CLEVELAND — As temperatures in Cleveland continue to drop, staying warm is crucial. But for people without a home, the options are limited.
Nationwide, there was an 18% increase in people becoming homeless in 2024. Here in Cuyahoga County, it’s estimated five thousand people are homeless every year, and those people need somewhere to go.
Homelessness looks different for everyone, and it comes with its own challenges. For William Trammell, more recently, it has been finding a warm place to stay.
“If I can't find somewhere, I can shack with somebody. I usually try to stay up all night,” William said.
In Cleveland, there are two main public shelters: one for men and one for women. There are also smaller shelters that can accommodate families, but in the winter, they are often at capacity.
“You just might be out of luck. You know, you've got nowhere to stay for the night,” William said.
Josiah Quarles, the director of organizing and advocacy for the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, says that during this time of year, shelters see more people looking for beds, but they don't have enough. That’s where seasonal shelters come in to help with the demand.
“Seasonal shelters are like smaller shelters that open up primarily during the winter season to provide people with shelters, and they provide alternatives for folks who may have had [a] bad experience, traumatic experiences at the larger shelters,” Josiah said.
Last year, they saw four seasonal shelters, but this year there are none.
“Yeah, I think it's a failure on all fronts, right? It's a governmental failure, a service provider failure, a community failure,” Josiah said.
With the lack of shelters, Josiah fears the long-term impact it will have on the community.
“There will be deaths, there will be families that will be harmed, there will be people that will be missing loved ones,” Josiah said.
Ruth Annspraggins stayed at one of those seasonal shelters.
“We were on the floor, we were on cots, but we always had somewhere to go and good food,” Ruth said.
For Ruth, those seasonal shelters were a welcome alternative to the negative experiences she had in public shelters.
“There's bed bugs, there's nepotism. It's like being in a penitentiary,” Ruth said.
Ruth says she has a place to stay, but with multiple cold nights ahead, William has to figure it out.
“I've already came upon those nights. I overcame it, but, you know, the struggle continues,” Willam said.
Josiah reminded the community that everyone deserves a roof over their head.
“I don’t think we should ask people to figure it out on their own. We need to figure it out together,” Josiah said.
Josiah believes the immediate solution is to open more seasonal shelters, but long-term he calls for policy change that would provide more affordable housing.
