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Tag: Siobhan Harms

  • Permanent, seasonal shelter provides a refuge to Cleveland’s homeless

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    CLEVELAND — As winter weather is making its presence known throughout the state with snow and dropping temperatures, hundreds of people experiencing homelessness will seek shelter.

    It’s a yearly problem — just last winter, eighteen people in Cuyahoga County lost their lives because of hypothermia. 

    What You Need To Know

    • At the beginning of January, NEOCH opened a new, permanent seasonal overnight shelter at 1530 E. 19th St., in the Downtown Cleveland area. 
    • The shelter will provide breakfast and dinner, along with housing for 45 individuals per night.
    • NEOCH’s Street Outreach Specialists are tasked with helping notify the city’s homeless population about the new resource.

    The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) recognized the need for overnight winter-weather shelters. At the beginning of January, it opened a new, permanent seasonal overnight shelter at 1530 E. 19th St., in the Downtown Cleveland area. 

    “Traditionally, seasonal shelter has been carried out in unofficial church basements that are not sanctioned by the city,” Josiah Quarles, NEOCH’s Director of Organizing and Advocacy, said. “Therefore, we can’t even really like promote them fully because if the wrong person finds out, they might call somebody to get it shut down.” 

    Now, that’s an issue of the past. The permanent seasonal overnight can accommodate 45 people. It features bunk beds for overnight guests, a large kitchen to serve breakfast and dinner, along with a washer and dryer so staff can keep linens fresh. 

    However, making sure the people who need the shelter know about its existence is a laborious task.

    That’s where NEOCH’s ‘street outreach specialists’ come into play. These specialists meet the city’s homeless population where they are, whether that be downtown or at an encampment in a wooded area. 

    One specialist, Michael Mishaga, took to the streets Wednesday in a NEOCH mini-van packed with food, water and blankets. Just minutes after entering the heart of Cleveland’s downtown, Mishaga halted the van to give food, water and a blanket to a homeless individual sleeping on a grate. 

    “He slowly was accepting of us just to be there or to come back, but not ready to go to the shelter and not ready for anything more at this time,” Mishaga said. “We have to respect that. But, you know he is willing for us to stay in contact with him. So we’ll come back and we’ll see if we can develop a relationship far enough so that he feels comfortable with going to the shelter.”

    As a street outreach specialist, Mishaga’s job is to help and offer support while maintaining respect for the individual’s autonomy. 

    “I absolutely love the work I do, and I think I meet the most interesting people in the world,” Mishaga said. 

    Regarding the new permanent seasonal overnight shelter, Mishaga credits NEOCH’s Executive Director Chris Knestrick: “He was not going to let anybody die in the streets again.”

    The shelter is open nightly from 6 p.m. until 8 a.m.

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    Siobhan Harms

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  • Cleveland Talent Alliance’s Winter Career Expo triples attendance

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    CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Talent Alliance’s Winter Career Expo tripled its attendance from last year, with over 800 students registered. 

    What You Need To Know

    • A national graduate employability report from Cengage Group claims it’s the toughest entry-level job market in five years, with just 30% of graduates landing jobs in the field they studied
    • Students in attendance at the Cleveland Talent Alliance’s Winter Career Expo represented over 80 different colleges from around the world
    • Despite a cooling national job market, a spokesperson for the Greater Cleveland Partnership maintains that their are early-career job opportunities available in Cleveland.

    The event is geared toward college students and recent graduates looking for early career positions. Kara Carter, the vice president of Talent Initiatives at Greater Cleveland Partnership, said she was blown away by this year’s turnout. 

    She said the students in attendance represented over 80 different colleges from around the world – with students coming from local schools like Case Western Reserve University, to as far away as University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

    “They’re thinking now about their jobs this summer,” Carter said. “They could be home playing video games or Christmas shopping, or you know, doing whatever 20-somethings do. But, instead they put suits on and printed out their resumes and they’re down here actively looking for jobs.”

    Recent graduates are facing an unusually difficult job market. A national graduate employability report from Cengage Group claims it’s the toughest entry level job market in five years, with just 30% of graduates landing jobs in the field they studied. 

    “I have a lot of friends and family who have interned, who have graduated and they are having a lot of trouble finding jobs,” Kalayah Bradley, a student at the career expo, said. 

    Damon Hoody came to the career expo in search of an internship or full-time job as a computer network technician. He described the job market as “kinda bleak.”

    “I think with a lot of like the recent events and the whole AI boom, I think a lot of companies are when they would have probably hired, let’s say five to 10 interns, they’re probably doing two or three,” Hoody said.

