The May Dugan Center is celebrating 40 years of service to people in need. The Near West Side Multi-Service Corporation was established in 1969 and, in 1974, the current facility was designed and constructed at 4115 Bridge Avenue in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. The facility was named the May Dugan Multi-Service Center to honor the late May Dugan, a one-person advocate and counselor for her neighbors in need.
The Center has overcome many obstacles over the past 40 years and, today, it continues to meet challenges to ensure that the Center will continue its mission to help people enrich and advance their lives and their communities.
The Center faced, and met, many new challenges in 2009, including an unprecedented increase in the numbers of people seeking assistance. This challenge was made even more difficult by an overall decrease in funding opportunities and, in particular, the decrease in state and local government funding. In order to meet these challenges, the Center’s Board of Trustees, Board committees, and the agency’s leadership staff identified solutions to strengthen financial stability. They also developed strategies and established program priorities to achieve a vision for the future – to increase the Center’s impact as a comprehensive multi-service service center and to strengthen collaborative efforts with partnering agencies.