The
Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH)
was formed in May of 1984 for one purpose: the eradication
of homelessness in Cincinnati. What started out as a
coalition of 15 volunteers meeting weekly in an unheated
church basement has since grown into a Coalition of
over 45 agencies and hundreds of volunteers.
Our
member organizations serve the homeless through emergency
shelter, transitional living facilities, permanent housing,
medical services, social services, soup kitchens, and
mental health/addictions services. Membership primarily
consists of organizations serving the homeless in the
Greater Cincinnati/Tri-State area, Ohio, Kentucky, and
Indiana. Our membership base also includes individuals
and volunteers dedicated to improving services for homeless
individuals, educating the public about homelessness
and empowering homeless individuals to advocate for
their civil rights and housing needs.
The
Coalition performs three areas of work: coordinating
services, educating the public, and grassroots organizing
and advocacy. Homeless and formerly homeless individuals
are incorporated into all programs and initiatives at
the Coalition.
We Serve the Greater Cincinnati Region through...
- Coordination of Services: By coordinating services
within the community, we help our member agencies
provide their services, share their resources, and
work with the homeless population.
- Advocacy: The Coalition works with local officials,
the community and homeless people to ensure that the
rights of homeless persons are preserved, that the
trend of criminalization of homelessness is reversed
and that just social policy is enacted to end homelessness.
GCCH is a regional site for the National Homeless
Civil Rights Organizing Project, which seeks to
document and end hate crimes against homeless people
and to educate and organize homeless individuals to
protect their civil rights.
- Education: Through our education opportunities
and resources, we provide the groundwork for understanding
the complexities of homelessness so that our community
can work towards sustainable solutions. For nearly
twenty years, GCCH has been providing educational
opportunities to churches, companies, schools and
universities in Cincinnati.
- Streetvibes is a newspaper that covers the
issues of homelessness, social justice, and poverty.
It is easily the most recognizable educational tool
that GCCH offers. Streetvibes vendors
purchase papers for 25 cents and sell them to the
public for a $1 donation, keeping the profit they have
earned. In 2007, Streetvibes had a
circulation of over 47,000.
- The GCCH’s Speaker’s Bureau is made
up of homeless and formerly homeless individuals who
share their stories with area schools, and civic and
faith organizations.
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