Old Stone Church's 200 Homes Campaign aims to raise $5 million dollars to provide 200 rehabilitated homes to Clevelanders in need of permanent housing.

As a leader and advocate in affordable housing, LMM is a proud partner of the 200 Homes project. Watch this interview with LMM's VP of Housing & Shelter, Michael Sering, as he highlights LMM's partnership with Old Stone:

Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported on a study conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia in collaboration with a Vancouver-based charity, Foundations for Social Change, on a direct cash transfer (DCT) pilot program. In this program, 50 people experiencing homelessness in Vancouver were given a lump sum of $7,500 Canadian dollars in 2016. In the year that researchers followed recipients, they found that DCT not only led to savings, as individuals spent fewer days in shelter, but it also provided recipients with the freedom to make their own decisions, gave them a sense of empowerment, and reduced anxiety and impulsivity.

This approach to ending homelessness may sound familiar. In 2021, LMM piloted its own DCT program where individuals in the shelter with confirmed destinations (usually to friends or family) were given $600 cash, agreeing that they would not return to shelter for at least 60 days. Initially, the effort focused on deconcentrating congregate settings in response to COVID-19, however, our data also suggests this is an efficient and cost-effective solution to rapidly exit people from homelessness into permanent housing destinations. Program funds were available for 18 months and during this time LMM and partners at NEOCH and Norm Herr Women's Center served approximately 350 individuals with this housing intervention. In total, 66% of recipients of this DCT never returned to shelter and of those who did return, only 8% returned within 60 days.

A special thank you to the Community West Foundation and the Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services for their financial support of this pilot project. LMM is actively seeking additional dollars to expand this effort.

Social enterprises are a key component of LMM's Workforce Development program. Metro45 Cafe & Catering offers students hands-on culinary experience, creates jobs for the alumni of LMM’s Culinary Arts Program, and creates revenue to fund LMM’s Workforce Development program. The Central Kitchen offers an innovative model that produces meals for people experiencing homelessness, while providing culinary training to individuals with barriers to employment in the process.

Click the link below to learn more and celebrate National Workforce Development Month with LMM!

In honor of National Voter Registration Day on September 19, LMM Community Engagement Coordinator Gloria Craig will be helping staff, program participants and community members check their voter registration, register them to vote and give out inspirational bracelets!

If you are not sure whether you are registered or registered correctly, you can review your information here. To learn more about the November 2023 election dates and times, please visit here. 

Want to meet with Gloria to get registered to vote? Visit her on September 19 at these locations/times:

• 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM, LMM's Richard Sering Center, 4515 Superior Ave.
• 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Men's Shelter at 2100 Lakeside Ave.

Earlier this year, LMM joined over 740 organizations in support of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development's HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), which provides critical funding for a wide range of activities including building, buying, and/or rehabilitating affordable housing for rent or homeownership, and providing direct rental assistance to low-income people.

Thanks to strong support and advocacy from the public, the Senate has advanced spending legislation to keep the HOME program at level spending in fiscal year 2024. Unfortunately, members of the House of Representatives have proposed a $1 billion cut to the HOME program.



We need your help to reject these deep cuts to the HOME Program. Please contact your member of Congress today in support of $1.5 billion for the HOME program in 2024.

LMM is grateful to Algart Health Care, who provided a great lunch for residents at the Men's Shelter. We couldn't do the work that we do without the help of amazing volunteers.

Click on the video above for more info on why volunteering with LMM is important for Algart.

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