Meet Tim

Tim called EDEN last week. “I just wanted to thank you and tell you I am doing great.”

Tim has always had a tremendous work ethic, and took great pride in his on-the-job efforts. For eleven years, he worked at a financial institution as a night check processor. When the organization downsized to become digital, he became a mailman. But when he was diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness, his world fell apart. His work suffered. He lost his job. He lost his home. He tried living with his parents, but challenging family dynamics exacerbated his mental illness. He became homeless.

While Tim was living on the streets, a friend suggested he stay at a shelter, but the program did not offer mental health services. He tried to stay at another shelter, but again, his mental health issues kept him from stabilizing.

And then in 2012, Tim found EDEN. The agency placed Tim in his own apartment and connected him with Mental Health Services (now FrontLine Service). He was able to see a psychiatrist who fine-tuned his diagnosis and worked with him to adjust his medications.

“EDEN gave me exactly what I needed - a home and help with my illness,” he affirmed. Tim was able to apply for disability benefits, and six months later, he was able to pay a portion of the rent.  Tim moved to an apartment near the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and lived there for three-and-a-half years. "It was quite a challenge for me, but by the grace of God, I did what I was supposed to do and didn't get involved with any negative things that could pull me down."

With his illness under control, Tim was able to find a sense of purpose again. He met a realtor who helped him to locate an affordable home. “Now I live in my own home, and I have a car.” He got job as a school guard for Constellation Schools in Old Brooklyn. Tim lost that job when COVID prevented in-person schools, but thankfully, his disability payments were sufficient to pay his expenses. Now that school is back in session, he is back to making sure the children get to school safely.

“I look back on that time, and I am so grateful for EDEN. I am so happy now, and I couldn’t have done it without the combination of a place to stay and help with my mental illness. Now, I want something to do to help me focus and give back.”

Tim is now volunteering for EDEN, and it is now we who are grateful ... and so proud of Tim for working so hard to stabilize his life.

Housing First

This is but one success story of the thousands available since 1991, when EDEN began providing housing solutions to people facing the challenges of housing insecurities and homelessness. EDEN recognizes that housing is a basic right of all people, and the first step in helping those vulnerable and disadvantaged transform their lives.

We envision that, through our efforts, homelessness will be brief and rare; and every family will have a safe, secure place to call home. We believe housing serves as a foundation to build stable lives, advance independence, and fulfill aspirations. And we at EDEN work toward this vision of eliminating homelessness and housing insecurities every single day.

The Impact of COVID

When COVID-19 impacted our community, hundreds of residents became unemployed, lost steady incomes, and were in danger of losing their homes ... and many actually became homeless. With its partners, EDEN became a lifeline for those who needed new homes or help keeping the one they had.

But none of this would be possible without the support of donors like you who gave generously to support our mission. But the need is still there. People are still losing their homes, and this crisis will become even more pronounced when the eviction moratorium ends. Young adults, especially those of color, are homeless and in need of support to find a safe, secure home. Families are struggling to stay together.

Please partner with EDEN so that we can continue to help those most in need.

Whether it's $25 (one night of EDEN-supported housing), $1,000 (the purchase of a new refrigerator and stove for a resident in EDEN scattered housing), or $50,000 (rent for 50 individuals and families), your support is desperately needed so we can continue to help those who are most in need. You can donate once or choose to donate every month ... and every dollar will be spent in helping those who are homeless find a home or making sure that others do not lose the home they have.

EDEN has earned the 2021 GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, the leading symbol of accountability in the nonprofit world. GuideStar serves to legitimize nonprofits and is a source of information to potential donors and grantors. If you are thinking about donating to us - and we are incredibly grateful - rest assured we value responsibility, transparency, and accountability with the funds with which we are entrusted.

Thank you for your continued support of our mission to eliminate homelessness and housing insecurities in our community. We are truly grateful for friends like you.

During 2020, 4,522 households were served by EDEN, representing the highest total in EDEN's history.

348 of those households were led by young adults.

1,920 of them were families with children.

Despite the challenges presented due to COVID-19, our staff fielded an average of 2,500 calls per week.

Close to 1,000 women were provided with emergency shelter at Norma Herr Women's Center. The agency provided 967 households with Rapid-Rehousing throughout the year.

EDEN provided nearly 900 households with Homeless Prevention emergency support during 2020.

EDEN opened Harper's Pointe in the Brooklyn Centre Neighborhood in October, its 12th Permanent Supportive Housing building serving the chronically homeless. The building contains 71 one-bedroom apartments, including eight ADA handicap accessible units and two units with accessible features for residents with hearing and vision impairments.

Harper's Pointe, EDEN's 12th permanent supportive housing building

EDEN has a new website!

In its efforts to streamline communications with all audiences, EDEN has developed a new website: www.EDENcle.org.

"Our goal was to make it easier for people to find the information they needed," says Elaine Gimmel, EDEN Executive Director. "We wanted it to be both friendly and informative, and I think we have met all of our objectives with the new site."

Please visit the site and tell us what you think - webmaster@edencle.org.

SAVE THE DATE!
September 11 | 6:00 - 10:00 pm

Celebrate the end of summer with your best garden hat and bowtie! Join us for EDEN's 30th Year Anniversary Garden Party Celebration at The Madison in downtown Cleveland on September 11th! You can join us in person or celebrate with us virtually.

As part of the event, we will be honoring those who have made significant contributions to EDEN’s mission. There will also be music, basket raffles, and a silent auction.

You can make this celebration greater by becoming a sponsor of the event. We expect more than 200 community leaders, philanthropists, and EDEN supporters to attend, and you can use this opportunity to make an impact. Sponsors enjoy special recognition during the event, ads in our program booklet, social media attention, and more. Click here for more information.

We are always looking for items for the silent auction (value of $100 or more). If you would like to donate an item, please click here.

We need volunteers to help us plan this hybrid event. If you enjoy party planning, especially if you have experience planning fundraisers, please contact Jacquie at webmaster@EDENcle.org for more information.