NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT SHINES ON

COLUMBUS PROGRAM TO END HOMELESSNESS

Community Shelter Board to receive national award

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Community Shelter Board’s efforts to find homes and renew hope for homeless people in Franklin County will be recognized by the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) in a special ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 19. Created in 1986, the shelter board provides services to families and individuals experiencing a housing crisis in our community.

The NAEH has awarded the shelter board its 2002 Nonprofit Sector Achievement Award for the group’s “leadership and work to build the partnerships necessary to end homelessness for so many in Columbus.” NAEH is a major advocacy organization committed to ending homelessness by 2010.

“The National Alliance to End Homelessness considers CSB to be a key partner in solving homelessness in the country,” said Nan Roman, President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “Columbus’s approach to ending homelessness is the most solution-oriented, pragmatic and innovative of any place in the nation.”

Under the shelter board’s ambitious Rebuilding Lives, homeless men have moved off the street and into homes. With substantial commitments from the City of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners, and United Way of Central Ohio, the Community Shelter Board has led the way toward providing 800 units of supportive housing . Under Rebuilding Lives, three new emergency shelters and on-site employment resource centers at four CSB partner agency shelters have been developed.

The shelter board’s innovative approach to homeless services and building community support has attracted other top honors nationally. Last year, the Community Shelter Board, in conjunction with Edward Howard & Co., received the Silver Anvil Award, the highest honor of the Public Relations Society of America. In 1999, the U.S General Accounting Office (GAO) recognized the shelter board for its model programs addressing homelessness.

“The Community Shelter Board is a major asset for Columbus,” said Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “Earning this award reinforces that our strategy is working – to build government, private-sector and non-profit partnerships to help people regain their dignity and become independent again.”

City Council President, Matthew D. Habash, said the award “confirms that Columbus’ approach to homelessness is both innovative and successful.”

“The traditional approach to homelessness is to provide only emergency shelter. That does not address the needs of chronically homeless men with debilitating drug, alcohol or mental health conditions, while our approach helps them become productive citizens with the opportunity to live safer and healthier lives,” he said.

“The key to ending homelessness is to increase access to affordable housing as well as link people to services to help them find jobs,” said Franklin County Commissioner Dewey Stokes. “The Community Shelter Board is working with the County, the City, and other community organizations to help make this a reality.”

Catholic Social Services, a partner agency of CSB, has participated in local innovations led by CSB, such as the Family Housing Collaborative. Providing direct housing access and transitional services to families experiencing homelessness, the Family Housing Collaborative has a 95% success rate. Executive Director Sara Murphy, Ph.D. said many of the people in the program have been evicted, some up to five times.

“The Community Shelter Board has worked diligently to cultivate best practices, bring key players to the table, and sound financial resources to better address the needs of homeless families. Our community is better for the numerous collaborations that CSB makes possible,” Murphy said.

Community Shelter Board Award

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The purpose of the NAEH Awards Ceremony, the preeminent national event focusing on homelessness, is to bring attention to the role which every sector of society has to play in finding and implementing the solutions to this national problem. A delegation of city and county officials will represent the Franklin County community at the awards ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

In other categories, Sara Lee Corporation will receive the corporate award, Seattle City Council president, Peter Steinbrueck, will receive the public-sector award and Tampa Bay Buccaneer running back, Warrick Dunn, will receive the individual leadership award.

Previous recipients of this prestigious award have included organizations in cities much larger than Columbus, including Shelter Partnership of Los Angeles, Lake Front SRO of Chicago, Beyond Shelter of Los Angeles, Mercy Charities Housing of San Francisco, and AIDS Resource Center in New York City.

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The Community Shelter Board (CSB) was created in 1986 to respond to the growing problem of homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County. Since that time, CSB has allocated over $47 million to programs that provide services to families and individuals experiencing a housing crisis in our community. Last year, these programs served more than 11,000 individuals. The Community Shelter Board is funded by the City of Columbus, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, the United Way of Central Ohio, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the State of Ohio, and other public and private donors.

NAEH Award Ceremony

Columbus/Franklin County Delegation

Deborah Pryce, U.S. House of Representatives

Patrick Tiberi, U.S. House of Representatives

Matthew D. Habash, Columbus City Council

Dewey Stokes, Franklin County Board of Commissioners

Erika Clark Ingram, Mayor’s Office

Douglas F. Kridler, The Columbus Foundation

Timothy T. Miller, CSB Board Chair

Eric & Melanie Schottenstein, CSB Board

Gail Gregory Thomas, CSB Advisory Council

James Alexander, CSB Partner Agency, Maryhaven

Nikki Delgado, Corporation for Supportive Housing Staff

Thomas Rathbun, Franklinton Area Commission

Claudell Thomas, CSB Citizens Advisory Council

Barbara Poppe, CSB Executive Director

John Hardiman, CSB Staff

Sara C. Loken, CSB Staff