly 52 years old
This is why we cannot wait!

Get Involved: CincyHousingForAll.com

Looking for an event or activity? Check out our Education page to find an event for your group, and request it by filling out the google form. We love working with groups of all sizes!

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Everything you need to know about Issue 24

With the election coming up, we need additional help getting the word out and sharing the impact that truly affordable housing will have in Cincinnati. Please get involved at https://www.cincyhousingforall.com/

Overview of Issue 24 –> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M1AXob3rDLyb39MMnrBLWCqzDR3CHr3w/view?pli=1

And RSVP for the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/3291200661173235

Learn about Cincinnati’s opportunity to ensure truly affordable housing through Issue 24.

In partnership with Affordable Housing Advocates, Streetvibes, and dozens of organizations who want the public to know all the details of Issue 24, we will explain the history of the housing crisis, how we have been working to create and sustain affordable housing, what obstacles we have faced, and why Issue 24 is right for Cincinnati right now. Please share and join us!

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Vote YES on 24!

Vote YES ON ISSUE 24 this November to bring us one step closer to creating a Cincinnati that works for all of us! Together, we can ensure that all individuals, regardless of how much money we have or what zip code we live in, can have a safe place to call home!

ISSUE 24 will put a 0.3% earnings tax on next year’s ballot and allocate the money toward truly affordable housing.  Together, we can generate $40-$50 million each year to ensure that all of us have a stable place to call home. Vote YES ON ISSUE 24 on or before November 7, 2023 to invest in housing for all!

WHY WE CAN’T WAIT!

Rent is too damn high! 

Last year, rents rose more in Cincinnati than in any other city in the entire country! In fact, for the last four years, Cincinnatians have experienced one of the fastest growing general rent increases in the United States! Today, one out of every three households in our city are paying more than they can really afford on housing. 

Because of our affordable housing shortage, hardworking, everyday people like childcare workers, school bus drivers, home health aides, custodians, retail and food service workers, recreation center employees, and government retirees are struggling to keep their heads above water. It doesn’t have to be this way!

Homeownership is out of reach!

It is getting harder for folks to stay in the homes they own. Seniors and those of us with fixed incomes are being pushed out due to rising costs of repairs and maintenance. Homeownership for families with low incomes is already out of reach and is quickly getting out of reach for families with moderate income!

We need housing NOW!

Despite more than four years of advocacy, our City Council has not put a single dollar of public money into our original Affordable Housing Trust Fund (Fund 439), which is designed to make sure that our dollars are used to meet our true needs for affordable housing. They have instead diverted money into other funds funding two bedrooms that may cost as much as $1,750 per month. That’s not affordable housing!  Our leaders refuse to do what is right.  So it is time to take power into our own hands. People’s lives, and the health and wellbeing of our city is at stake. 

WE HAVE A SOLUTION!

ISSUE 24 will help create an ongoing and targeted revenue source to fund the creation and preservation of truly affordable housing. It willwill put a 0.3% earnings tax on next year’s ballot so that we can invest in housing for all.  This tax restoration will cost most households less than $11/month, but will generate between $40-$50 million annually toward truly affordable housing.  Importantly, the money generated goes toward the creation and preservation of housing for those most in need of relief and where our City’s critical housing shortage is. In our plan, two-bedroom apartments will cost no more than $1,075/month, and most will cost $645/month or less. 

But it doesn’t stop there. We believe in the power and importance of homeownership, so revenue will also be available to help low and moderate income families enter and maintain homeownership. Finally, our amendment will give power to the people by creating a community advisory board that will give input on funding priorities and ensure transparency.

We are a grassroots movement of everyday people. People who are trying to make ends meet with limited resources. People who want to stay in our homes. People who need to find stable housing. People who want our neighbors to be able to stay in our communities. People who refuse to ignore the crisis of this moment because we believe that together we can create change. We are people willing to take bold action to ensure that all individuals, regardless of how much money we have or what zip code we live in, can have a safe place to call home.  Together, we are Cincinnati Action for Housing NOW!

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

Together we can create a future where all of us can live in vibrant, thriving communities with access to health care, quality schools, and the freedom to make our own best lives for ourselves and our families. 

https://www.cincyhousingforall.com/join

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The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition is Hiring a Director of Development!

Click to Apply

Director of Development

Position Summary:  Full time position to direct and implement a comprehensive development program that raises funds to enable the mission by aggressively developing and nurturing current and prospective donors including individuals, foundations, faith communities and like-minded businesses.

