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June 8, 2004                                                             Barbara Poppe, 614/353-6321

Huntington Bank CEO Thomas E. Hoaglin, Mayor Michael B. Coleman, and others recap “A Decade of Dedication” to Ending Homelessness

The word “Ten” was prevalent at the 10^th Anniversary Mel Schottenstein Birthday Celebration held today at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. This is the 10^th anniversary of the community coming together to honor the late Mel Schottenstein and the Community Shelter Board’s work toward ending homelessness in our community.

Mel Schottenstein founded the Community Shelter Board in 1986 because of his bottom line inability to accept any situation that left a man, woman, or child without food or shelter.

“After my father’s death, the family knew we had to keep alive his life’s dedication to helping homeless men, women, and children”, said Holly Kastan.

More than 700 public and community leaders attended the event that recapped a decade of community dedication towards eliminating homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County. Mayor Michael B. Coleman highlighted the year 1999, “It was the year Community Shelter Board shifted into its highest-gear ever as people rallied around what was now becoming a bona fide community-wide movement to ‘Rebuild Lives’.”

Rebuilding Lives was implemented in 1999 to address the needs of homeless adults. The two-prong approach featured an improved safety net emergency system for short-term needs and the development of 800 supportive housing units for homeless persons with long-term needs. Since that time, the Community Shelter Board has collectively opened 227 new slots for emergency services and 450 supportive housing units for single homeless adults.

Denise Cornett, a Rebuilding Lives participant, reflected on the year 2003 when she moved into her supportive housing unit at Commons at Grant, “My studio apartment is about 400 square feet. Not a lot by most standards, but it’s the first permanent place I’ve been able to call home in a long time.”

Huntington Bank played a historic role in the event as the first Lead Corporate Sponsor in 1996 and the tenth Lead Corporate Sponsor in 2004. “Huntington Bank will continue working together with the community in making Mel’s vision of ending homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County become a reality”, said Thomas E. Hoaglin, CEO and Chairman of Huntington Bank.

Hoaglin announced that Huntington Bank would match up to $500,000 for every new dollar raised through “Let’s Build It”, a community campaign to help raise $6.5 million to build the YWCA Family Center for homeless mothers, fathers, and their children.

“Mel Schottenstein believed that it was unacceptable for a man, woman, or child to go without food or shelter for even one night. Because of your continued support…we are closer to making sure that this never happens in our community”, said Hoaglin.

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 13 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 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the State of Ohio, and other public and private donors.

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