neighborhood voice, 2014

1 Neighborhood Voice 2014 www.neighborhood-voice.com www.neighborhood-voice.com 2014 Neighborhood Voice 1

NEIGHBORHOOD

VOICEComplimentary A publication of Neighbor Up 2014

2 Neighborhood Voice 2014 www.neighborhood-voice.com

Contents4 letter from the editor

6 THE STATE OF THE NEIGHBOR UP NETWORK: WHAT IS NEIGHBOR UP? AND HOW IS IT CHANGING CLEVELAND NEIGHBORHOODS?

10 VOICES OF THE NETWORK

14 NEIGHBORS COME TOGETHER TO SAVE MONEY

18 STEP UP TO UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS: AN INNOVATIVE WAY TO GET JOBS AND BUILD WEALTH FOR RESIDENTS OF GREATER UNIVERSITY CIRCLE

22 DIY: LEARN HOW TO BRING NEIGHBOR UP’S MARKETPLACE TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

NEIGHBORHOOD

VOICE

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COVER PHOTO: Buckeye resident Aseelah Shareef Allen dances as part of Djapo Cultural Arts Institute’s annual Juneteenth event held this year at Cuyahoga Community College’s Metro campus. Learn more about Djapo, a Neighborhood Connections grantee, at www.djapo.com. Photo by Janet Century Photography.

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Letter from the EDITORWhat can someone accomplish with a small investment from Neighborhood Connections?

Daniel Brown and two of his neighbors from Ohio City wanted to help their neighborhood be more environmentally friendly. They knew that when food scraps are sent to landfills, their decomposition produces methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more harmful to the ozone layer than carbon dioxide.

So they used a $3,000 grant from Neighborhood Connections to help create a neighborhood composting service.

They bike around the neighborhood, pick up food scraps from neighbors’ homes and deliver them to area community gardens to use as compost to make nutrient-rich soil for growing. Their work is an easy way for neighbors to reduce their carbon footprint and support their neighborhood gardens at the same time.

Since its founding in 2003, Neighborhood Connections has invested in 1,999 resident-led projects like this across Cleveland and East Cleveland — to the tune of $7 million. We consider it a front-end investment in good people.

Our goal? That the grants support not just community events and projects, but also invite “everyday” people to become community leaders who use their creativity, passion and connections to lead their neighbors and their neighborhoods — and ultimately our entire city — to an urban renaissance, block by block.

Cheryl Johnson, from Glenville, said her neighbors “are taking their passions, their dreams and turning them into reality (with the help of a Neighborhood Connections grant). (We’re) taking ownership of the neighborhood in the process.”

Johnson and her neighbors have worked with youth in the summer and encouraged healthy living.

We launched the Neighbor Up network in 2012 to unite these budding community leaders — leaders like Brown and Johnson — and provide a space for them to work together. We now have more than 1,200 people from across Northeast Ohio active in Neighbor Up. When Neighbor Up gathers, we are primed for positivity and we recognize that we have the power and talent to fix the issues that plague our communities.

A survey of Neighbor Up members last year showed 30 percent could not find a good paying job in their neighborhood, so Neighbor Up launched a Wealth Campaign to connect people to jobs and build wealth for everyone. Read about one of the first steps in that campaign on Page 19.

This is mission-critical work for Cleveland. It is happening now. It is changing neighborhoods and it is sustainable because of engaged residents.

Read on to learn more about what Neighbor Up members are doing to reclaim the soul of our neighborhoods and build wealth for all of us.

Neighbor Up!

PUBLISHER Neighborhood Connections

WRITER/EDITORLila [email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHYJanet Century [email protected]

GRAPHIC DESIGNJulie Heckman

COPY EDITORLindsy Neer

ILLUSTRATORGwen Garth

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY(where noted)Mark SilverbergLila Mills

A D D R E S SThe Agora5000 Euclid Ave., Suite 310Cleveland, OH 44103

PHONE216-229-8769

[email protected]

About Us Neighborhood Voice is a grassroots publication of the Neighbor Up network focused primarily on innovative work going on in Greater University Circle.

Neighborhood Voice is a program of Neighborhood Connections.


www.neighborhood-voice.com 2014 Neighborhood Voice 5 4 Neighborhood Voice 2014 www.neighborhood-voice.com

State of the Network:


www.neighborhood-voice.com 2014 Neighborhood Voice 7

State of the Network: WHAT IS NEIGHBOR UP? AND WHAT ARE MEMBERS DOING TO SUPPORT CLEVELAND NEIGHBORHOODS?Photos by Neighbor Up member and photographer Janet Century.


