August 25, 2022
Cleveland, August 25, 2022 – Partners, community leaders, funders and young adults with lived expertise of homelessness broke ground today on a 50-unit apartment building that will provide supportive housing for young people ages 18-24 (transition-aged youth, or TAY) who are exiting homelessness. Located between East 45th and East 47th Streets in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood, Cuyahoga TAY will provide housing first, followed by support services – giving individuals space for recovery from the trauma of homelessness and the events that may have led to it, along with young adult-identified support services.
“We are thrilled to bring this first-of-its-kind development to Cleveland,” said Kevin J. Nowak, executive director of CHN Housing Partners. “Cuyahoga TAY is all about knocking down barriers and empowering young adults who have faced enormous difficulties.”
Cuyahoga TAY’s supportive services include mental and behavioral health, financial literacy, employment services, academic services, life skills training, transportation and other services to help residents achieve and maintain stable housing, and move successfully into the future. Amenities will include property management and support services space, 24-hr staffed front desk, interior/exterior security cameras, private counseling space, a learning kitchen, indoor children’s play area, computer room, fitness room, indoor bike storage, playground, basketball court, garden area, and on-site secure parking.
“Cuyahoga TAY is truly a collaboration,” said Elaine Gimmel, executive director of Emerald Development and Economic Network (EDEN). “It combines the invaluable insight of young adults with real-life experience of homelessness and the skills of established housing partners to create new homes for young adults exiting homelessness.”
A Place 4 Me serves hundreds of young people each year and works in partnership with its own REACH Youth Action Board toward a goal of preventing and ending youth homelessness in Cuyahoga County. Recognizing the need for supportive housing resources for young adults, A Place 4 Me will join Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, Enterprise Community Partners, CHN Housing Partners, EDEN Inc. and FrontLine Service to help transition-aged young people move out of homelessness through the new Cuyahoga TAY supportive housing development.
“Young adults deserve to have a safe place to call home, a necessary foundation for meeting their needs and achieving their dreams,” said Kate Lodge, executive director of A Place 4 Me. “Though they have faced system failures and an insufficient safety net, young adults are the experts in what they need to be successful.”
Through the work of A Place 4 Me and the REACH Youth Action Board, the shared insight of young adults experiencing homelessness informed the need for as well as the creation and design of Cuyahoga TAY. CHN is the developer and co-owner of Cuyahoga TAY. EDEN is the co-owner and co-developer and will serve as its property manager. FrontLine Service will provide onsite supportive services to the young people.
Expected to finish construction in the fall of 2023, Cuyahoga TAY will offer non-time-limited housing and services. Residents will be identified for housing in partnership with Cuyahoga County Coordinated Intake, with prioritization based on length of time experiencing homelessness, disability status, and other challenges that young people may be experiencing.
Cuyahoga TAY capitalizes on the success of the Housing First initiative. The Cuyahoga County Housing First Initiative began in 2002, when the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, in partnership with Enterprise and the Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services, convened local organizations to bring the permanent supportive housing model to Cleveland with the goal of providing homes for individuals experiencing long-term homelessness.
The project is funded by a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) award from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. Other funders include Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, Aetna, a CVS Health Company, the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Chase, Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and Cuyahoga County Continuum of Care.
Hiti, DiFrancesco + Siebold designed the building and John G. Johnson Construction Company is the general contractor.