Supplemental

notes: El Refugio Board Member Meeting, Minutes, 10/19/2017

Brian Cummins, Cleveland City Council


Conditions for departure from Puerto Rico, Florida or elsewhere to North East Ohio.
Airfare
Medical support
Legal issues in terms of their documents, possessions, what they are leaving behind


Categories of needs, agencies, available resources and processes for providing assistance.
See: http://www.211oh.org/community-resources

Supplemental financial assistance for agencies expected to serve displaced persons.
Food, USDA's Food and Nutrition Service
o http://www.ohiobenefits.org
Clothing
Shelter, Housing
o Temporary housing, senior housing, mid-term housing options.
o Furniture & Household Items food pantries, emergency supply of groceries, food assistance
benefits (food stamps), furniture, kitchenware and other household items, tools, building supplies
and safety items, i.e. child car seats, smoke detectors.
o Agencies and Resources; FEMA, HUD, CMHA, CHN, Local CDCs, Affordable Housing Availability,
Local Landlords and Rentals.
Medical needs - health screenings and evaluations
Legal Assistance in Cleveland, Puerto Rico and Florida
Education, Workforces training
o Designated contacts at CMSD for intake and assignment of students
o Agencies that can help with translation services, English classes, tutoring, school supplies.
Employment & Income Support; government benefits, welfare programs, and other general financial aid.
Family Support & Parenting - child care, case management and benefits screening, physical,
developmental, emotional, and mental disability, screening
Transportation
o GCRTA bus passes
General Assistance/Navigation of Systems
o Call for Volunteers/Individual or Family Adopter Program, being assigned a family to help
navigate benefits and services, possibly help serve for temporary housing, etc


Government/Public Agencies

Congressional Offices

Office of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), Nicholas P. Turner, 216-767-5933,
Nick.Turner@mail.house.gov
Representative Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11), Ariella J. Brown, 216.522.4900,
Ariella.Brown@mail.house.gov
U. S. Senator Sherrod Brown, John W. Ryan, State Director, (216) 522-7272,
John_Ryan@brown.senate.gov
U.S. Senator Rob Portman , Caryn B. Candisky, 216-522-7095, caryn_candisky@portman.senate.gov

State of Ohio

Governors Office and Ohio Emergency Management

Cuyahouga County
Cuyahoga Job and Family Services
o Prevention, Retention & Contingency (PRC) Program
o Food Assistance Program (FAP)
o Utility Assistance

Greater Cleveland Transit Authority: Eric Johnson, Government Relations Specialist, (216) 781-4087,
ejohnson@gcrta.org; Jose Feliciano, Jr., 216-781-4543, jfeliciano@gcrta.org


Lorain County
Job & Family Services
Lorain County Transit (LCT)

City of Cleveland
Grady Stevenson, Interim Director, Community Relations Board
Valarie J. McCall, Chief of Government & International Affairs
Duane Deskins, Chief of Prevention, Intervention and Opportunity for Youth and Young Adults
Edward W. Rybka, Chief of Regional Development
Natoya J. Walker Minor, Chief of Public Affairs
o Mary McNamara, Director, Dept. of Aging
o Michael Cosgrove, Director, Dept. of Community Development
o Merle Gordon, Director, Dept, of Public Health
Kevin Kelley, President, Cleveland City Council
Councilman Brian Cummins, Cleveland City Council, Ward 14
Councilman Kerry McCormack, Cleveland City Council, Ward 3
Councilman Matt Zone, Cleveland City Council, Ward 15

City of Lorain
Joel Arredondo, President, Lorain City Council
Angel Arroyo Jr., 6th Ward Councilman


Health Care:

The MetroHealth System: Financial Assistance Services; Mi MetroHealth Mi Comunidad; El Centro de
Salud en Thomas F. McCafferty Health Center; The Oscar Hispanic Clinic (Servicios para Nios y
Adolescentes)
Cleveland Clinic; Lutheran Hospital:
Carlos Romero-Marrero, Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Hermann Stubbe, MD, Family Medicine;
Arnaldo Zayas-Santiago, MD, Pediatric Hospital Medicine; Fernando Castro, MD, Gastroenterology and
Hepatology, Cleveland Clinic Florida Weston;
University Hospitals
St. Vincent Charity Medical Center
Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
Neighborhood Family Practice: Medical Care; Family Planning; Women's Health; Behavioral Health
Front Line Service
Medwish

