Northeast Ohio agencies prepare for summit and possible resettlement of Ukraine refugees

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a humanitarian crisis.  More than two-million people have fled the country as Russia has amped up its attacks.  The United Nations has described the situation as the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War 2.

Tomorrow Ohio will convene a summit of refugee agencies in the state to prepare for the possible resettlement of refugees from Ukraine here in the state.  The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services convened the summit at the request of Governor Mike DeWine.

As we discussed here on the program last week, Northeast Ohio is home to a sizeable population of Ukrainian-Americans.   The United States Census Bureau says there are more than 15-thousand people of Ukrainian descent living in Cuyahoga County.  Statewide there are more than 40,000.

When we talk about the performance of Northeast Ohio’s economy, the rating metrics used are broad and include numbers on unemployment, the size of the labor force, and incomes among others.  Such numbers can provide a picture of the region’s success and its attractiveness to newcomers or investors.  But within those bigger numbers are hidden barriers to prosperity and success that continue to impact many Northeast Ohio residents especially people of color and women.

So how can you get a fuller picture of the region’s economy and identify those barriers and remove them? That was the question Team NEO, the region’s business development organization, and its partner organizations asked as well.  To answer the question, Team NEO has developed and launched a Vibrant Economy Index.

Team NEO says the index will go beyond just the big metrics and also look at systemic barriers that are impacting residents and by extension the regional economy.

Last weekend we all turned our clocks forward one hour. That began Daylight Saving Time, meaning we'll see the sun rise and set later -- giving us more daylight in the evening. It's a sure sign of spring.  But it also means you lost an hour of sleep last weekend and may still be feeling the effect of that, as your body adjusts.

Daylight Saving Time will be in effect until the first Sunday in November - when we reverse the process, turn the clocks back an hour and begin Standard Time. But that may be the final time we do so.  Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unamimously passed a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent beginning in 2023. The U.S  House still must pass the bill and the president would have to sign it.

Ohio lawmakers are also working on a resolution that urges Congress to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. 

But as lawmakers wrangle over whether the clocks should keep moving twice a year—we're still dealing with the adjustment that come with moving time.

Darren Hamm, Field Office Director,  Cleveland, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants 
Patrick Kearns, Executive Director, The Refugee Response  
Jacob Duritsky, Vice President, Strategy & Research, Team NEO  
Marsha Mockabee, President and CEO, The Urban League of Greater Cleveland  
Rebecca Kuzma, Chief Operating Officer, Strengthening Stark  
Andy Chow, Correspondent, Statehouse News Bureau, Ohio Public Radio/TV 
Alicia Roth, Ph.D., Sleep Disorders Center, The Cleveland Clinic