Neighbor Up is a diverse and growing network of Clevelanders working together so we can all thrive.

There are more than 1,000 people from across Northeast Ohio active in the network. We believe that communities have changed over time for a variety of reasons and are now more vulnerable and isolated from resources and from each other than ever before. We believe we, as neighbors, have the talents and skills to fix what plagues our communities, and to do that, we need to work together and spend more time focused on what’s working than what’s broken.

Neighbor Up Network Participant

Cleveland

Cuyahoga County

Neighbor Up Network Participants in Cuyahoga County1,233


After attending a Neighbor Up event, 96% of participants felt more powerful. 92% made a connection with someone who will help them meet a need in their life. 96% are more likely to act on something they care about. 100% have greater expectations for what is possible in Cleveland.



Neighbors from across Cleveland are acting together on things they care about and changing their neighborhoods for the better. Read on to hear what groups of neighbors are doing – together!

Voices of neighbor up

Glenville neighbors Latricia and Joseph Motley with youth from Cleveland Youth Landscaping. Photo by Lila Mills.

After participating in

three Neighbor Up-hosted gatherings,

95% of neighbors said they felt inspired to act

together to improve their neighborhood.

Cleveland Youth Landscaping Neighbors in Glenville identified youth employment as a top priority and, working with a variety of partners, found an innovative way to address that challenge. They created a youth landscaping group that employs neighborhood teens to mow the lawns of elderly neighbors and community spaces free of charge. Find out more at www.clevelandyouthlandscaping.com.

Eradicating Racism and Social Determinants of Health Neighbors from across Cuyahoga County are working together as part of the Health Improvement Partnership Cuyahoga to improve health for all. A study showed that where we live plays a direct role in how healthy we are – residents of the Hough neighborhood live an average of 64 years while residents of the suburb Lyndhurst, a few short miles away, live 88 years. They are talking about the role structural and institutional racism plays in creating opportunities for health in the county and working to help organizations address that.


With so many options available to meet the health needs of you and your loved ones, it’s important to know where – and when – to go for care. In life-threatening situations, always call 9-1-1. But what if it’s an illness or injury that is not life threatening? Should you go to the emergency room? Is there another option?

Here’s a quick guide to help answer those questions.

Express Care at Cleveland Clinic Stephanie Tubbs Jones Health Center is open weekdays 1 – 9 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. (including most holidays). For a complete listing of Cleveland Clinic Express Care locations, go to clevelandclinic.org/expresscare.

For more information, call 216.767.4242

Emergency DepartmentThe emergency department is the appropriate place to go for treatment of conditions that require immediate care for a sudden and unexpected medical condition, or for the worsening of a condition that threatens a life, a limb, or vision. Conditions include the following:

• Loss of consciousness • Poisoning or suspected poisoning

• Signs of heart attack or stroke • Major injuries

• Uncontrolled or excessive bleeding

• Accidents, including falls or car crashes

• Coughing up or vomiting blood

• Extreme emotional distress

• Head injury • Suicidal or homicidal feelings

• Severe burns or pain • Drug overdose

• Sudden or unexpected paralysis

• Injuries caused by violence, such as gunshot wounds

• Difficulty breathing

Express Care Express Care provides treatment for those age 14* and older experiencing more common health problems, minor conditions and illnesses. No appointment is needed, and there is little or no wait for treatment of:

• Cold, cough and flu symptoms

• Sinus infections

• Ear and throat infections (earaches, sore throats)

• Seasonal allergies

• Skin rashes

• Pink eye

• Urinary tract infections

• Minor back or shoulder pain (without previous trauma)

*Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Unexpected illness or injury? Know where to go?

Bridging the Tracks Neighbors from the Larchmere, Buckeye and Shaker Square neighborhoods are uniting their communities, which are separated by RTA rapid tracks as well as race and socioeconic issues. They hosted painting parties at Kossuth Park last summer and have been displaying the resulting murals around the neighborhoods since then. Find out more at www.facebook.com/bridgethosetracks.

Beekeeping The garden leaders with McGregor Seed2Feed Organic Community Garden in East Cleveland host beekeeping classes and gardening activities for youth. The purpose is to get local youth interested in sustainability and the agricultural thought processes behind beekeeping. Neighbors active in Bridging the Tracks pose with resident-made

murals on the overpass at East 121st Street and Shaker Boulevard.

–Understanding your credit score–Setting financial goals–Using credit wisely

Get Smart about Money!

