1. Did CityLink engage the West End community?
2. Will CityLink create an unsafe environment and hence increase crime?
3. Why does CityLink need a 100,000 square foot facility if PATHMall in Los Angeles, a much larger city, is only 40,000 square feet?
4. Will CityLink only allow Christians to be admitted to receive services?
5. Do the founders of CityLink have experience working with people in poverty?
6. Will CityLink solely be run by volunteers?
7. Is CityLink only for the homeless, drug addicted and early release prisoners?
8. Why aren't the founding agencies and churches putting CityLink in their own neighborhoods?
9. Is CityLink being run and financed solely by Crossroads, a big church comprised primarily of white people in Oakley?
10. How racially diverse are the CityLink founding organizations?
11. Will CityLink have 150 beds for transients to "sleep it off"?
12. Is this essentially a social experiment that's never been tried before?
13. If the poor are moving out of the city, won't locating CityLink in the urban core just centralize the problem?
14. Did the Vineyard pull out because they no longer support CityLink?
15. Is CityLink going to place youth mentoring and daycare facilities in the same building as transitional housing?
16. Is CityLink connected to other social service agencies throughout Cincinnati?

Should you have additional questions about CityLink Center, please email us at onecityinfo@onecity.org.
 

 

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1. Did CityLink engage the West End community? [ top ]
From the beginning, CityLink has met with religious and political leaders, residents and business owners. Numerous West End churches and social service agencies now support CityLink. In addition, CityLink is creating a Community Advisory Council comprised of West End leaders and residents and others who will input on the direction and operations of CityLink. We have intentionally not finalized our overall development plans because we want the input of the West End and other communities to influence how we deliver services to people in need.

2. Will CityLink create an unsafe environment and hence increase crime? [ top ]
Our success depends on the safety of our participants, staff & volunteers. Therefore, our number one priority will be to work with West End residents to ensure a safe environment. To do this, we are prepared to invest significantly in these efforts. In addition, CityLink's design will be based on CPTED architectural principles (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design). CityLink will focus on helping Cincinnatians and will not bus people in from other cities to receive assistance. Finally, we believe that by having better lighting, a more attractive facility, and having many more people volunteering at and living in the area who are committed to CityLink, these things will only help to increase visibility and attention to this area, thereby reducing crime.

3. Why does CityLink need a 100,000 square foot facility if PATHMall in Los Angeles, a much larger city, is only 40,000 square feet? [ top ]
PATHMall is an amazing organization that is highly successful in Los Angeles. In fact, property values have increased over 100% in its surrounding community, while crime rates have been reduced. Yet while PATHMall is one of the closest examples of what CityLink will be, there are still key differences that make PATHMall-CityLink direct comparisons an apples-to-oranges exercise. For example, PATHMall (People Assisting The Homeless) is an integrated facility that caters only to the homeless, as opposed to CityLink, who will cater to not only the homeless, but the working poor, a much broader audience. In addition, PATHMall does not serve the entire L.A. area, so saying that CityLink's size is unnecessary because Cincinnati is a much smaller city is not valid. It's much more important to look at facts, such as the fact that PATHMall has a 98-bed transitional housing program, whereas CityLink will only have 40 beds for our 2-month, 24/7 "Exodus" transitional housing program, operated by City Gospel Mission.

4. Will CityLink only allow Christians to be admitted to receive services? [ top ]
While the founders of CityLink are faith-based churches and social service agencies, any person will be admitted to receive services, regardless of their religious beliefs. We simply want to serve people who are looking to better their own lives.

5. Do the founders of CityLink have experience working with people in poverty? [ top ]
CityLink's founding agencies are some of our city's most experienced and respected social service agencies, representing over 120 years of cumulative experience in serving our city's poor. For example, Crossroad Health Center has received numerous awards of recognition for their top quality care. CityLink also will house other experienced social service agencies, plus will refer clients out to additional agencies.

6. Will CityLink solely be run by volunteers? [ top ]
CityLink will be run by paid, seasoned staff members from our partner social service agencies. These staff members will be supported by an army of well-trained, passionate and dedicated volunteers from all walks of life and all parts of Cincinnati, including the West End. However, volunteers will not handle cases and issues they're not trained in - that's where the paid professionals will step in. Licensed professional staff will also supervise any clinical care and volunteers in these roles.

7. Is CityLink only for the homeless, drug addicted and early release prisoners? [ top ]
CityLink hopes to help many different kinds of people, including those above. However, we are planning many of our services for the working poor, those who are one paycheck away from finding themselves in dire straits.

