Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland is lining up a $35 million play to bring new life to the former St. Vincent Charity Medical Center campus, with a neighborhood grocery store front and center. Announced Thursday, the proposal would convert the hospital grounds at 2351 E. 22nd Street in the Central neighborhood into a combined Opportunity Center and grocery, shaped with heavy input from nearby residents. Goodwill says it is working with the Sisters of Charity Health System and other partners so the mix of services reflects what people in Central say they actually need.
Project details and cost
Goodwill’s concept, described as an opportunity or "resource" center paired with a grocery, carries a price tag of roughly $35 million, according to Crain's Cleveland Business. Coverage included an exterior rendering, credited to CPL and Goodwill, that shows a storefront and flexible community spaces threaded around the former hospital footprint. Developers and nonprofit leaders say the design is meant to tie new services into the broader health and social services campus that has been growing up around the site.
Partners and services
The Sisters of Charity Health System, which has been pivoting the campus into a St. Vincent "Health and Healing Hub," confirmed it is in talks with Goodwill. The potential opportunity center could house workforce development programs, health and social services, and the grocery under one roof. In a statement to Sisters of Charity Health System, Goodwill CEO Anne Richards called Central "a neighborhood rich in history, resilience, and potential." Michael Goar, president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System, cast the project as one more tool for tackling the social drivers of health in Central.
Why a grocery matters
Advocates say a full-service grocery is not just a nice-to-have in Cleveland, where many neighborhoods still struggle with reliable access to fresh food. Cuyahoga County ranks among Ohio's higher child food-insecurity rates, based on Feeding America data summarized by Axios Cleveland, and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank's latest needs assessment points to persistent gaps in the local food system. For Central residents, the idea is that a neighborhood grocery linked to social services could cut down on long trips and put support such as SNAP outreach and job coaching in the same place as the weekly food run.
What's next
For now, the project is still in the exploratory stage. Officials say ongoing community conversations and partnerships will determine the final mix of services, and there is no construction timetable or full funding package on the table yet. Goodwill and the Sisters of Charity Health System say they will keep meeting with neighbors, city leaders and potential funders before moving into formal design and permitting. Local leaders are expected to watch closely for specifics on job-training slots, how affordable the grocery will be, and what kind of operator ultimately runs it.