Duties

Donor Relations

  • Leads and implements strategies, programs, activities and research to identify, prioritize, cultivate, solicit, recognize, expand the number of, and steward donors and prospects.
  • Create and implement an ongoing road map for donor relationships to ensure retention, increase of current donor contributions as well as recapture from previous donors.
  • Maintain and expand the Coalition’s fundraising and development efforts on social media outlets and organizational websites to reach existing supporters and reach new supporters.

Planned Giving

  • Develop and implement a planned giving program, and identify and solicit potential planned giving prospects among donors.

Leadership

  • In consultation with Executive Director, lead staff, and Board Development Committee in fundraising and development initiatives.
  • Represent the Coalition and its programs in meetings, phone conversations and at events with individual and prospective donors

Membership

  • Operate the Coalition’s annual membership drive to retain current members and bring in new organizations and individuals as dues-paying Members.
  • Ensure quality opportunities for Members to connect personally with each other and Coalition staff.

Fundraising Events

  • Recruit and lead staff, volunteer committees, and day of the event volunteers.
  • Directs and implements all fundraising events including large annual event.
  • Identify, solicit and obtain sponsorships.

Grants

  • Research opportunities and write grant proposals to private foundations and other appropriate entities.
  • Manage all aspects of grant funding requests, research, submissions, and reporting

Database and Record Keeping

  • Develop and implement systems and processes to manage a portfolio of donors and prospects as well as a donor database, including the creation of donor and prospect profiles, and tracking contributions, communication and engagement.

Goals and Reporting

  • With the Executive Director, for all aspects of development and fundraising, set trackable goals that align and contribute to the broader goals of the organization and achieve these goals.
  • Effectively utilize the data collected from donors and constituents to report on fundraising efforts and outcomes.
  • Provide regular reports and analysis to the Executive Director, Staff and Board Development Committee on fundraising activities, progress towards fundraising goals, and donor engagement.

Attributes

  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills
  • Great team collaborator
  • Reliable
  • Well organized
  • Responsive
  • Self-motivated
  • Punctual
  • Ability to plan strategically and implement efficiently and effectively
  • Honest and empathetic
  • Ability to multitask

Qualifications

  • Must understand, align with and be passionate about the mission of the organization.
  • At least three years experience working in non-profit development and fundraising, including marketing of organizational outcomes..
  • Must understand, communicate and enforce the Homeless Coalition’s values, policies, guidelines and practices.
  • Understanding of systemic causes of homelessness and housing instability.
  • Understanding of systems focused advocacy, community organizing and public education.
  • Comfortable with controversial issues and stances
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Proficiency in Google Apps, including Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, GMail
  • Experience in Quickbooks
  • Proficiency in using a nonprofit CRM and donor database
  • Experience in Adobe InDesign is preferred, but not required
  • Proficiency in using “email blast” systems.
  • Experience with text-to-give and mass text programs preferred.
  • Proficient in fundraising and development work through the use of various social media platforms.
  • Ability to design digital and physical media to promote development and fundraising.

Working Conditions

  • Supervised by Executive Director
  • Will work out of our office, with some flexibility for occasional remote work
  • Some required work on nights and weekends
  • Must be able to lift at least 50 pounds

Annual Salary:  $50,000 to $55,000 depending on experience and qualifications

Benefits

  • Employer-paid health, vision, dental and life insurance for employee offered.  Employer pays the full premium for the employee.  Coverage for dependents can be added at the cost of the employee.
  • Group Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement:  Annual reimbursement of up to $4,000 for qualified health costs
  • Option for employee to contribute to a 403b retirement account
  • Workers Compensation Insurance Provided
  • Paid vacation time

Send Resume, Cover Letter and 3 References to:

Josh Spring, LSW
Executive Director
joshspring@cincihomeless.org

               117 E. 12th, Cincinnati, OH 45202

No phone calls please

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We Showed Up!

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

We showed up on August 2nd at City Hall!  Our rally was packed, the energy was high and the art display was stunning.  Approximately 50 different organizations were represented.

Dozens of people addressed City Council.  People told story after story of their personal struggle to find housing they can afford, the struggle to live without a home, the struggle to care for your children without an affordable home, the constant, often nearly impossible fight to assist people in finding affordable housing, the uphill battle to keep ownership of homes people worked years to own, and on and on and on.  We spoke to council for two-and-a-half hours straight.  We filled the first floor of council chambers to standing room only.  We covered much of the rarely used balcony.  And despite all of the pain emotionally described by person after person, everyone spoke with strong hope for the future because of what the funding outlined in our charter amendment  would accomplish.

