By: Atunyese Herron, President–CEO of East End Neighborhood House
Dear County Executive,
In 2022 East End Neighborhood House marked 115 years of service in Cleveland’s Greater Buckeye Neighborhood. We have reached over 1,000 individuals with our diverse array of services, with a staff of 27 and 65 volunteers. We are nestled on Woodhill Road and Shaker Blvd, serving youth, families, seniors, and individuals where they can access resources for basic needs, culturally competent wraparound services, leadership development opportunities and community engagement activities where neighborhood leadership, and voice is valued.
East End has a long history as a trusted leader in the work of racial equity, cultural affirmation, and collectivism.
Why are we a safety net in the community? We attribute the environment to our Ubuntu Spirit! Ubuntu is the philosophy from South Africa, which recognizes that our human existence is dependent on that of our brothers and sisters, and because of such truth, we must aim to show compassion and do so as our absolute best selves.
East End has a long history as a trusted leader in the work of racial equity, cultural affirmation, and collectivism. We have understood for many years that social determinants stemming from poverty are long-term effects of racism and discrimination. Many of the families we serve are still trying to rise above the consequences of inequality. In such understanding, we have embedded deep compassion in our practice and service delivery that involves the tenets of Ubuntu and Kwanzaa principles. Our services are designed to meet people where they are with a focused goal of helping them reach their measure of success for themselves and their families. For these reasons, we are a safety net for the community.
We are a safety net for children in the community with our Individual Learning Center. The learning center encompasses our youth services inclusive of early childhood education, after-school programs, and summer camps. East End Youth Services reached 190 children from 105 families. We not only service the children but we also service and support the parents and caregivers.
We are a safety net for the elders, who we call our Wisdom Keepers, with our Senior Center. East End has been servicing seniors since the 1950’s becoming a Meals on Wheels provider in the 1960’s. This year we serviced ninety-five senior citizens Monday, Wednesday, and Friday’s. Because they like many of our families face a serious digital divide, we kept in touch via phone and sporadic visits during this pandemic.
East End has been servicing seniors since the 1950’s, becoming a Meals on Wheels provider in the 1960’s
We are a safety net to approximately 250 families serviced thru NFSS (Neighborhood Family Support Services). East End is a part of a county-wide effort that partners with the county’s Division of Children and Family Services to keep children safe and support families to do the same. The effort by the cluster of community based neighborhood centers in the county has been noted as a national best practice in the child welfare sector.
Unique to this specific service to families, is our role as advocates, during team-decision making meetings at the county level that help determine the future of children in custody. Ours is the voice of ensuring that all elements of the decision, consider safety, cultural competency, equity, voice, and choice. Families who are in the process of reuniting with their children can count on our spaces in the neighborhood, to have their family visits with caring staff to support such encounters, all in an effort to preserve the family.
Finally, we are a safety net to 60-75 volunteers who service three hundred children with individual tutoring and care. Over nine hundred children felt the presence of these amazing volunteers. Foster Grandparent volunteers are over the age of fifty-five, the majority from low-income backgrounds, who commit to servicing children with special needs in childcare centers and elementary schools. They give an average of 80,000 hours of volunteer time every year.
Neighborhood centers stayed OPEN during the pandemic and never left our families and clients
East End Neighborhood House has been, and will continue to be, an anchor in the Buckeye/Woodhill community. We, like our peer neighborhood centers, stayed OPEN during the pandemic and never left our families and clients. Local funders stepped up BIG to support the sustainability of this anchor organization during the COVID pandemic. Now we hope we are NOT forgotten, as we begin to rise above the pandemic challenges. We welcome you, to come by and see our community and us.
Peace,
Atunyese Herron
President–CEO of East End Neighborhood House
