Post 1 – Suburban Folly

As I turned onto West 25^th Street on my first day, I drove unknowingly past my destination, looking for the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry building at 1468…Confused, I turned around, wondering how I could have missed a whole building.  Slowly this time, I looked around carefully, noticing the small, unremarkable green sign on the door of the decrepit, 3-story red brick building. I met my sponsor in the parking lot – any misgivings that I had about my project disappeared as a result of his up-beat attitude and excitement toward helping those less fortunate.  Inside the old West-Cleveland building, on a street that had evidently seen better times, was an oasis of kind-hearted individuals working for the betterment of those living on similar forgotten streets.  My first day, I was inundated with tours, introductions, and explanations about social enterprises and what my role will be in researching and developing them to provide opportunities for the homeless living at the shelter on 2100 Lakeside. 

Then, my two co-workers with whom I will be working most closely (including my sponsor, Brian) took me around Ohio City, not to show me the unkempt streets or vacant buildings, but to get food at one of West-Cleveland’s hidden Jewels.  My coworkers might have simply thought of the lunch outing as getting food and easing me into the position, but I found it much more revealing.  Even though I knew what forgotten streets looked like (from the Homelessness intensive), I was surprised how business men can come down from their high office buildings to eat and not notice the crumbling sidewalks, potholes, graffiti, run-down brick walls, and makeshift parking lots where buildings once stood.  This experience really opened my eyes to the problems of city streets and Cleveland in particular.

Next, we drove down to the Shelter at 2100 Lakeside across Cleveland.  When we turned onto Lakeside Avenue, the streets were still bustling with people and cars from the end of the lunch rush – a deceptive metropolis.  As we drove down the popular street lined with Cadillac’s and BMW’s, the condition of the street began to deteriorate as we moved away from the steel and polished glass – skyscrapers by Cleveland’s standards – and toward old brick warehouses and abandoned office buildings whose companies’ had long since gone out of business.

If anything, my first day in which I learned the state of the streets did not dishearten me but rather reaffirmed my desire to help and showed me how even a small group of people inside one of Cleveland’s own forgotten structures can make a difference.