Cleveland housing discussed at Ward 5 meeting
The Ward 5 Community Meeting, hosted by Cleveland City Council Member Richard Starr, was held at the Friendly Inn Community Center on Aug. 7 and began at 5:30 p.m. The center was bright, clean, comfortable and inviting. Refreshments were served.
Starr opened the meeting with an overview of how meetings are conducted and gave a partial list of vendors present. They included: Sisters of Charity, Third Federal, Cleveland Department of Aging, Cleveland Animal Protective League, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Civic Engagement Collaborative, Cleveland Lead Safe Advocates, Bright Beginnings and the Ohio Department of Health.
Special guests:
- Commander Heather Miksch, acting commander, 4th District, Cleveland Police
- Officer Adrian Calhoun, 3rd District, Cleveland Police
- Chief of Housing Administration and Operations Sharhonda Greer, CMHA
- Administrative Judge W. Moná Scott, City of Cleveland Housing Court
- Inspector Michael Shockley, City of Cleveland Building and Housing Department
Greer gave an overview of the relationship between CMHA and its residents. She stressed that it is a reciprocal partnership. Further, she updated everyone on the master plan, entitled 2045 at CMHA, that lays out the plans for transitioning CMHA properties to Section 8 housing, including the redevelopment of the Olde Cedar and Outhwaite Estates (two of the first public housing entities in the United States.) Greer also updated residents on criminal activity at Outhwaite and Carver Park, saying most of the trouble is initiated by outsiders coming into those communities. She encouraged residents to say something if they see something. CMHA’s police department staffing is low, but officers will respond, as will Cleveland Police.
Starr asked that questions be saved until the end of the meeting, but he asked a question about maintenance and work orders. Should requests for service be given directly to the maintenance worker or should a work order be completed? All requests for maintenance repairs must be initiated with a work order by calling the service request line at 216-432-5522. It is available 24 hours a day, Greer said…