Emergency Shelter
for Disabled Men
A 50-bed shelter, and supportive services.

The Emergency Shelter for Disabled Men (ESDM) provides bunk beds, linens, blankets, and a footlocker for 50 disabled men in a large dormitory-style facility on Payne Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. A smaller room, adjacent to the dormitory, provides four single beds for men whose disabilities make it difficult to sleep in a large room full of people.

Shelter clients may store belongings and medications in personal lockers during their stay at the shelter. The shelter has one shower, and additional showers are available at the Bishop William M. Cosgrove Center, next door to the shelter. Dinner and snacks are served nightly, and the Cosgrove Center serves two hot meals each weekday.

Eligible clients are adult males who are homeless, and have a severe mental disability, mental retardation, a developmental disability (MR/DD), a physical disability (including those resulting from HIV infection), a functional disability resulting from a substance-use disorder, or are vulnerable because of frailty or age. Many members of this population are not easily engaged in treatment and services, and therefore have persistent or repeated episodes of homelessness.

During the first week at the shelter, each client meets with a staff member to complete an assessment of strengths and needs. This assessment helps to identify client resources, strengths, and preferences, as well as the client’s need for medical and/or psychiatric services, healthcare insurance, housing assistance (e.g., Shelter Plus Care), drug treatment, job training, or other supportive services. Upon completion of the assessment, each client is assigned to a shelter staff member, who helps the client develop and execute a plan for meeting the identified needs. Staff members work with clients to identify the type of housing that best meets the client’s needs, preferences, skills, and income. Staff members then help clients to locate appropriate housing units, negotiate an arrangement with the property owner, purchase needed items, and move into the chosen housing unit.

When ready, clients are linked with providers of the services they need. Most are linked with an MHS outreach program. Clients who need a service not offered by MHS are referred directly to a community provider of that service. Once a client begins to participate in services at MHS or at another community agency, staff members continue to provide encouragement and support to stabilize the relationship with the primary provider. The building in which the ESDM is located also houses an MHS program offering supportive services during afternoons and evenings, before the shelter opens. Shelter clients are encouraged to utilize these services.

Clients participate in shelter operations through monthly meetings with staff members for discussions of program policies, activities, and ways to improve program performance. Clients also take part in the daily cleaning and maintenance of the shelter. These activities promote the clients’ sense of ownership of the shelter and enable staff members to help clients develop the skills required for independent living, such as laundry, ironing, sweeping/mopping floors, and cleaning the bathrooms. Clients may use the shelter address to receive their checks and mail.

Shelter funding is from the City of Cleveland, the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners (Jimmy Dimora, Tim Hagan, and Peter Lawson Jones), administered by the Cleveland and Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services; the Emergency Shelter Grant Program administered by the Ohio Department of Development; the Cleveland Foundation; and private and corporate donors.

Homeless men and women call this program "The SPOT," because it is the place for safety and support during afternoons and evenings, seven days per week. The program serves as a safety net for homeless individuals who are not participating in services offered by the community.

It encourages homeless, disabled individuals to participate in services that will help them achieve safe and permanent housing. From 1-9 p.m., seven days a week, SPOT provides a welcoming environment and an array of services. The program helps clients to develop the socialization, leadership, and other skills needed to achieve and maintain permanent housing. The SPOT is one of the primary referral sources for our Safe Haven programs. Program services are funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, administered by the Cleveland and Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services, and by individual and corporate donors.

Males comprised 89% of all program participants during the past year. Most clients were African-American (72%), and non-Hispanic (98%). Average age of clients was 40 years. Upon entry into the program, most clients had been sleeping in an emergency shelter (62%), or in the streets or other public areas not designed as a residence (21%). Sixty-five percent of program participants had a mental illness, 63% had a substance-use disorder, 33% had a physical disability, 4% had a developmental disability, and 1% had AIDS or a related disease. Upon program entry, more than half of participants had no income, or a monthly income of less that $250.

An Outreach and Linking Specialist works with outreach teams from this and other organizations (e.g., Department of Veterans Affairs, Volunteers of America, Salvation Army) to engage clients to participate in program services. The Outreach and Linking Specialist assists program participants to access appropriate services and/or treatment. Program staff members provide motivation, support, and encouragement to participants, and help ensure their safety. A nurse provides physical health assessments and health education to address physical health concerns and initiate the development of a trusting relationship with a health care specialist.

To learn about other MHS programs providing coordinated care
for homeless persons with disabilities, click on the links below.

Copyright ©
Mental Health Services for Homeless Persons, Inc. (MHS)
1744 Payne Avenue; Cleveland, Ohio 44114 U.S.A.
216-623-6555 - TTY/TDD: 216-623-6540

The URL of this page is
http://www.mhs-inc.org/ShelterandSupport.asp
It was most recently updated on 5 February 2008.
We welcome your comments.
Please write to Joel[at]mhs-inc.org