CLEVELAND — The Central neighborhood of Cleveland is among the city’s poorest communities. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau, available on the city of Cleveland’s website, shows that more than 66% of Central residents live below the federal poverty level.
The neighborhood has also been consistently identified as a food desert.
Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio is working to change that by building an Opportunity Center at East 22nd Street and Central Avenue on the former grounds of St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, which closed in 2022.
The center will include a full-scale grocery store.
I spoke to Kim Trsek, who’s lived in the neighborhood for about eight years. She’s excited about the possibility.
"What is it like trying to get groceries in this neighborhood?" I asked her.
“It’s not easy, you know,” Trsek said. “You have to order online or find transportation. There’s nothing close by. It’s difficult, yeah.”
She said that difficulty leaves residents with a feeling of being left behind.
Derek Thomas and his cousin Derrick Phillips agree.
“These are places back in the day in Cleveland that were full of money … full of opportunities,” Thomas said.
Phillips said it’s not hard to see help is needed.
“To speak on poverty, you really don’t have to hear anything — you can just take your camera and walk and just look and look around,” Phillips said.
The Opportunity Center is a chance to change the trajectory, said Kelly Standish, vice president of philanthropy for Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio. She said the organization’s number-one mission is workforce development, and the Opportunity Center is an extension of that important work.
“And part of that whole mission and focus is to work with the residents of the community to bring them into a situation of revitalization, economic mobility — something that is generational,” Standish said.
The Opportunity Center will be part of the St. Vincent Charity Health and Healing Hub, which is overseen and operated by the Sisters of Charity Health System.
The Opportunity Center is a $40 million investment, bringing job training, a technology lab, childcare, financial services, space for nonprofits and social service agencies, and a grocery store under one roof.
"We are very excited about it. It will be full service. It'll have healthy food options along with all the daily essentials,” Standish said.
Rid-All Green Partnership, which has an urban farm in Cleveland, will run the grocery store.
Standish said plans call for the 18,000-square-foot grocery store to hopefully include a café. The idea is for most residents who use public transportation to be able to access the Opportunity Center with a single bus ride to and from home.
A groundbreaking is expected in early 2027, with an opening date target of late 2028.
This summer, Goodwill Industries launched a capital campaign to get the project across the finish line. It’s investing $10 million upfront.
"What do you hope this leads to?” I asked Standish.
She said, “We hope that it accelerates some of the good work that's already being done in the neighborhood, and we hope that it brings generational success and economic mobility.”
Residents are watching, hopeful about what they’re hearing.
“Do you think this is going to change a lot of lives in the neighborhood?” I asked Kim Trsek.
“I think so,” Trsek said. “I think it will be great. I can’t wait until it opens.”
Phillips, too, is ready for construction to begin.
“Investments here — things like this — and just fixing up the community will make it a better place,” he said.
More information on the project and ways to contribute can be found online.
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
