FAMICOS FOUNDATION INC

We empower residents to create an engaged, vibrant, diverse, healthy neighborhood; where residents choose to stay, invest, and help shape a "neighborhood of choice". Famicos is a Black-led organization that is governed by a volunteer board of directors, guided by residents in block clubs and tenant councils, and propelled forward by close to 60 dedicated staff members.

Famicos was established in 1969 following riots in the Hough neighborhood that were sparked by racial tension after decades of segregation. The majority-Black community dealt with substandard and overcrowded housing, overpriced necessities from area merchants, and constant police harassment. The riots left millions of dollars in property damage in a community already devoid of resources. Sister Henrietta Gorris founded Famicos to provide food, clothing, and shelter to Hough families. Years later, Famicos evolved into an organization focused on neighborhood revitalization, developing the innovation of the lease-purchase approach to affordable housing. Famicos regularly purchases condemned homes, rehabilitates them, and leases them to homeowners with the opportunity for them to purchase at the end of the lease. This revolutionary idea chipped away at the inequity caused by redlining and provided majority-Black and low-income residents the opportunity to grow their wealth.   Today, Famicos continues to support Cleveland residents, growing from a small volunteer organization to one of Cleveland’s largest Community Development Corporations. Famicos owns and manages over 800 affordable housing units for those most in need—seniors, low wage-earning families, the chronically homeless, and people with disabilities. In addition, Famicos acts as an anchor for the majority-Black neighborhoods of Glenville, Hough, and St. Clair-Superior, providing case management, food distribution, health screenings, utility assistance, foreclosure prevention education, home repair, youth development, and civic engagement.  Famicos is a member of NeighborWorks America, a national membership organization that offers resources to organizations that provide communities with affordable housing, financial counseling and coaching, training, and resident engagement, and collaboration in the areas of health, employment, and education.

Equity is at the forefront of Famicos’ work. Famicos’ programming helps residents reverse the impacts of systemic racism by giving them the resources they need not just to survive, but to thrive. Famicos is committed to eliminating the barriers that residents face and works directly with residents and partners to tackle challenges head on.  The majority of Famicos programs and services are focused on the communities of Glenville, Hough, and St. Clair-Superior. However, new government grant opportunities related to the COVID-19 pandemic have allowed Famicos to expand its services geographically, offering its eviction prevention and housing counseling services throughout the county. In addition, Famicos CARES and the EITC Program, which provide legal counseling and tax preparation for low-income individuals, respectively, are now county-wide. Other key services include: COVID RESOURCES: Famicos hosts monthly distributions of food, toiletries, and masks at the Hough Multipurpose Center and offers deliveries for seniors. In addition, Famicos works directly with healthcare providers to offer local vaccine clinics. Through a partnership with Uber Health, Famicos is able to offer free transportation to those who need it. HELP WITH HOUSING: Famicos has a Homeownership Resource Center to provide residents the tools they need to purchase a home. The Resource center offers financial management classes as well as emergency help when residents are faced with evictions or foreclosures. HEALTH AND WELLNESS: Through collaborations with Cleveland Clinic and Bike Cleveland, Famicos offers various fitness activities throughout the community to support the overall health and wellness of its residents. Famicos also partners with Greater Cleveland Food Bank to provide regular food distributions in its neighborhoods. In partnership with the USDA and local grant programs, Famicos operates the Michael R White Community Garden and the Gateway 105 Farmer’s Market in Glenville, bringing together local food vendors, cooking demonstrations, and mobile health screenings every weekend. LEAD REMEDIATION: Over 90% of Cleveland’s housing stock was built before 1978, when residential lead-based paint was outlawed. Famicos offers programs and services to reduce the risk or lead poisoning for Cleveland residents, along with home repairs and lead remediation to families, whether they own or rent their homes. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY: Famicos operates and supports nine community gardens in its service area throughout Cleveland, partnering with local organizations to offer educational programs for kids and utilizing a portion of the produce for food distributions. Famicos also operates five rain gardens throughout the community, filtering rain runoff and transforming vacant lots into beautiful green spaces. Finally, Famicos offers its residents composting services, document shredding, and distributes rain barrels all with the goal of fostering a community that is environmentally sustainable. EMPLOYMENT: Famicos works with residents to remove barriers to employment through the Famicos Community Access to Resolution and Expungement Services (CARES) program. Residents are connected with legal counseling to assist with expungement of criminal records, resolution of outstanding warrants and probation violations, and other legal concerns. Famicos partners with Towards Employment to offer residents assistance with resume writing, interviewing skills, and workforce development opportunities. The organization also partners with the Cuyahoga County EITC Coalition to offer free tax return preparation to residents. SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT: Part of revitalizing the Cleveland community is supporting local businesses. Famicos serves as an advocate for entrepreneurs in the community, connecting them with resources to help their businesses grow. YOUTH: Famicos partners with organizations throughout Cleveland to provide the youth in Glenville, Hough, and St. Clair-Superior opportunities for engagement and employment. MyCom, a network of adults who engage youth in quality local programs, provides opportunities to youth in Glenville to become engaged in activism for their neighborhood. Famicos hosts various literacy programs throughout the community for kids of various ages and operates a seasonal Youth Landscaping Program to provide teens their first job. Participants learn landscaping skills and provide free services to senior homeowners in the community. Famicos also partners with Youth Opportunities Unlimited to provide general career readiness training and employment opportunities.