FrontLine Service News

“Aligning with FrontLine Service was a natural and compelling choice due to our shared commitment to addressing societal challenges…Through collaboration, I’m privileged to play a role in advancing the collective mission of healing and empowerment.” 

Guy Vincent is a contemporary artist and art instructor who has been involved with FrontLine in art and community projects since 2018. 

On a bright but frigid Thursday afternoon, residents at Harper’s Pointe, a Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) site, gather in the community room to begin their monthly art workshop. Art instructor and local professional artist, Guy Vincent, introduces the activity of decorating small paper craft boxes, offering coloring supplies, old magazines, glue, and scissors to decorate the boxes however they like.

FrontLine Service has increased staffing for crisis chat and text services to respond to the growing number of individuals reaching out for help through messaging, especially adolescents and young adults. 

FrontLine’s Crisis team provides 24/7/365 support to people experiencing suicidal ideation, emotional distress, substance use challenges, or a mental health crisis. 

The road to mental health recovery is not a straight line. It takes many twists and turns, with success looking different for every person. When an individual’s condition changes, FrontLine staff do not give up but look for additional ways to support those who are struggling.

“I have been extremely fortunate to have stable housing and a strong support system throughout my entire life. I am a firm believer that everyone deserves to have safe housing where they truly feel at home.” 

Macayla Dowling is a case manager for Permanent Supportive Housing and has worked at FrontLine Service since June 2022. 

David considered the end of his 30-year prison sentence a starting line rather than a finish line.

After his release, David struggled to live in a world he hadn't seen in decades. He felt completely lost filling out online applications for jobs and housing and navigating the Internet and smartphones. However, he felt determined to rebuild his life after incarceration without relying on others.

How do you find someone who needs help but has no address or consistent phone number and experiences severe symptoms of mental illness? 

Randy, who had been unhoused for seven years, usually stayed at Public Square or by the tracks near West 25th Street. He was often nonverbal, he moved frequently, and he experienced hallucinations, delusions, depression, and mania.

“When they come through the door, in that moment, there is so much going on in their life that is all jumbled up in their head… you really don’t know where to start. North Point is where you can start over and find direction again.” 

-Treveya Franklin, North Point Operations Manager 

“People tend to look down on others who do not look or act the way they expect. All of us have a heart, breathe the same air, and bleed the same blood. We should care for others, especially those who are in need of extra support, because everyone needs someone, and we cannot survive alone.” 

— Treveya Franklin is the Operations Manager of North Point and has been working at FrontLine since 2014.

“I want better for them than I had.”  

—Diane, mother of four

Ask any parent and they will tell you how hard it is to keep your children happy and healthy. But what happens when you don’t have a home to raise them in, or when you suffer from mental illness?  

“Homelessness is a system problem, not a personal issue.“

-- Anthony McWilliams is the Program Manager for Rapid Rehousing and Young Adult Services and had worked at FrontLine Service since 2018

“With employment people think about money, but that’s never the main motivator for our clients—it’s about being part of the community.”  

Samantha McKenzie Program Manager, Supported Employment  

We tend to think of employment as a paycheck—but for most of us, it means more. Employment provides belonging and a sense of contributing to society. For people with histories of homelessness, extensive trauma, and mental illness, employment can also promote recovery and stability.

“Many of our clients have literally hit rock bottom, ended up unhoused, and were resilient enough to rebuild their lives. It’s an honor to serve them, cheer for them, and support their journeys.” 

Tara Gower has been a Permanent Supportive Housing Program Manager since February 2023. 

“I’m going to tell you about the time I thought about taking my own life, and how a crisis hotline talked me down from doing it.“

Bruce Walton has been a communications specialist at FrontLine Service since 2020 and shares his personal experience with suicide.

This fall, five FrontLine Service staff will attend Case Western Reserve University (Case) Weekend Program with up to 50% reduced tuition towards earning their master's degree in social work at the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.  

When someone is discharged from the hospital after attempting suicide, the first 24 hours can be the most vulnerable. The next twelve months can also be a period of elevated risk. Research consistently demonstrates that follow-up services after an Emergency Department visit or inpatient stay are critical to reducing deaths by suicide. While Cuyahoga County boasts one of the most robust healthcare networks in the country, until recently, there was no program in place to support children and adults during this vulnerable time. 

