FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, call:
APRIL 4, 2005 Barbara Poppe, 614.221.9195

CONGRESS CONSIDERS LEGISLATION THAT WOULD HELP COLUMBUS &
FRANKLIN COUNTY END LONG-TERM HOMELESSNESS

Passage of legislation would provide critical new source of federal funding
to help end long-term or chronic homelessness

Columbus, Ohio, April 4, 2005 – Senator Mike DeWine and Representative Deborah Pryce are leading federal legislation that would help homeless people with disabilities in Columbus and Franklin County. This funding will help our community achieve the promise of the Community Shelter Board’s Rebuilding Lives initiative and make progress on ending chronic homelessness. CSB and Columbus have received national recognition for our response to homelessness. Through the Rebuilding Lives plan, 518 units of supportive housing have been developed for single adults who have experienced long-term homelessness; and 177 units of supportive housing are in the development phase.

The Services for Ending Long Term Homelessness Act will be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by the Honorable Deborah Pryce (R-OH) and the Honorable Anna Eshoo (D-CA) on April 5, 2005.

Study after study has proven that supportive housing – permanent, affordable housing linked to support services – is a cost-effective way to keep people housed, off the streets, and out of shelters. Research on public expenditures in New York City found that each unit of supportive housing saved over $16,000 in emergency, public health, and shelter resources per year, almost entirely offsetting the cost of the supportive housing itself. Similar results have been discovered in cities around the country.

Here in Columbus, these funds are desperately needed for new permanent supportive housing. Another 300 units of Rebuilding Lives supportive housing is needed but without steady funding for affordable housing and new funding for services, it will not be possible to fulfill this vision. A November 2004 report by The Lewin Group found that supportive housing in Columbus, at a cost of $30.48 per day, was a significantly less expensive alternative than jail ($70.00), prison ($59.34), mental hospital ($451.00) and hospital ($1,590.00).

People in supportive housing have better mental health, less substance abuse, fewer arrests, more employment, and less reliance on public assistance than when they were homeless. This legislation would provide, for the first time, a mechanism for communities to deliver the services needed to end chronic homelessness in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Donna Schuler was in and out of emergency shelters for more than three years due to an injury and the loss of her job. While staying at a shelter, Donna heard about the Rebuilding Lives initiative and the Commons at Grant, a new apartment facility for low-income and formerly homeless individuals. Donna was accepted into the building and has had her own apartment since August 2003.

Donna says the Commons at Grant has given her stability and security. “It’s a safe and secure place that is affordable. The Commons has given me the stability I need to get back on my feet”. Donna credits the staff at Commons for helping her stay stable as well, “The staff is constantly making sure that we receive help if we need it….there are people that surround us who really care”.

For several years, the Federal government’s commitment to affordable housing and homelessness has declined. As a share of the overall federal budget, spending on housing assistance has declined by 12 percent since 1995. Changes to the Housing Voucher (Section 8) program last year have resulted in approximately 80,000 fewer households receiving federal housing assistance. Meanwhile, the amount of housing affordable to our nation’s lowest income families continues to decline.

While we struggle to solve the nation’s affordable housing problems, there is broad consensus that ending long-term homelessness by providing permanent supportive housing is a cost effective solution. The Services for Ending Long Term Homelessness Act is a smart and efficient way to make that happen.

For more information on how supportive housing can help end long-term homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County, contact Barbara Poppe at 614.221.9195 or bjpoppe@csb.org.

The Community Shelter Board, established in 1986, is a non-profit intermediary organization that coordinates community based efforts, fosters collaboration, and funds services to assist families and individuals in Central Ohio to resolve their housing crisis. The Community Shelter Board allocates $7.5 million annually to support programs at 12 agencies. 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 Columbus Foundation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the State of Ohio, and other public and private donors.

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Congresswoman Deborah Pryce and Donna Schuler inside Donna’s apartment.  Donna Schuler is a Commons at Grant Resident and Rebuilding Lives Participant.