Once our amendment passes this November, we will have to vote a second time in November 2024 to pass an ordinance implementing the restored earned income tax named in the amendment for truly affordable housing. Because action from City Council could put both our amendment and the implementation of the funding on this November’s ballot, avoiding the need for a second vote in 2024, and allowing us to vote to start funding truly affordable housing an entire year earlier, everyone called on City Council to pass a motion committing themselves to put funding for truly affordable housing on the ballot this November because we need housing NOW!  Council instead, opted to go about business as usual.

Unphased, we walked two doors down the hall and turned in our nearly 12,000 signatures to put our amendment on the November 7, 2023 ballot.  We have the strength, resolve and conviction to get it all done ourselves, even if we have to vote twice!

We are taking the keys to unlock truly affordable housing for all in Cincinnati!

PLEDGE YOUR VOTE!

Sign on to let us know you’re with us! Join the movement and pledge to vote yes in November to put funding for truly affordable housing on the ballot! 

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Steal the Street Walking Tour

On July 15th at 10 am, join Homeless Coalition’s Director of Education and author of Steal the Street, Dr. Mark Mussman, on a special 2-hour walking tour of Over-the-Rhine, the West End and Downtown Cincinnati, that focuses on the actions, events, and development, as well as, the author’s understanding of gentrification and homelessness.

This tour is a fundraiser for the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition’s Education Program. Tickets are required.

Get Tickets

About the Book:

Steal the Street is a collection of short articles on gentrification, public space, and community voice. The articles were written for Streetvibes, a street paper in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 2015 through 2019. The focus of Streetvibes is homelessness, so each article focuses on different aspects of homelessness and inequity in Cincinnati, much of it centered around the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine. Articles include original photographs that further the narratives by providing evidence and perspectives enforced throughout each chapter. The forward is written by Alice Skirtz, author of Econocide.

The housing crisis has been especially pronounced since the 2008 economic crisis. Since then, millions of Americans have been thrust into homelessness and removed from their homes. With the housing crisis growing due to the pandemic and continued neoliberalism, more communities will be displaced and transformed into safe havens for the growth of exclusionary generational wealth. Steal the Street provides a solid foundation to interpret current events and helps us to consider a different future, one without homelessness.

Get your copy of the book in paperback or digital: https://parlorpress.com/products/steal-the-street

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Spring Fling 2023

For the first time in more than three years, we invite you to join us for our in-person Annual Fundraiser! Spring brings new beginnings so we are beginning something new too! Come out to Esoteric Brewing where we can socialize together, have fun, and enjoy all the warmth the season has to offer!

Get your tickets today on Brown Paper Tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5998301

Tickets
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Cincy Housing For All

Together we can create a future where all of us can live in vibrant, thriving communities with access to health care, quality schools, and the freedom to make our own best lives for ourselves and our families. 

CincyHousingForAll.com
Visit Now!
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Celebrate 500 Issues of Streetvibes

A big thanks to all of our supporters and contributors who made 500 issues possible!!

Celebrate 500 Issues of Streetvibes!

Please support Streetvibes distributors with a donation for the paper. Donations to people who distribute the paper are used for needs, such as transportation, toiletries, groceries, and even housing. Donations to the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition ensure the paper gets printed.

Donate Today!


Congrats to everyone who has contributed to the success of Streetvibes on this milestone!


Thanks to all our donors for keeping Streetvibes going when many newspapers have shut down. Also, a big thanks to all of our amazing contributors to this edition, including Donald Whitehead Jr., Alice Skirtz, Pat Clifford, and Brian Davis, who have all been involved in and supporting Streetvibes for decades!
Student artwork from Oak Hills High School and St. Ursula High School is included in the 500th Issue Celebration as well!
Thank you!! 🥰🤩🥰

Visit the Streetvibes Archive
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Streetvibes Winter Book Fair

Meet the authors!

Streetvibes is showcasing local authors at buddy’s place!

Watch the author’s panel, facilitated by Key Beck

Authors include:
Willa Jones – My Life in POEM
Desirae Hosley – The Silent Poet Re-Introduced as… HUMAN
Dr. Mark Mussman – Steal the Street: The Intersection of Homelessness and Gentrification
Alice Skirtz – Econocide: Elimination of the Urban Poor
Martha Stephens – The Treatment & The Woman in the Small Cell

Free stickers and other surprises, while supplies last.

RSVP: https://fb.me/e/2DYwIpWKS