Stephanie Casanova

1 week ago | calonews.com | Stephanie Casanova

On a recent Sunday afternoon, Joselin Mendez sat on a lawn chair writing to one of several detained LGBTQ+ migrants. Her pink gel pen danced over the lined sheet of paper effortlessly as she focused on the message she wanted to deliver. Not being the first time she does this, in her letters, Mendez consistently encourages people in detention to remain brave and hold onto hope. She knows firsthand how lonely it can feel to be detained at an immigration center.

2 weeks ago | calonews.com | Stephanie Casanova

When Natalia Chappotin was around six years old, her dad would pour Café Bustelo espresso into a mug over a little bit of sweet condensed milk for her. “This is how you start your day,” she recalled him telling her. Coffee has always been a big part of Chappotin’s life. She grew up watching family “chismear,” or gossip, over a cup of coffee in the afternoons.

Oct 27, 2024 | signalcleveland.org | Stephanie Casanova

County mental health officials received 73 applications for an advisory committee that will help gather community feedback on the crisis response program known as care response. The care response program, a non-police mental health crisis response program, started in September in two Cleveland ZIP Codes, 44102 and 44105. What is care response? Care response is a program where a mental health expert and often a paramedic respond to emergency mental health crisis calls.

Oct 21, 2024 | signalcleveland.org | Stephanie Casanova

Desarae Green has been trying to find a stable home for herself and her twin 16-year-olds since she left prison in January 2023. But the barriers she has faced keep piling up. She has pushed through obstacles, like the chronic medical condition that keeps her from working full-time. EDEN, a rental assistance organization, approved her rapid rehousing application, but she had to ask for two extensions on the deadline after being denied housing due to her criminal background.

Oct 21, 2024 | signalcleveland.org | Stephanie Casanova

People who recently left jail or prison sometimes struggle to pay for initial housing costs. A Cuyahoga County program is helping people pay for some of those immediate expenses.