CLEVELAND — A seasonal overnight homeless shelter in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood could be weeks away from shutting down. The Radical Hospitality Overnight Center is facing a large funding gap and searching for a solution to remain open until spring.
“It will break my heart, first and foremost, to have to break that news to our guests who genuinely are so grateful and thankful to have this place,” said Jordan Simmons, a staff member at Radical Hospitality Overnight Center (RHOC).
The shelter is one of three operating seasonally in Cleveland to provide warm meals and a place to sleep for the city’s shelter-resistant population. It’s typically open from mid-November through mid-April.
“I feel like it’s a critical thing to try to get people out of their situation as quickly as we’re able to so they don’t experience those hardships of the street for long durations.” said Paul Sherlock, a RHOC board member who also serves as the organization’s de-facto executive director. “We have a basic policy that we don’t turn people away.”
Many of the people RHOC serves are unable to utilize typical shelters because they experienced past trauma or they object to shelter requirements of giving up pets, possessions or family living situations.
“We have citizens in our city who are unhoused at this time. And it’s frightening and it’s difficult and it’s a very hard life,” said Michael Mishaga, who serves as a RHOC program director.
Simmons added, “We have a huge community of people in Cleveland that need acknowledgment. They deserve to be loved.”
On an average night, RHOC welcomes 30-35 individuals. But the number swells during especially cold nights when people seek refuge from the elements.
“We’ve already had a person freeze to death late last year. So just out of basic need, I think it’s pretty essential,” Sherlock said.
The small organization largely relies on government funding to support its operations.
In previous years, pandemic-era ARPA funds sustained RHOC, but that source has expired. The funding gap forced the shelter to delay opening by a month. In late 2023, it received $25,000 from Cuyahoga County. But even when combined with the $35,000 it had in the bank, RHOC’s seasonal operating funds still fell short by $77,500.
“Our main cost is personnel, our staff, and then we cover the utilities here. We also pay rent and then smaller things like supplies and insurance and such. Laundry is a big one,” explained Sherlock.
He said several community fundraisers, including an online fundraising campaign, have helped keep the doors open for longer. RHOC is awaiting word about additional county funding, but Sherlock anticipates the current money will run out by the end of February.
“If that comes through, then we will be able to operate. But if it doesn’t, then we have to close down,” he said.
The shelter is hoping grassroots efforts will help sustain its mission through the season.
“We do have a responsibility to care for the citizens of our city and our county. And it is also a benefit to our neighborhoods to do it too.”
You can learn more about RHOC’s fundraising efforts and donate by clicking on this link.
News 5 previously reported another Slavic Village organization, the Southeast Cleveland Resource Center, is facing similar financial challenges. It, too, is at risk of running out of funding by the end of the month.
