Members of the community organizing group Northeast Ohio Alliance for Hope, or NOAH, announced at a forum in East Cleveland that they’re working with Cuyahoga County Council to develop a framework to attract grocery stores to low-income neighborhoods.
The focus on a countywide approach would allow East Cleveland and other disadvantaged neighborhoods that struggle to find city funds, to have the support to open grocery stores, said Cuyahoga County Board of Health’s Roger Sikes.
"NOAH is looking for a county-level funding mechanism that would provide public funding support for high-quality grocery stores in working-class neighborhoods across the county," Sikes said. "And two, that residents who live in the neighborhood, that those residents would have a say in the process."
He said the plan should be ready within a year.
Recently, several grocery stores have received public sector support to open up in low-income areas, including Simon's supermarket in Buckeye, Eastside market in Glenville, and Dave's in Midtown.