Jefferson-Puritas West Park CDC

Youth & workforce development services are funded by private foundation grants, most especially from the cleveland foundation, as well as public contracts with cuyahoga metropolitan housing authority (cmha), the cleveland metropolitan school district (cmsd), or intermediaries such as starting point, as well as individual donations. Jefferson-Puritas operates literacy and computer literacy programs for adults and assists people with job readiness and job search activities at a computer lab within riverside Park estates. Youth development programming is the strongest component of our workforce development services, through which we introduce young people to career and after-school educational opportunities, extensive volunteer and employment experiences and service learning. The agency offers tutoring, arts and educational programming for young people in several out-of-school time program locations. One location is the robinson g. jones school, another is at an after-school program at the cmha riverside Park estates, and finally we offer other enrichment and career exploration programs at various sites around the neighborhood including local public and private schools.

Neighborhood services are funded by public community development block grant funds, intermediaries such as the cleveland housing network partners as well as individual donations. We assist low-income seniors in need of minor home repairs or ground maintenance so they can maintain a healthy quality of life living in their neighborhood homes. Property improvements and maintenance services include cutting high grass and removing excessive yard debris to help the senior citizens maintain their yard, respond to city citations, and avoid housing violations. For seniors and other neighbors we coordinate volunteers and conduct neighborhood clean-up campaigns throughout the year. In conjunction with the cleveland housing network partnerships, our location is the West Park application site for eligible, low-income persons in need of home energy assistance for outstanding electric and/or natural gas utilities.

Community development services promote resilience and equity amid our challenging local housing and commercial markets. These services are funded by federal community development block grant (cdbg) funds, local city of cleveland funds through the city of cleveland department of community development, and individual donations. We acquire vacant houses to renovate and re-introduce them as higher quality houses into the local housing market. We may coordinate the construction ourselves or work with local developers to renovate them and return the houses to productive use. Our programs provide exterior home inspection and housing improvement referral services, coordination of resident engagement in public and private improvement projects (such as road projects, school construction or housing construction and redevelopment). We assist businesses, both retail/commercial and industrial, who are looking to expand their business, improve their property or locate in our neighborhood.