Class 1 • How to develop a formal business plan • Understanding the purpose of the plan

Class 2 •Discussfinancialstatements • Balance sheet & income statements •Howtorequestfinancing

Class 3 • Market Analysis • Marketing Strategy

Are you thinking about turning your dream into a small business? Then you are going to need a good business plan. As part of our continuing commitment to small businesses and the community, Key, in conjunction with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, would like to help create your business plan. We offer a three-session workshop that introduces the purpose and structure of a business plan.

11327 Shaker Boulevard Suite 500W Cleveland, Ohio 44104

216.830.2770investing for vibrancy

Financial Education Center • 11461 Buckeye RoadCleveland,OH44104•key.com/financialed

Call to schedule a class today! 216-370-5630

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent those of KeyBank. Key.com is a registered service mark of KeyCorp. ©2013 KeyCorp. KeyBank is Member FDIC

Key Financial Education Classes

1. KEEPING SCORE• Discovers the importance of recordkeeping

2. COUNT EVERY DOLLAR• Learn how late payments affect you

• Develop a 12 month spending plan

3. TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR MONEY• Use credit wisely

• Set up a spending plan

4. CREDIT SMART• Understand your credit rating• How to maintain good credit

5. TO YOUR CREDIT• Participates must have credit report prior to class Get free credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com• How to repair your credit• Recognize signs and dangers of predatory lending

6. CHECK IT OUT• Types of bank fees• Write checks and use ATM or Debit cards

7. SET YOUR FINANCIAL SIGHTS• Know how to prioritize your financial goals

8. CHARGE IT RIGHT• Know the costs of using a credit card• Potential problems with credit

Business Plan Writing

www.neighborhood-voice.com 2014 Neighborhood Voice 13

Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital at Euclid Hospital provides specialized care for patients who need intensive rehabilitation after hospitalization for stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, major illness, surgery or trauma.

Located within Euclid Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital offers a seamless transition to the rehabilitative phase of recovery with medical coverage 24 hours a day, and includes access to a full range of medical and surgical specialties, as well as laboratory and radiology services.

Patrick Shaughnessy, MD, a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital at Euclid Hospital, says, “A rehab hospital provides the medical management, intense therapy and specialized care that results in excellent outcomes for our patients.”

A multi-disciplinary team develops care plans specifically designed for each patient and works with the patient and their support network to provide an integrated treatment approach. The team consists of a rehabilitation physician and nurse; physical, occupational, recreational and speech therapists; dietitian, social worker and case manager.

Rehabilitation to meet each patient’s needsEach patient’s rehab plan is based on his or her individual needs. Most patients receive physical and occupational therapy daily, spending three hours in therapy five days a week. Weekend therapy is provided as needed. Additionally, most patients also receive speech and recreational therapy.

Along with traditional rehabilitation therapies, complementary therapies are offered and include:

• specialty programs to help patients manage diet, bowel and bladder problems

• horticulture, art, music, relaxation training, cooking classes, balance/coordination using the Wii™ video system and community reintegration

A prescription for healingOnce the patient is ready to go home – average hospital stays range from 10 to 14 days – the continuum of care doesn’t stop. Additional care services include: outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy, as well as driver evaluation.

“The rehab hospital offers a therapeutic environment. It gives our patients an opportunity to regain functional independence and prepares each patient and their caregivers to modify and adapt to changes in the patient’s functional abilities,” explains Dr. Shaughnessy. “That, along with the quality care the hospital staff provides, is a prescription for healing.”

To learn about Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospitals — at main campus, Euclid and Lakewood hospitals — visit clevelandclinic.org/rehab. For more information about rehabilitation services at Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital at Euclid Hospital, call 216.692.8668.

Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital at Euclid Hospital helps patients regain independence.

Patrick Shaughnessy, MD


It all started with a BLT sandwich.

Dawn Arrington’s neighbor called with an emergency request: She had made a BLT and then realized she did not have any mayonnaise. Did Dawn have any mayonnaise she could spare?

“She was hungry!” Arrington remembered recently, laughing. “I looked in my cabinets and for some reason, I had two jars of mayonnaise. I had mayonnaise in my cabinets and there was someone who needed mayonnaise.”

Arrington, who lives in the Buckeye neighborhood, took her neighbor an entire jar and then got to thinking. She wondered what other items she had in her cabinets that someone else might need. And what did her neighbors have that she could use?

So she and her husband Michael, parents of two young children, decided to try something new. They invited a handful of neighbors to a Food and Amenities Exchange.

