Stop Homeless Overnight Center from Closing

Operating in Cleveland's Slavic Village neighborhood, the Radical Hospitality Overnight Center (RHOC) provides seasonal, overnight sleeping accommodations to up to 35 individuals from the city's shelter-resistant homeless population. Currently, RHOC is experiencing a significant funding gap, which is putting the center at risk of having to suspend operations in mid-February.

RHOC opens its doors 7 nights a week (6pm - 8am) to provide harm reduction by keeping people out of the challenging weather. Its emphasis is to build relationships with people so that when they are ready to move beyond their current situation, they know they have resources to help them.

RHOC's typical season would run between November 15 and April 15. This season, the opening was delayed to December 27, 2023 because of the funding gap. It now has only enough funding to stay open through mid February.

Any donations received will help keep the overnight center running throughout the winter.

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In Cleveland, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) has identified over 300 people, who for various reasons, refuse to stay at established men’s and women's homeless shelters regardless of the weather. This population, known as ‘shelter resistant homeless’ resists participation in the established shelter system due to mental health challenges, fear of being bullied, PTSD, and a range of other individual factors. For years the shelter resistant have been living under bridges, on steam grates on downtown sidewalks, in tents on the side of industrial complexes, etc.

The shelter resistant homeless have been under-supported by our community, leading to band-aid style solutions where organizations have to rely on the generosity of individuals and foundations for financial support over government assistance.

RHOC did receive $25,000 from Cuyahoga County at the end of 2023 to support its operations. With the $35,000 it had in the bank, it is still in need of $77,500 to continue operations through April 15, 2024