8. Why aren't the founding agencies and churches putting CityLink in their own neighborhoods? [ top ]
This is in fact the ultimate vision of CityLink. We recognize that there are pockets of poverty in every part of Cincinnati, and we don't expect all people in need to travel great distances to receive services. That's why we're in conversations about starting our first four satellite CityLink Centers in Covington, Loveland, Oakley and Winton Terrace. Nevertheless, we feel that our first and most comprehensive center needs to be located in an area with the highest population of people living at or below the poverty line, with great access to bus lines and a centralized location. The property at 800 Bank St. in the West End fits that demographic criteria.

9. Is CityLink being run and financed solely by Crossroads, a big church comprised primarily of white people in Oakley? [ top ]
Crossroads, a multi-cultural and multi-socio economic church, is only one of 10 founding organizations. They are deeply involved, but so are over 20 other churches and agencies across Cincinnati (see list below). In fact, Crossroads did not give any money towards the purchase of the $1.4 million Bank St. property. CityLink supportive churches include: Consolation Baptist (Mt. Auburn), Four Corners (West Chester), Living Testimony Christian Center, Mariemont Community Church, Montgomery Community Church, New St. Paul Baptist (West End), Northstar Vineyard (Loveland), York St. Methodist (West End), and many others.

10. How racially diverse are the CityLink founding organizations? [ top ]
The racial makeup of the staffs of CityLink's founding agencies are 50% Caucasian, 47% African-American and 3% Other (Latino, Asian-American, etc). The memberships of CityLink's founding churches are 59% Caucasian, 33% African-American, and 8% other (Latino, Asian American, etc). In addition, the founding agencies are all located in Over-the-Rhine and Mt. Auburn, while the founding churches are from Carthage, Madisonville, Oakley, Springdale and Walnut Hills, with memberships from all over the city.

11. Will CityLink have 150 beds for transients to "sleep it off"? [ top ]
CityLink originally planned to have 150 beds. Based on community input, counsel from Michelle Budzek of the Partnership Center, Ltd., and zoning requirements, we immediately withdrew our plans for emergency overnight shelter. Then, the plan was reduced to only 40 beds, nearly a quarter of our original plan. Those sleeping in these beds must also participate in a 24/7, multiple-month, transitional housing program at 800 Bank Street.

12. Is this essentially a social experiment that's never been tried before? [ top ]
The National Coalition to End Homelessness has cited that co-located services are a best-in-class model. In addition, CityLink has personally visited five such sites (Dream Center, Los Angeles; Midnight Mission, Los Angeles; PATHMall, Los Angeles; SEARCH, Houston; Star of Hope, Houston) and studied countless others (i.e., Haven for HOPE - San Antonio, 16 acre campus/$30 million annual budget/750 beds; Human Services Campus - Phoenix, 10 acre campus/$24 million annual budget/400-600 beds; Chapman Center - Miami, 700 beds over 2 campuses; Father Joe's Village - San Diego, 4 campuses, $20 million annual budget/2200 served daily). Our research continues to show that this is the most effective way to battle the cycle of poverty.

13. If the poor are moving out of the city, won't locating CityLink in the urban core just centralize the problem? [ top ]
While some of our city's poor are moving or being forced out to the suburbs, statistics continue to show that our poverty levels are in fact increasing at alarming rates in the city of Cincinnati. For example, the Enquirer reported on August 29, 2007 that Cincinnati now holds the dubious honor of being #3 of all major U.S. cities with the highest poverty rates at 28%. This is up over 7% in the last 5 years. So the bottom line is this: our city's need has never been greater, and more needs to be done.

14. Did the Vineyard pull out because they no longer support CityLink? [ top ]
Vineyard is still very supportive of CityLink. They decided in fall 2005 to pull back their efforts from CityLink in order to focus more on their own outreach to people in poverty in the northern suburbs called MercyWorks. See Pastor Dave Workman's letter of support to CityLink.

15. Is CityLink going to place youth mentoring and daycare facilities in the same building as transitional housing? [ top ]
No, any programming or services to children will be placed in another building in order to maintain the highest level of security.

16. Is CityLink connected to other social service agencies throughout Cincinnati? [ top ]
CityLink has actively participated in the West End Social Service Providers Network, chaired by Juanita Bohannon. We also actively participate in the Homeless Coalition, a network of agencies geared towards serving our city's poor and marginalized. Well-respected agencies such as the FreeStore Foodbank and Salvation Army have offered their support as well.