Eden Inc.

EDEN’s mission is to provide housing solutions to people facing the challenges of housing insecurities and homelessness.

Housing development

EDEN’s mission is to provide housing solutions to people facing the challenges of housing insecurities and homelessness. To do this, we work closely with community and government partners to leverage available resources and implement proven housing strategies and related supports.
All EDEN participants are economically disadvantaged, with 89. 4% meeting Federal guidelines for extremely low income and an additional 6. 4% reporting very low income. We serve young adults aging out of the foster care system and seniors who have fallen into homeless due to health issues and/or having little to no income. 34. 6% of those we house are children under the age of 18. Other participants include veterans, survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking, and individuals involved in the justice system. The majority have mental health issues, substance abuse disorders, and/or physical disabilities.
In 2023, EDEN programs provided housing assistance to 4, 623 households / 8, 089 individuals. This means that almost 8, 100 individuals were not homeless because of EDEN housing programs. Norma Herr provided temporary shelter to 1, 109 homeless women. Imagine the impact on the community if every one of those women could achieve housing in 2024.
In Northeast Ohio, there are ever-increasing numbers of households experiencing housing crises. Rent is now higher than in any year on record. And for every 100 Ohio households with “extremely low income, ” there are currently only 40 affordable units.
In spite of EDEN serving a record number of households, our participants are experiencing skyrocketing rents, and reduced incomes. Simultaneously, EDEN has been forced to contend with greatly increased costs associated with service provision. Meanwhile, government funding of many of our programs will remain flat in 2024.
For example, the Mainstream Housing Voucher Program provides rental assistance to low-income households that include a person with disabilities. In 2019, the last time the waitlist for this program was opened, EDEN received 6, 000 applications. In November 2023, EDEN opened the waitlist for this program for three days. We received more than 9, 000 applications. Unfortunately, because of limited resources, only 350 households can be randomly selected and placed on the waitlist for this program. These statistics illustrate the stark reality of the affordable housing crisis in our region.
In order to continue to meet the surging demand for our services and expand upon the breadth of our programming, we must enlist additional partners in our work. We have big goals, but we cannot achieve them alone. Now more than ever, we need the support of generous donors like you. Pleaseto help us achieve our vision of eliminating housing insecurity and homelessness in our community!
Thank you for your faith in EDEN, and thank you for believing that a safe home is the foundation for health and stability for those experiencing housing instability and homelessness.
https://edencle.org