In 2020, with support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, FrontLine Service launched Hope-Link, a program dedicated to supporting children and adults during the first year following an attempted or significant thoughts of suicide. FrontLine modeled Hope-Link after two successful pilot projects the agency ran in 2010 and 2017 in partnership with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, respectively.  

“I have been part of FrontLine for 27 years because: I love making a positive difference in someone's life; FrontLine is family-oriented and provides staff with the time needed to take care of their family; and FrontLine is ahead of the times when it comes to anti-racism trainings/committees.”

Ada Millin has been a FrontLine employee since 1996. Prior to her current position as a Hope-Link Support Specialist, she served as a Crisis Call Center Specialist for many years. She has served as an interpreter for the Hispanic community during her tenure. 

A year ago this month, the U.S. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration launched the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to ensure that everyone in the U.S. has access to services like FrontLine’s Crisis Call Center—simply by dialing 9-8-8.

On its one-year anniversary, here are 3 takeaways from the inaugural year of 988 in Cuyahoga County:

“A lot of people would say [the hardest part of my job is] listening to the stories of what our clients go through. But for me, the hardest part is understanding that there is always going to be a need. Our work is continuous. And that’s why I am here.” 

Bruce Walton has served as FrontLine Service’s Communications Specialist since 2020.  

“A lot of clients who come in are a bit isolated. Everybody is here for different reasons, but they are all here for help. Here, they talk with each other in a safe, supportive environment and find that they’re not alone in their struggles.”  

— Kara Poth, Associate Director of Crisis Services, Stricklin Crisis Stabilization Unit. 

The Stricklin Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU), located on the west side of Cleveland, is a 15-bed, short-term treatment facility for those experiencing a behavioral health crisis. It is a voluntary program for adults who don’t require hospital admission but need a higher level of services to stabilize. The average stay lasts approximately 7 days. 

In three days, Miss Z, a transgender woman, was going to be homeless. She’d been living in a hotel since losing her home six months earlier, but her savings were almost gone, and she could only afford three more nights.

A local social service provider had been working with Miss Z, but believed Miss Z might have experienced harassment (like many in the LGBTQ+ community) that made it difficult to trust traditional providers. So, they referred Miss Z to FrontLine’s LGBTQI+ Shelter Diversion Specialist, Cassadi Hanley. 

Camp Bridges is a one-day camp for children who have lost a parent or loved one to homicide, suicide, or another traumatic event.

Donors and volunteers make possible a fun and healing day of games, art, nature hike, and other fun activities.

May 23, 2023 — A team of 13 Turner Construction staff volunteers spent the day at FrontLine Service to convert an old records room into a resiliency space for FrontLine staff. Every May, Turner Construction supports local partners in honor of its Founders’ Day of Service.

Before the sun was up, even though her shift wasn’t starting for hours, Kathy traveled to the scene of a homicide. Police had called FrontLine to assist a five-year-old and a seven-year-old at the scene who had witnessed the tragedy. Kathy spent hours with them in the back of a police car and at the hospital, keeping them safe and occupied. She was a calm, comforting presence at their worst moment.

Kathy is a member of FrontLine Service’s Traumatic Loss Response Team (TLRT). Since 2008, TLRT has helped Cuyahoga County families navigate the sudden loss of a loved one to homicide, suicide, or other traumatic event. Licensed clinicians, available 24/7, travel to wherever families need them to provide immediate support after a traumatic loss. The children Kathy supported are among the more than 1,000 individuals TLRT served in 2022. 

“Everyone benefits from FrontLine’s ability to end homelessness, promote mental wellness, and help adults and children overcome trauma.  They give me hope.”

Laura Desmond is the co-founder of the Acacia Foundation; a donor for 18 years; and a volunteer Camp Bridges Buddy and a Twinkle Shop Elf.

“The most memorable part of my nursing career has been switching from bedside nursing during the Covid-19 pandemic to coming to work here at Frontline. The change has been very beneficial for me, and the work is much more aligned with what I want to do in the future as a public health nurse.”

Allison Stwartwout has worked as an Integrated Care Nurse since 2021.

"In this year's annual report you will see many examples of what it means to be a FrontLiner. You will learn how FrontLiners are changing the agency’s culture, leading us to be an anti-racist organization. You will read how the launch of the national 988 hotline in July made FrontLiners easier to reach for those who need help during crisis.  And you will discover that FrontLine’s nationally recognized Traumatic Loss Response Team is being replicated in other cities. Thank you for being a FrontLiner!"  

 - Susan Neth