    However, Carter said Northeast Ohio’s job market is unique and could potentially be more hospitable to recent grads. 

    “Our economy is growing faster than our population and these employers — 80 employers here today — they’re keenly interested in these students to fill those early career roles,” Carter said.

    Carter said new graduates interested in Cleveland should look at the Cleveland Talent Alliance’s job board, which was launched in October to help boost Cleveland’s talent retention. She hopes the tool can be a helpful resource for new grads navigating the current job market.

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    Siobhan Harms

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  • Cleveland Guardians make historic comeback

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    CLEVELAND — The Guardians staged the biggest comeback in baseball history and now lead the American League Central, even with their loss Thursday night. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Ahead of Thursday’s game, Guardians fans expressed excitement about the team’s recent track record
    • City of Cleveland gives conceptual approval to a Progressive Field renovation project, indicating new renovations might be in the works
    • Over the last two years, Progressive Field underwent a more than $200 million renovation

    The comeback has coincided with discussions about potential upgrades at Progressive Field. Over the last two years, the ballpark underwent an over $200 million renovation to revamp the Terrace District and add new food options.

    Ian Meadows, Social Media and Project Manager for Downtown Cleveland, Inc., said the investments in downtown have benefited the community.

    “Progressive Field and the Guardians, you know, are really investing in the sports and entertainment and the recreation that happen here,” Meadows said. “Really, it just highlights the downtown as the destination, the place to be for everything going on, enhances the visitor experience and makes people more excited to come downtown.”

    Progressive Field’s renovations might be continuing. On Thursday, Cleveland gave conceptual approval for a project that would update the Right Field Marketplace, Fat Head’s and the beer tunnel.

    Conceptual approval is an informal process that provides design feedback to help identify issues before moving into the formal entitlement process. 

    It’s unclear how much the proposed renovation would cost and if it will actually come to fruition. The Guardians declined to comment.

    Downtown Cleveland Inc. said the investment would benefit more than just baseball fans.

    “This is the hub for the entire region, for jobs, for residences, just for the whole visitor experience,” Meadows said. “And it’s really incredible, to get, you know, the billions of dollars of investment that are underway right now, between the riverfront, the lakefront, all the main corridors here in the main commercial district.”

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    Siobhan Harms

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  • NASA astronauts discuss future of space travel during Ohio Space Week

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    CLEVELAND — During Ohio’s Space Week, scientists, astronauts and industry leaders have descended on northeast Ohio to discuss what’s next for space travel. 

    What You Need To Know

    • NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock discussed his career and NASA’s plan to send astronauts back to the moon  
    • NASA astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams spoke about her nine-month stay in space
    • Williams and Wheelock advocate for continued space exploration, research 

    At the Glenn Space Technology Symposium, NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock discussed his career and NASA’s plan to send astronauts back to the moon.  

    “This is a real great gathering of innovation and creative minds,” Wheelock said. “So, now when we work together we will be able to see what magic happens from this meeting.”

    He spoke about the Artemis III mission, which aims to put astronauts on the moon by mid-2027.

    “My task is to train to the mastery level to be able to get in this craft and land on the moon and then come back home safely,” Wheelock said.


    He said the mission is uniquely challenging due to its landing location. 

    “We’re going to the lunar south pole, which is a bit more rugged terrain, than at the equatorial landing sites of Apollo,” Wheelock said. 

    Later in the week, he echoed this sentiment at the City Club of Cleveland, where he moderated a discussion with his colleague, NASA astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams. The pair also discussed Williams’ latest mission, where she was stranded on the International Space Station for nine months. 

    “We knew that there were some issues when we docked,” Williams said, addressing her last mission to space. “We knew we probably weren’t going to come home in the ten days that we had originally planned. We were pretty much ready for that.”

    While she said she wasn’t jumping for joy at the mission’s length, Williams said she was grateful for the opportunities she had to connect with people here on Earth. 

    “Folks could come along on the mission with me and the journey with me and know what we were doing up there,” Williams said. “They could see what it’s like to live in space by having the camera on us in space with, you know, big hair and then, you know, showing how what, how we actually live and eat and work up there.”

    As part of Ohio’s Space Week, Williams threw out the first pitch at the Guardians game Thursday. 

    Ohio’s Space Week ends with NASA Discovery Days at Great Lakes Science Center on Friday and Saturday. Wheelock and Williams will meet with the public on Friday and Wheelock will also attend Saturday’s events. 

    Williams and Wheelock will close out Ohio’s Space Week with a meet and greet at NASA.

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    Siobhan Harms

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