“The idea is that we have needs that can be met by bartering items we have to gain items we need,” the Arringtons wrote in a note they passed out to neighbors. “No money is exchanged, but perhaps you have food or toiletry items you can exchange with us for another item that you need.”

But Dawn’s Arrington’s ultimate goal is to host a regular exchange in a community space — maybe on an empty lot — so more people can come.

“I tell people, ‘This isn’t an opportunity to make money,’” she said. “It’s not a flea market and it’s not a food pantry. It’s an opportunity to effect change, to get people participating and talking with each other, getting to know each other and building trust.”

That’s how neighborhoods become destination spots — communities where people want to live, not just places where they’ve ended up.

Mutual supportWhat can one family do to build wealth for

themselves and their neighborhood?

Neighbor Up members, like Dawn and Michael Arrington, are using simple practices in their communities to shift the culture and put the neighbor back in neighborhood. You are invited to neighbor up. Find out how at www.neighborhoodgrants.org or call 216-229-8769.

Igniting People Power.

Find out how you can Neighbor Up at www.neighborhoodgrants.org


Step Up to a CareerNew program helps neighbors get

jobs at University Hospitals


It was like “a dark cloud came over Cleveland,” Thomas said when describing that time. “I hadn’t filled out a (job) application in 30 years. I got out of high school in 1970. It’s different now.”

Now, most job applications must be filled out online, and breaking through that virtual wall to get a job interview with a real person can be tough. Thomas tried, and even got some interviews, but no offers.

Two and a half years after being laid off, she was spending much of her time watching television, filling out job applications online and volunteering in her neighborhood. Then she heard about the innovative Step Up to University Hospitals program.

Thomas lives just 3 miles from the Euclid Avenue hospital system — one of Ohio’s largest employers. What she did next would get her inside its doors and change her fortunes.

Aristine Thomas felt like she was just a number. When she was furloughed in 2009 after 30 years of working at a pharmacy, she became one of the estimated 20,000 people living in Greater

University Circle who were unemployed.

Aristine Thomas, right, and co-worker Bernestine Nowden-Perry share information with each other about educational programs available to University Hospitals employees. Photos by Janet Century Photography.


A Neighborhood Jobs Pipeline

Step Up to University Hospitals is a unique partnership between University Hospitals, Towards Employment (a nonprofit that helps people find work), and Neighborhood Connections, the small grants and community building program of the Cleveland Foundation.

The goal of the program is to become a “neighborhood jobs pipeline” that connects people living just outside the hospital’s doors in Greater University Circle with good-paying, entry-level jobs inside that offer benefits and the opportunity for advancement.

According to a paper from the Annie E. Casey Foundation: “Poverty and unemployment aren’t spread evenly across cities and regions, but rather are concentrated in certain neighborhoods and communities. … Poor neighborhoods are often isolated, cut off from the relatively prosperous cities that surround them.”

That has been the case in Greater University Circle, where the University Circle neighborhood thrives — it is home to Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals with the Cleveland Clinic nearby — while unemployment surges in surrounding communities like Hough, Fairfax and Glenville.

“Pipelines help people get past barriers, get a foot in the door and get going,” the paper read.

Creating such a pipeline requires a strong partnership in order to provide the training and career coaching people need to succeed.

Danielle Price, of Neighborhood Connections, said the Step Up partners “operate as a network, each in our own area of expertise,” all focused on the larger mission of building wealth for residents of Greater University Circle.

“The only way to provide this range of support is through collaboration,” added Jill Rizika, executive director of Towards Employment.

In 2013, a survey of Neighbor Up members found that jobs were people’s biggest concern. About 30 percent of members said they could not find a job in

their neighborhood that paid a living wage. The network began working to dismantle the wall separating neighbors from good-paying jobs right in their

neighborhoods. Step Up to University Hospitals was born.


How does it work?

Neighborhood jobs pipelines begin with deep and trusted connections to neighbors, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation paper. This is where Neighborhood Connections is able to have real impact in the Step Up pipeline.

“At Neighborhood Connections, we do authentic community engagement,” Price said. “We really get to know people. We know their strengths and their talents. We know that everyone has something to give.”

Neighborhood Connections’ role in the Step Up partnership is to recruit residents to attend information sessions and learn about the available jobs at the hospital. Staff do this by tapping into Neighbor Up, a network launched by Neighborhood Connections in 2012 that brings together folks from all sectors of Greater Cleveland to work together so all can thrive. At each information session, Neighborhood Connections staff provide light refreshments and music and greet everyone who comes. Those not already connected to Neighbor Up are introduced to the larger network.

“We’re trying to put the human back in human resources,” Price said.

