Joseph’s Home Awarded Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund Grant To Support Cleveland’s Homeless During Global Pandemic

Cleveland, OH (April 27, 2020) – Joseph’s Home has been awarded a $20,500 grant from Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund to support the purchase of medical and disinfecting supplies, to help transition the staff to mobile capabilities and to expedite the relocation of medically at-risk clients in Cuyahoga County to permanent housing.

“These funds are critical to our efforts to care for some of our community’s most vulnerable to this virus,” said Beth Graham, executive director of Joseph’s Home.  “In addition to much-needed medical and disinfecting supplies, these funds will support our efforts to secure necessary equipment to assist our residents with telehealth appointments.  Enhanced virtual capabilities allow our men to maintain essential medical and mental health appointments within the safety of Joseph’s Home.”

Joseph’s Home is the only short-term medical respite facility in Northeast Ohio exclusively focused on providing medically fragile homeless men the opportunity to access quality care provided by licensed clinicians, nutritious meals and other supportive services, with the goal of helping residents transition into permanent housing. Joseph’s Homes’ medical respite model fills a service gap between hospitals and shelters by providing care to those experiencing homelessness and who are ready to be discharged from the hospital, but are too frail to recover on the streets or in other shelters.

Joseph’s Home residents and alumni are among the populations considered at high risk of complications from COVID-19. The men are typically older adults (63 percent over 55, 30 percent over 62), African-American (88 percent), have a physical and/or mental health disability (73 percent) and have at least one chronic health condition (82 percent). Nearly 100 percent of those served were living in Cuyahoga County prior to becoming homeless, with the majority living in Cleveland prior to homelessness.

The Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund is designed to complement the work of public health officials and expand local capacity to address all aspects of the outbreak as efficiently as possible. The Rapid Response Fund will provide grant awards on a rolling basis to nonprofit organizations in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties. Support of more than $8 million for the Rapid Response Fund has been made possible by individual contributions and major gifts from more than 60 Northeast Ohio philanthropic leaders.

Learn more at www.clevelandfoundation.org/news/covid-19/response-fund