"As the community is aware, the renovation and opening of the Youth Drop-In Center has been stalled due to legal proceedings taking place, prompted by a small group of neighbors opposing the location, based on unfounded fears of how young people experiencing housing instability allegedly will conduct themselves.

The project partners are disappointed, but not discouraged, that some of the neighbors took this step despite a unanimous, favorable ruling from the City of Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals, granting a variance for the YDIC, as well as a strong show of support from many residents of Ohio City as demonstrated by the approval vote at the Franklin-Clinton Block Club meeting on January 26."

Tuesday was Election Day in Ohio and today we are digging into the results.

Among the winners, were those who supported Issue 1, which would add reproductive rights to the state constitution and those who supported Issue 2, which would legalize recreational marijuana.

Issue 5, a levy for Cuyahoga Community College also passed with 61% of the vote, while Issue 38, which would create a participatory budgeting process in Cleveland, failed in a close vote. This was a hard-fought effort by local advocates, with strong political opposition by Cleveland City Council and Mayor Justin Bibb.

To learn more about what happened in other races across Cuyahoga County, you can visit Cleveland.com's election results webpage.

LMM is hiring! We're looking for a Grants Manager, Staff Guardian, Instructors, and more.

Head to our website and follow us on LinkedIn to learn more about our open positions and stay up-to-date with our most recent job postings:

Shout-out to Claire from Ode to an Abode for offering her talents and expertise in designing the interior for one of LMM's Breaking New Ground homes.

"Most importantly I am so glad the family has a safe place they can now make their own. A lot of people don't think about the challenges folks face even AFTER leaving the shelter. When you move into a new home, you need beds, mattresses, bedding, dressers, hangers, chairs, trash cans, soap, light bulbs, towels, shower curtains and so much else we easily take for granted. Many people who move into housing after homelessness sleep on the floor and go without basic home goods for months. My goal here was to make sure all of that was present and maybe just a little cuter than it had to be!" - Claire

On Friday, the Cleveland Leadership Center's Advanced Leadership Institute hosted a session that covered topics around homelessness, low-cost affordable housing for families, and aging and gaps in affordability.

LMM was glad to have VP of Housing & Shelter, Michael Sering, in attendance to advance the work of providing safe and affordable housing to all Clevelanders.

Wendy, a therapy dog and longtime source of joy at LMM, has officially retired from her service at the Men’s Shelter at 2100 Lakeside. Wendy and her owner, Terri (retired LMM staffer), are known in the halls of the Men’s Shelter, and bring residents a fluffy source of happiness during the holidays and at shelters events.

Thank you for your years of dedication, Terri and Wendy!

LMM recently had the chance to interview Judge James T. Walther from the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas Probate Division.

In this interview, Judge Walther gave insight into the probate court process and how courts go about appointing LMM Guardians on behalf of individuals who otherwise cannot care for themselves. The court puts a large amount of trust into LMM Guardians, who are providing life-changing service and advocacy for individuals in need.

• The Center for Community Solutions: Five Things we learned from the Glenn College Leadership Forum
• ideastream: Who, and where, are Ohio’s ‘missing’ voters?
• ideastream: Case Western Reserve University to provide free dental exams to veterans on Veterans Day
• ideastream: Early turnout for Ohio election on abortion and marijuana issues outpaces early vote in August
• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson: https://justmercy.eji.org/responsive/
• WTOL: Could the passage of Issue 2 lead to marijuana charges and convictions being expunged?

To support the mission and programs of LMM, donate today!