Program Spotlight: Cleveland Mediation Center
Danielle Cosgrove, Executive Director of Cleveland Mediation Center
Cleveland Mediation Center (CMC) begins a new chapter as an independent nonprofit organization this month, legally separating from FrontLine Service. We celebrate this tremendous accomplishment, which took over a year of diligent work and collaboration.
The CMC is a community mediation center that has been resolving disputes and training community members in conflict resolution and mediation for more than 40 years. Founded in June 1981 as the Community Youth Mediation Program (CYMP), the primary focus was on at-risk youth. But the organization’s surveys revealed the at-risk youth overwhelmingly faced issues caused by homelessness and expanded their efforts to address those challenges. The organization began working with community partners in the early 1990s to prevent homelessness and began receiving funding to mediate eviction cases.
By 2009, CMC and FrontLine Service had partnered in these efforts around homeless prevention. These efforts expanded, with the two agencies working together through many programs. In 2017, when CMC lost crucial funding and was at-risk of closing, the organizations made the decision to merge to ensure that the critical services provided by CMC continued to be available in Cleveland.
Danielle Cosgrove, CMC’s Executive Director, has led this work since the merger with FrontLine Service in 2017 and looks forward to expanding mediation training and services in Cleveland.
“If FrontLine hadn’t [agreed to the merger], the board probably would have disbanded, and we wouldn’t exist,” says Danielle. “I think that’s the main benefit: that CMC was able to continue, and the work was able to continue.”
CMC is interested in implementing a community-based restorative justice program to reduce racial disparities in the legal system and address unmet justice needs in Cleveland. Consultants researching the feasibility of this project recommend that the restorative justice program operate outside of the criminal legal system to be effective. By becoming its own 501c3, CMC can return to operating as a stand-alone organization and expand their actions to become a driving force for change in our community, with a focus on restorative justice.
Danielle states that the organization is looking forward to continuing their mediation training and conflict resolution work, while planning new projects focusing on restorative justice.
Susan Neth, CEO of FrontLine Service, is enthusiastic in her response to CMC’s separation from FLS: “CMC once again becoming its own 501c3 is truly a win-win for our community, for CMC and for FLS. This accomplishment is a cause for celebration. Their expanded advocacy and services will impact long-standing challenges. We look forward to continued partnership and collaborations in our future.”
You can reach the Cleveland Mediation Center at 216-621-1919 or at their new location at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries located at 4515 Superior Ave., 2nd floor Cleveland, Ohio 4410. The organization will resume its services on July 10th.