Posted April 23, 20148:23 am
At the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) Annual Meeting, the Board of Trustees gave awards to Maria Smith of the Legal Aid Society and retired Councilman Jay Westbrook.
Maria Smith is an attorney at Legal Aid Society of Cleveland specializing in eviction prevention and she has a deep understanding of re-entry and benefit issues. Maria was recognized for her lifetime of outstanding contributions to the advancement of equality, civil rights, structural change, as well as increasing the opportunities of the politically, economically and socially disadvantaged in Greater Cleveland. She has worked to keep people in their housing, and has worked for peace, forgiveness for those re-entering from incarceration, and women’s equality during her legal career.
Retired Councilman Jay Westbrook was honored for his a distinguished career serving the people of Cleveland and assisting the economically and socially disadvantaged to access federal resources and maintaining a safe place to live in our community. He provided honorable service to those struggling with housing and living in poverty attempting to work toward a more just society. Westbrook represented the citizens of the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood and led the strategic plan that created the Office of Homeless Services. He was an advocate for homeless people and was an early critic of the lack of oversight of the banks and financial service companies that devastated Cleveland neighborhoods.
The award is named after Ione Biggs who passed away in 2005, and both winners were fans and friends of this champion of social justice. Biggs was one of the first female police officers in Ohio, and was a member of Women Speak Out for Peace and Justice. She was a fixture at the City Club and was one of our most loyal demonstrators in Cleveland. We named the award for Ione Biggs and have given the social justice award to Gail Long, Mayor Frank Jackson and David Westcott. We congratulate Maria Smith and Jay Westbrook as the 2013 and 2014 Ione Biggs Social Justice Award winner.
The NEOCH Board also gave an award for 2013 to Eileen Kelly as the Advocate of the Year for her work on helping homeless people obtain identification. We also gave an award to former Kent State University student, Kimberly Fischer as the David Westcott Volunteer of the Year. All accepted their awards at the March 19, 2014 Annual Meeting of the Coalition.