2024 Goals and Program

Six goals for 2024

1. Awareness: Increase public awareness of the scope and pervasiveness of lead in our community environment.

2. Engagement. Support families who are aware of lead hazards in their homes and communities to take steps to reduce lead risk where they live. (aka: grassroots organizing)

3. Advocacy. Push for public policy changes that protect and enhance local lead safe ordinances and expand lead safe protections at the state and Federal levels.

4. Empowerment. Assist at risk families to secure stable, lead safe housing and justice for their claims.

5. Management. Streamline activities, expand volunteer recruitment support, and conduct grassroots fundraising efforts.

6. Research: Investigate emerging lead issues in the community.

Advocacy Activities

1. Advocacy Goal-Protect and expand Lead Safe Certificate program

• Block HB 280 or related legislation at the state level that would undermine local ordinances or discourage localities from enacting lead safe certificate laws. 

• Completed! Support passage of Residents First legislation with amendments to address relocation benefits, expanded budgets, default inspections by B&H. 

• In progress: Advocate for "the grand strategy" to shift control of the Lead Safe Certificate Program to the City: 

1. Mayor takes control of the lead safe certificate program and LSCC becomes an administrative assistant to city departments. 

2. Cleveland creates relocation services for families displaced by lead hazards. 

3. Tenants get a voice in policy and implementation

2. Advocacy Goal: City expands Lead and facility testing

• 1. deploy mobile testing to child care centers (maybe a new collaboration with BCDI)

  2. Water testing in Multifamily housing. Monitor compliance with new Lead and Copper Rule.

3. Advocacy Goal: City of Cleveland: Fix'm up or tear'm down

• Assess City efforts to renovate or remove LHCO delinquent properties.

• Advocate for a  permanent funding stream for LHCO nuisance enforcement. (part of Residents First).

• Identify and assist non-profit entities to bring civil claims against abandoned properties.

4. Advocacy Goal: Cuyahoga County expand child lead testing and lead safe facilities.

1. Restore WIC Child Lead testing.

2. Testing for children in foster care. 

3. Foster Home testing and remediation, Child serving facilities testing. 

5. Advocacy Goal: Ohio expands child lead testing requirements

• 3. Build a coalition of lead safety groups to draft legislation to require Universal child testing and recruit sponsors to introduce in the Ohio House and Senate.

6. Advocacy Goal: Federal legislation and regulation

• Lead Safe Housing for Kids Act: Reintroduce the bill, support EarthJustice in efforts on Capitol Hill, Enlist allies among US reps for passage of the bill. 

• Monitor and promote EPA New Paint and Dust Standards--the path to "approaching zero".

• Monitor implementation of EPA Lead and Copper ule enforcement

7. Advocacy Goal: Support electoral coalitions in Cleveland designed to shift the balance of power between citizens and  corporate/philanthropic/political elites. 

• Example: PB CLE

FYI: Here's a good summary of the current Federal initiatives around Lead

Empowerment Projects

• Expand legal services for lead poisoning survivors. Collaborations with Legal Services. Fair Shake, probono volunteers to provide legal services around lead issues. Disclosure, Personal injury. Legal services proposal?

• Serve as a clearinghouse for lead poisoning survivors in order to maximize their access to existing services. Collaborate with Bright Beginnings and other case management services including interview and follow up; referrals, lead testing.

• Provide homesearch tools for tenants in to find lead safe housing.

• Provide training for Lead professionals from minority communities. 

• Promote relocation assistance for displaced families and families with EBLL children. (see Residents First)

 Management goals

1. Cultivate working relations with institutional organizations.

• Sherwin Williams

• Cleveland Clinic

• US attorney and EPA (disclosure and poisoning)

2. Secure affordable office space.

3. Expand Fundraising among grassroots supporters

• Annual Donor campaign; augmented with campaign "CLASH Tip Jar".

• Products: Marketing home lead test kits.

• Services: assist with RRP disclosure claims. Provide soil, water and home lead testing.

• Fun(d) Raising events.

• Year Long "Give a Tip" via Fundrazer

4. Provide stipends for board members who take on advocacy roles in CLASH projects.

5. Volunteer training: Skill and issue development.

• Tabling

• Analysis of citizen campaigns. 

• Cross training for volunteers.

6. Seek student internships for project specific activities: VISTA, high school, under grad and graduate students. class projects, and work-study.

1. Child lead testing

• Thriving Earth Exchange--Barriers to Child Lead Testing

• University of Arizona--Messaging research results to communities of interest. 

• Gather data on ODH child testing and ODS child testing

• Non invasive child lead testing systems

2.  Empowerment Tools

   • Lead in Soil remediation, Mulch safety

   • Home lead test kits

3. Schools and lead

• Review Legislation in other states around lead in drinking water and schools

4. Smokestack lead/environmental toxics/brownfields

• Follow up on Schumann factory explosion.

• Research Railroad Bridges and overpasses.

• Follow up on Industrial accidents, spills

• Monitor testing in Canton around Repulsive Steel.

5. Aviation Gas and Lakefront redevelopment. research and testing

6. Lead and Crime. Ongoing monitoring of studies. 

Hot ideas

County respond to Ronayne response. On line /in person petitions maybe coincide with March Health and Welfare levy.

Survey on Lead and Nutrition--Yvonka

Lead and Crime: meet with Shaun re the studies and policies (Yvonka)

Funnel RRP, disclosure cases to US Attorney. 

Hardware monitoring

Lead Grants link intermediaries and grassroots groups

Lead testing in Juvie Court, jail?

Shift emphasis from tabling at other people's events to sponsoring our own events

• Minority Health Month in April

• Grant writing workshop?

• More lead resource fairs

TA to City of Cleveland Heights in their roll out

Support Grassroots organizations around specific needs

• Chantal writes: "We now have citizens who have a very high level of Pb in the soil of their house. I am sure they would be willing to go public about it if we were able to make more people test their soil.  The lead affects all the residents in the city. They all deserve to know if they live in a lead laced area, even if no kids come around. The solution is to remove one foot of the soil into the whole city, not just remove the paint.

• Stabilize our operations. Here's a couple ideas

  • An office and meeting space

  • Stipends for volunteers

  • Additional training to expand the skills of volunteers

• Media relations (circumventing the blacklist)

  • Celebrity spokespersons?

  • Back channel communications with writers and producers

Some principles of Strategic planning

1. Goals flow from Mission. Activities and Projects flow from Goals. 

2. Don't waste resources on fighting the last war. Let the historians decide who was right and focus instead on what's next.

3. Force field Analysis will help to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the system.

4. When change is in the air, open all the windows.