Foundations

The Cleveland Foundation, India Pierce Lee, Senior Vice President, Program, 216.615.7177,
ilee@clevefdn.org
o Cleveland For Puerto Rico Relief; Alan Ashby, Cleveland Foundation media relations officer,
aashby@clevefdn.org, 216-615-7591
o https://www.cle4pr.org/about
Fundacin Comunitaria de Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Community Foundation Recovery Fund
The George Gund Foundation, Marcia Egbert, Senior Program Officer, Human Services, 216-241-3114,
megbert@gundfdn.org,


Non-Profits

The Spanish American Committee: Programs; Economic Strength, Family Support, Cultural Outreach
May Dugan Center; Services & Programs; Counseling & Community Services Dept.; Education &
Resource Center; Health & Wellness; Basic Needs; and, Moms First Program.
Esperanza, Inc.
The Centers for Families and Children
o El Bario
Hispanic Business Center
Hispanic Alliance
Julia De Burgos
Nueva Luz Urban Resource Center
El Centro (Lorain, OH)
HOLA Ohio (Ashtabula, OH)
The Samaritan House (Ashtabula, OH)
Towards Employment
Care Alliance Health Center - West Side Clinic
Catholic Charities - "La Providencia" Hispanic Services Office
Hispanic UMADAOP
West Side Catholic Center
Greater Cleveland Food Bank
Feeding America
Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico - Feeding America
The Salvation Army Northeast Ohio Division
Divisin de Puerto Rico e Islas Vrgenes - El Salvation Army de Puerto
Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity of Puerto Rico


Faith Based

Nueva Vida Church of God, 2327 Holmden Ave, Cleveland, OH 44109, (216) 741-0511, Facebook Page.
La Sagrada Familia Church, Rev. Robert Reidy
St. Michaels Church, Rev. Fr. Mark Riley
Family Ministry Center, Julie Jones, Executive Director
Fraternidad de Pastores Hispanos Unidos, Cleveland, Pastor Christian Omar Medina
Sacred Heart Chapel, Rev. William A. Thaden (Lorain, OH)
The United Pastors in Mission
o Church on the Rise, Pastor Paul Endrei
 o Mega Church, Bishop Luther Blackwell
o Journey Community Church, Rev. Jim Wilkes
o West 58th Street Church of God, Rev. David Pratt
o Scranton Road Bible Church, Pastor Joe Abraham


Employers/Corporate

WIRE-Net
Park Ohio
Nestles
Voss Industries



Other
Club San Lorenzo, Jose Acevedo
Club Alma Yaucana de Cleveland, Jaime Orengo
Latin American Academics, Athletics and Arts


Organizations and Contacts in Puerto Rico:
Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico, Gobierno de Puerto Rico
San Jorge Children's Hospital
Centro Medico de Puerto Rico
University Pediatric Hospitals
Instituto Especial para el Desarrollo Integral del Individio, La Familia y la Comunidad


Resource Information

FEMA Hurrican Maria, resources and information on the federal response to Hurricane Maria.

Media and News:

Senate Approves $36.5 Billion Aid Package as Hurricane Costs Mount, By Thomas Kaplan, The New
York Times, 10/24/2017
500,000 pounds of donations leaving I-X Center for Puerto Rico, WKYC, 10/23/2017
Lorain councilman visits Puerto Rico, says cities must prepare for influx of victims, By Michael
Sangiacomo, The Plain Dealer, 10/14/2017
Lorain and Cleveland have strong ties to Puerto Rico: Statistical Snapshot, By Rich Exner,
cleveland.com, 10/13/2017
People soothe worries about relatives in Puerto Rico by sending supplies, By Michael Sangiacomo,
The Plain Dealer, 9/30/2017
Donations for Puerto Rico aid collected in Lake and Ashtabula counties, Cleveland.com, 9/26/2017