Homelessness By the Numbers

  • Number of Panhandling tickets given out in the first year of the law in Cleveland: 71**
  • Number of different individuals receiving a panhandling ticket in the first year of the law: 65**
  • Number given out in first six months of the new Cleveland panhandling law (July-December 2005):9**
  • Number of panhandling tickets given out in first six months of 2006 (January-July 2006):62****from Cleveland Division of Police Crime Analysis Unit
  • June 2006, marked the 124th consecutive month when Ohio’s job growth was below the USA national average. According to the Center for Community Solutions, this is the longest streak of sub-par Ohio job growth in the history of job statistics in the United States. This mark over 10 years of sub-par job growth.
  • Between January 1990 and January 2000, Ohio gained 782,600 jobs. From 2001, the start of the recession, until June 2006, Ohio lost 146,000 jobs or 2.6% of the total jobs or 19.1% of the manufacturing jobs.
  • In 2005, according to a Job Watch Reported by Policy Matters Ohio, state legislators reformed the tax structure in Ohio in order to create new jobs. In the last year, Ohio gained 0.6% while the United States gained 1.4%.
  • According to a study released by Policy Matters Ohio, the Economic Policy Institute found that 22.3% of Ohio families with between one and three children fail to make enough money to meet the typical family budget that allows for a safe and decent yet modest standard of living.
  • State spending on higher education fell by 25% over the last 20 years form 15.3% of expenditures in 1985 to 11.6% of expenditures in 2005.
  • Ohio ranks 45th out of 50 states in state appropriations per college student according to Policy Matters Ohio report called “Below the Curve”.
  • According to the below the curve report, Ohio’s four-year public universities rank in 49th place out of the 50 states in affordability.

Copyright Homeless Grapevine and NEOCH Issue 77 published July 2006 Cleveland Ohio

Chris Knestrick