CLEVELAND — The American flag flying outside of the county building at Fulton Parkway and Memphis Avenue in Cleveland will take on extra significance to those visiting this spot in the future. That's because it is home to the county's new Welcome Center for Immigrants and Refugees and those with limited English proficiency. A physical place where those new to Ohio, new to this country, can take the first steps critical to building a future stateside.
"If they have a leg up on educaction, on a job opportunity, on a house, we want to be here as a resource to those who might choose Cuyahoga County for their home in the future," said Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne.
The County will partner with outside service agencies such as Global Cleveland and Re:Source Cleveland to connect residents to resources, including housing, job support, educational services, legal support, and language services. It's a need that Global Cleveland President & CEO Joe Cimperman said had only grown over the last two years.
"We are in the top 5 cities in America for welcoming people from Ukraine, we are in the top ten cities for welcoming people from Afghanistan," said Cimperman. "We continue to get people from all over Central and South America. People are coming from around the globe because Cleveland is where people feel they can chase their American dream."
That's what drew Khoon Thomas Kate here 14 years ago from Myanmar. Back then, limited resources forced some that he knew to move on from Northeast Ohio to other states. This place helps change that and it's why you'll find him here giving of his time, paying forward the help he was once given.
"Because I want to support the community member that I live in and contribute whatever I have with these organizations as a county member," he said. "I would like to share it back to the communuity."
The center celebrates not only its opening but also its national designation as a certified welcoming center by "Welcoming America." It's only the second county in the state to be awarded the classification, which sends a message, Ronayne said, far beyond the borders of Northeast Ohio.
"We also want to make a statement to the world, we welcome you, we welcome you, this is the county of immigrants—140 different ethnic communities here and that's who built us and that's what will continue to grow us," Ronayne said.
Cimperman adds that "a hundred years ago, in the decade between 1920 and 1930, Cleveland had almost half of its population speaking a second lanquage. The zoo, the MetroParks, the City Club, the Cleveland Foundation were all formed in that same decade," he said. "The more immigrants we have the more opportunities we have to grow our county and that's what today is all about. Cuyahoga County's rebirth starts today."
