By Conor Morris
Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and other local politicians caught an earful when they gathered at a shopping plaza in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood in mid-August to discuss a “surge” of funding to address poverty and inequity in the area.
Budish said some early ideas for that surge – defined broadly as a large infusion of money and support at one time – include: Working with the city on a $5 million renovation of the Central Recreation Center, with new basketball and tennis courts; improved access to affordable high-speed Internet; and planting 100 new trees.
But neighborhood residents who gathered in the plaza’s parking lot said these ideas didn’t meet their needs. Christopher Thorpes, a Promise Ambassador for Central, said there are more important issues that need attention first.
“I think everything that y’all got going on here, it is a nice gesture, but we don’t have a grocery store here,” he told officials. “There’s a lot of gun violence going on right now. That’s what we need to talk about.”
Thorpes said it’s been five years since the Dave’s Market – which had been located in the shopping plaza – left, leaving the neighborhood with few places to buy fresh food. Meanwhile, the majority-Black neighborhood on Cleveland’s East Side has an almost 70-percent poverty rate, according to 2019 five-year Census estimates.
County Executive Armond Budish speaks to a resident during the event in the Central neighborhood. Photo by Conor Morris.
Budish, during his speech, described the surge as a “pilot” model, a new way to bring resources – many that already exist – to bear in a community that needs the help. If all goes well, this method could be used with other neighborhoods in the city and county, he said.
However, Budish – who is facing a re-election fight in 2022 if he chooses to run – for months had given few details about how much money is available through the surge, or even when it could be distributed, or to whom.
That changed on Sept. 9 when the county announced $330,000 in funding – part of a $600,000 project total with the rest coming from grants – in partnership with Cleveland nonprofit DigitalC to build-out Internet infrastructure to cover 70% of the Central neighborhood. According to a county press release, more than half of the households in Central are without Internet access.
Editor’s note: We plan on following along with this story as plans develop. Got thoughts on what your own neighborhood needs to thrive? Take our survey.
Returning to the meeting, local childhood advocate Ashley B (don’t forget the “B”, she told officials) called the plans “irrelevant” to the reality people face daily in Central, arguing that a significant effort is needed to help residents recover from trauma they’ve experienced in the neighborhood.
“It’s nice and stuff, but it’s like putting a Band-Aid on a wound,” she said. “We need to mentally help them (residents). You can’t put nothing nice in a community and expect the people who have mental disorders to take care of it.”
Budish said the county is “still developing the plan” for where the surge funds will go, which was the reason he and his staff organized the meeting.
Joy Johnson, executive director of Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc., speaks during a Cuyahoga County event meant to gather input on the “surge” in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood in mid-August. Photo by Conor Morris.
“We’re going to surge our county resources into this, your neighborhood,” Budish said. “To do this in a way that will have the most impact on residents, we need to hear from you. We want to listen. We want to engage.”
Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc., a community development organization which owns Arbor Park Place, the shopping plaza where the meeting took place, was a key part of the event and is a key partner in the surge initiative. Executive Director Joy Johnson said she understands people are frustrated, but noted the meeting was called to get their input for the surge plans.
Regarding Thorpes’ concerns about the grocery store, Johnson had said earlier during the meeting that her organization was talking to a “national grocer” in hopes of luring them to the plaza.
Thorpes added that Black-owned businesses should be incentivized to grow in the neighborhood, a sentiment other residents echoed. Johnson responded that paperwork had been signed for Shay Shay’s Soul Food, a Black-owned restaurant, to move into the plaza.
Meanwhile, Johnson told youth advocate Ashley B that Johnson and the county were trying to listen to residents’ desires. Ashley B said services that help young people with mental health conditions are badly needed.
Ashley B., a local childhood advocate who lives in Central, talks about the need for mental health services targeted toward youth in the neighborhood. Photo by Conor Morris.
“And when I say mental health services, I’m not talking about bringing in people from Pepper Pike, or from the other side of town,” she said. “I’m talking about people who can really resonate with their issues.”
When asked about the residents’ opposition, Budish said the county’s early plans discussed during the meeting didn’t just “come out of the air” and said his office developed them over the last year in partnership with former City Councilwoman Phyllis Cleveland, current Councilwoman Delores Gray, County Council President Pernel Jones, and with “dozens and dozens” of people who live in the community.
As far as what’s next, Budish said the county is still in “listening” mode. He also pledged that the county will reach out to “every small business in Central, with the help of our partners, to hear about how we can help.”
And he told FreshWater Cleveland recently that the county will work on funding programs similar to those suggested during the meeting through the surge, including jobs training and mental health programs.
This story is sponsored by the Northeast Ohio Solutions Journalism Collaborative, which is composed of 15-plus Northeast Ohio news outlets including Black Girl in the CLE Conor Morris is a corps member with Report for America. You can email him at conor@thedevilstrip.com.