<p>The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless seeks to end homelessness through coordination of services, public education, grassroots advocacy and organizing, and Streetvibes. </p> <p>By coordinating services within the community, the organization aids member agencies in providing their services, sharing their resources, and working with the homeless population. One of the most important coordination of services program is Minimum Standards services. To qualify for funding from the City of Cincinnati, member agencies must meet Coalition for the Homeless’ minimum standards for quality services. These standards go beyond ensuring that service facilities are clean and safe; the standards also ensure that service providers have important policies and procedures that protect their clients’ civil rights and confidentiality. In 2009, Coalition for the Homeless expanded beyond shelters and transitional housing facilities to include soup kitchens, pantries, and shower houses. </p> <p>Through education opportunities and resources, the organization provides the groundwork for understanding the complexities of homelessness so that the community can work towards sustainable solutions. Coalition for the Homeless provides education opportunities to churches, companies, schools, and universities in Cincinnati. There are many stereotypes and myths regarding homelessness in the community and the organization seeks to eradicate this misinformation by portraying a more accurate and holistic picture of homelessness in Cincinnati. The organization’s Speaker’s Bureau, which is made up of homeless and formerly homeless individuals, who share their stories with area schools, and civic and faith organizations. According to the organization, the Speaker’s Bureau held 119 events reaching 4,452 people in 2009. </p> <p>The organization works with local officials, the community, and homeless individuals to ensure that the rights of homeless persons are preserved, the trend of criminalization of homelessness is reversed, and that just social policy is enacted to end homelessness. Coalition for the Homeless 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.</p> <p>The organization publishes a newspaper, <em>Streetvibes</em>, that covers the issues of homelessness, social justice, and poverty. <em>Streetvibes </em>reports the often-invisible story of poverty in the community. <em>Streetvibes </em>also includes creative writing, poetry, articles, photography, and interviews written by homeless and formerly homeless individuals. <em>Streetvibes </em>targets homeless and formerly homeless individuals who require supplemental income to become vendors. <em>Streetvibes </em>vendors purchase papers for 25 cents and sell them to the public for a dollar donation, keeping the profit they have earned.</p> <p> </p> <p>For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009, Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless' program expenses were:</p> <p> <table class="CurrencyRight" id="reportSection144806_programGrid" border="0" rules="all" cellspacing="0" style="border-width: 0px; border-color: rgb(251, 249, 220); border-collapse: collapse;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 350px;"><span>Program Services</span></td> <td class="CurrencyRight1" style="width: 100px;"><span>143,156</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong>Total Program Expenses:</strong></td> <td class="CurrencyRight1" style="width: 100px;"><span id="reportSection144806_programGrid_ctl03_totalExpensesLabel">$143,156</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </p>