Contact:
Marcella Brown
Vice President, Development & Communications
Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry
P: 216-658-7208
E: mbrown@lutheranmetro.org
W: luthernmetro.org
S: @lmmcleveland
(Cleveland, OH) In its continuing efforts to bring the first Youth Drop-In Center (YDIC) to Cuyahoga County, on December 31st, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM) exercised its right to appeal the reversal of a zoning variance allowing for the operation of a YDIC at LMM’s property located at 4100 Franklin Boulevard (4100) in Cleveland’s Ohio City Neighborhood.
In March 2023, the City of Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) granted LMM a zoning variance that would enable LMM and its YDIC partners to operate a YDIC at 4100. The YDIC partners include LMM, A Place 4 Me (AP4M), and the REACH Youth Action Board (REACH Board).
On December 2, 2024, a judge from the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas (the Court) reversed the BZA’s decision to grant the variance, thwarting the YDIC partners’ plans to move forward with improvements to 4100 and to open the YDIC.
While the Court agreed that “the City of Cleveland needs a Youth Drop-In Center,” it decided that a zoning variance at the proposed location should not have been granted by the BZA.
A drop in center offers coordinated essential services and resources to fulfill basic needs, while providing social support for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. The project would close the gap on unmet needs of people ages 16 to 24 in Greater Cleveland who are experiencing housing instability.
A drop-in center is not just a physical space; it is a supportive environment where young people facing adverse life experiences can feel safe, find respite, and develop healthy connections. These healthy relationships and supportive environments enrich young adults, catapulting them into stability.
“Young adults inform us that they want more than survival, they want to thrive,” said Kate Lodge, Executive Director of AP4M. “Dignity and radical hospitality are core values that are driving how we intend to serve youth and young adults who need this drop in center,” said Lodge.
The effort to bring a YDIC to Greater Cleveland is an initiative of AP4M and is to be operated by LMM, in partnership with the REACH Board. The YDIC partners are experts in youth homelessness, child welfare, systemic issues, and adolescent brain development and behavior. With decades of experience, these partners bring critical insights and expertise to this project.
“Centering youth and young adult experience has been the focus of our strategy from the beginning, including the selection of 4100 Franklin Boulevard,” said a REACH Board member.
“We deserve a place to feel safe, in a real, residential community, and not in an industrial park. Our choice was made by us, for us.”
The young adults involved with the partnership have lived experience and were empowered to identify a residential neighborhood with essential amenities as the ideal setting. The group deemed 4100 as a safe respite for the drop in center, meeting all the needs of the young adults.
The improvements at 4100 and opening of the YDIC have been stalled for almost two years due to these legal proceedings, as a small minority of neighbors have opposed the YDIC based on unfounded fears of how young people facing housing instability will allegedly conduct themselves.
More than 500 youth and young adults experience homelessness in Greater Cleveland each year. The delay caused by the legal proceedings has left dozens of young adults experiencing homelessness underserved and heading into the winter with limited resources.
“LMM has been meeting the needs of youth and young families for decades,” said Maria Foschia, LMM’s President & CEO. “From the time it was used by Lutheran Family Services as an adoption center to now, we know this is the right place for building community with youth at the core of our mission,” said Foschia.
Cleveland remains the only major city in Ohio without a dedicated YDIC, leaving a critical gap in services for over 500 youth and young adults who experience homelessness annually. The YDIC would provide immediate access to essential resources such as food, hygiene facilities, and mental health support while connecting youth and young adults to long-term housing solutions. This project is a vital step in addressing the unmet needs of vulnerable young individuals in Greater Cleveland and ensuring they have the tools to build stable, successful futures.
About A Place 4 Me
Founded in 2014, the mission of A Place4 Me is to prevent and end youth and young adult homelessness in Cuyahoga County. The work of the organization is built on three areas that work together and inform each other to provide a powerful solution to youth homelessness in Cuyahoga County, including direct services, authentic youth engagement, and systems change. A Place 4 Me serves over 500 youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, housing instability, and/or foster care each year.
About LMM
Founded in 1969, the mission of LMM is to challenge systemic injustices for those who are oppressed, forgotten, and hurting by providing responsive solutions, advocacy, and hope. Each year, LMM serves close to 5,000 people in the areas of Housing & Shelter, Guardianship Services, Workforce Development, and Youth Resiliency.
About the REACH Youth Action Board
The Recognizing and Enhancing Adolescent and Community Health (REACH) Youth Action Board is a national collaborative research-based effort to improve adolescent and community health. REACH’s mission is to build a community where all people, especially young people, are encouraged to develop their fullest potential. We look to create opportunities for young people and the community that focus on youth empowerment and leadership. We collaborate with organizations and developments to provide safe resources for young adults. We work to eliminate barriers caused by systemic racism, system involvement, and lack of affordable housing.
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