In March 2018, Toni Mickey, Advocacy Coordinator of Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH), reached out to Campus District to create a new contact with a local nonprofit in the area she worked. Before working at NEOCH, Toni advocated for homeless individuals at her parish Saint Teresa Holiness Science Church where she led fundraisers for tents, blankets, and sanitary products that she would donate to NEOCH. Starting as a volunteer for the Coalition, she soon became a part-time employee and one of the first connections Campus District had with this local nonprofit. Little did she know this relationship would spark a connection between Campus District and the individuals who are experiencing housing emergencies, leading to many beautiful partnerships and projects. Toni works alongside Chris Knestrick, Executive Director of NEOCH, who has 10+ years of experience working on homelessness in Cleveland and has also directed advocacy efforts in the international and local community. NEOCH would not be the same without these two passionate people, not to mention the rest of the ardent staff, standing up for the rights of homeless individuals.
Since 2018, Toni’s two main roles have been to manage the sale of the Cleveland Street Chronicle—a quarterly newspaper predominantly written by the vendors with edits from the employees of NEOCH, and to coordinate with speakers for the West and East side’s Homeless Congress— monthly meetings for a diverse group of homeless people to come together, share ideas, make connections and push for changes. Toni’s role is crucial to the progress that NEOCH builds for individuals experiencing homelessness and we are fortunate to have her as an ally. For example, she and many other hard workers helped arrange for Care Alliance, a major service and health care provider and Campus District member, to provide transportation to appointments and fill prescriptions for individuals who are not able to make it back and forth between the shelters in our District. The dedication and passion she and her coworkers at NEOCH bring to our community leaves us feeling grateful and beyond lucky.
Toni left us with many ways to get involved this winter. One specific action we can take to support homeless individuals is to buy NEOCH’s first holiday edition of the Cleveland Street Chronicle. Papers are sold for $1.25, one dollar of which goes to the vendor. The Cleveland Street Chronicle can typically be found in Ohio City by the West Side Market. However, papers will also be in several stores such as Lion & Blue, The Root Café, Mac’s Back Books, Upcycle Parts Shop, Cleveland Candle Co., Oceanne, Sweet Moses, and Daily Press Juicery. Uniquely, the holiday edition contains four pages of art submissions, designed by the vendors and folks who attend Homeless Congress. Intentionally, these pages are made to be used as holiday wrapping paper! This year’s Cleveland Street Chronicle will go on sale the Monday before Thanksgiving so stay on the lookout! Secondly, NEOCH has a well-organized list, which can be found here, that displays the items of which they are most in need. Please join us in donating these items, especially throughout these next few months. A huge thank you from our District goes out to Toni and the rest of NEOCH who stand behind people currently facing the challenges of homelessness.
