Federal Funding Awards for Homeless Programs Announced

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced a funding award of $6,698,917 to assist homeless programs in Columbus and Franklin County. This is a $272,000 increase over last year’s award. These funds represent the major source of federal assistance to meet the housing and supportive service needs of homeless individuals and families.

“This funding helps our community break the cycle of homelessness by providing housing solutions”, said Barbara Poppe, Executive Director of the Community Shelter Board. She noted that the Continuum of Care awards in the application are a significant source of funding for supportive housing.

The Continuum of Care grants will provide funding for twenty (20) projects representing 564 units of permanent and transitional supportive housing. Sponsors receiving funding include Amethyst, Columbus AIDS Task Force, Community Housing Network, Huckleberry House, Lutheran Social Services, and the YWCA (for a complete list of projects, see the attachment to this press release).

The Community Housing Network (CHN) received funding for a new project that was submitted. The funds will pay for CHN to operate 16 new units of permanent supportive housing for men and women who have experienced chronic homelessness and are disabled with mental illness or substance addiction or who are dually diagnosed. It was the highest priority project for the local community. The project will include an additional 19 units that will provide housing for a total of 35 individuals. On-going services will be provided including linkages to medical and legal services, assistance navigating the benefits system, assistance with family reconciliation, and the development of daily living skills.

HUD makes the funds available only to those states, local government and organizations that apply for the funding. The HUD application involves an extensive planning and submission process, with no guarantee that funding will be awarded.

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.