Staff from Towards Employment lead the information sessions to tell people about the available jobs. From there, folks may be chosen to attend a two-week pre-employment program at Towards Employment’s downtown office that focuses on interview skills, customer service and job retention training. After completing that training, candidates are interviewed at Towards Employment by a recruiter from University Hospitals.

If selected by that recruiter, they go for a final interview at University Hospitals — after spending four days with a Towards Employment career coach doing mock interviews. Once hired, Towards Employment provides the new employees a job coach for the first six months of employment.

Success

University Hospitals is Ohio’s seventh-largest employer with about 21,000 employees, according to 2012 data from the Ohio Department of Development.

The hospital’s Human Resources department receives about 12,000 job applications every month for about 300 available positions, said Debbi Perkul of University Hospitals. Wading through those applications to hire qualified candidates is a cumbersome and laborious task. Department staff typically interview about 12 people for every job opening, according to hospital statistics.

The Step Up partnership allows Neighborhood Connections and Towards Employment to do some of the candidate screening for the hospital. With the Step Up project, hospital HR staff have had to interview fewer than three people for every available position, statistics show.

The program “significantly reduced the interview-to-hire ratio, enhancing the efficiency for UH and creating new opportunities for residents,” Perkul said.

Staci Wampler, of Towards Employment, said people who go through the Step Up program not only are well-prepared to answer tough questions in a job interview, but they really understand what the job entails. This increases retention after people are hired.

With Step Up, they know “the job is a good fit,” Wampler said. “It’s a hard job. It’s not a cakewalk.”

Thomas said the program helped her to “keep it simple and stay focused” when answering questions during her job interview.

She got the job and is now a full-time employee in the hospital’s Environmental Services division.

“Without (Step Up), I’d probably still be at home on the Internet” looking for work, Thomas said. “You meet people … like everybody at Towards Employment, and they tell you all the good things you still have to give to the community. That kind of employment guidance is key.”

Information sessions about the Step Up program take place about twice monthly. You are invited to attend. For more information, call 216-229-0555.

University Hospitals receives more than 12,000 job applications each month.


Neighbor Up Fresh Practices

Illustration by Gwen Garth, Neighbor Up member and artist.


What is a fresh practice? A fresh practice is a new habit. When it is done again and again, it becomes routine. Neighbor Up fresh practices help to prime the room at our monthly Network Night for positivity and help people get into an aspirational mindset so they are confident and ready to tackle the big issues that challenge our neighborhoods.

Fresh Practice: The Marketplace The Marketplace is a high-energy, fast and fun practice that can be used to help people exchange gifts, favors and advice. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

How does it work? People sit in a circle. The Market Leader goes around the circle and asks people if they would like to participate and if so, how much time they need. People typically can choose 30 seconds or one minute. People can also decline.

The Scribe records the names of those neighbors who want to participate and the time they have requested. After everyone in the circle has an opportunity to bid for time, the Leader goes down the list and each person has an opportunity to make an offer, request or a declaration during their allotted time. A Timekeeper makes sure people do not use more than their allotted time in a fun way by using a bell or applause.

Neighbors use their time to make an offer, request help or make a declaration and to receive responses from others in the room.

The Scribe records all offers, requests and declarations on a piece of paper.

During the Marketplace, a diverse group of people can find support from each other in a short period of time. This helps us see each other as part of a support network and build relationships across lines of difference in real time. We all have gifts and value.

Photo by Mark Silverberg


On the Ground Cleveland

September 15 - 18, 2014Igniting the Power of Everyday People

JOIN US FOR “ON THE GROUND,” OUR HIGHLY-REGARDED LEARNING GATHERINGS FOR THOSE WHO ARE INVESTING IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND THE PEOPLE MAKING OUR COMMUNITIES MORE WELCOMING, VIBRANT, RESILIENT AND JUST.

THIS YEAR’S ON THE GROUND WILL USE NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTIONS’ WORK IN CLEVELAND AS OUR PLATFORM FOR EXPLORING THE REALITIES OF WORKING FROM A “WE BEGIN WITH RESIDENTS” PERSPECTIVE AND THE PEOPLE-POWERED POSSIBILITIES IN CLEVELAND’S NEIGHBORHOODS.

Register at 216-229-4688 or online at www.grassrootsgrantmakers.org/on-the-ground/on-the-ground-cleveland

Limited scholarships available.

neighborhood voice, 2014

Documents

neighborhood voice

neighborhood gardens

publication of neighbor

survey of neighbor

neighbors homes

network14 neighbors

neighbor ups marketplace

community events