Greater Cleveland

The Greater Cleveland LGBTQ+ community is set to take a major step forward with the launch of the Greater Cleveland LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment in 2023. Led by Kent State University's College of Public Health, this inter-organizational initiative is the first of its kind in the Greater Cleveland area and aims to identify and address the most pressing needs of the LGBTQ+ community. Over 100 local community organizations will be participating in the study, with the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland serving as the primary community partner.

The study will include a comprehensive community survey, intersectionality focus groups, and key stakeholder interviews, to gather input and feedback from local members of the LGBTQ+ community in Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, and Geauga counties. These activities will be inclusive and reflective of the diverse voices and perspectives within the LGBTQ+ community. The results of the study will be used to develop strategies for addressing the identified needs and improving the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals in Greater Cleveland.

The study will cover several critical areas including health and wellness, religion and spirituality, education and literacy, housing, food, and basic needs, business and commerce, safety and law enforcement, and recreation and leisure.

This initiative is an adaptation of a similar survey led by Kent State University's College of Public Health that provided dozens of short- and long-term recommendations to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people living in Greater Akron in 2022. The recommendations offered were straightforward, such as assisting more LGBTQ+ people in registering to vote, as well as more complex suggestions, such as cultivating a culture of inclusiveness, open-mindedness, empathy, acceptance, and respect both within and outside the LGBTQ+ community.

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If you're part of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, you can help make this study a success in Greater Cleveland by getting involved and providing input. The study team encourages members of the LGBTQ+ community to participate in the subcommittee meetings where surveys, focus groups, and interviews are developed with local input to make sure that the voices of the community are heard and reflected in the study results.

For more information or to get involved, please visit lgbtqohio.org or contact Andrew Snyder at asnyde20@kent.edu. Together, we can work towards creating a better future for the LGBTQ+ community in Greater Cleveland.

To learn more about the assessment process or get involved, please visit www.lgbtqohio.org.

Additional Resources

• OJPH Op-Ed- It’s Time to Mobilize in Support of Inclusive LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessments
• Greater Cleveland’s LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment Launches March 2023

Thanks to Our Funders

The Greater Cleveland LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment is grateful to the Cleveland Foundation for their support of this important initiative to help cover the costs associated with conducting the needs assessment and disseminating the results to the community.

“This investment is in clear alignment with our values as it lifts up the voices of the LGBTQ+ community, prioritizes lived experience, and will help inform future investment,” said Andrew Katusin, Cleveland Foundation program officer for grantmaking initiatives. “As the community’s foundation, we believe that understanding the needs of the community, directly informed by the community, is the best source of expertise to guide how we can provide support where it is needed most.” 

We express our sincere thanks to these sponsors for their invaluable contributions to this project. Without their support, the Greater Cleveland LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment would not be possible.