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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Community Shelter Board’s efforts
to find homes and renew hope for homeless people in Franklin County are being
recognized by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Barbara Poppe, Executive Director of the
Community Shelter Board, has been invited to present at the October
1st meeting of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Poppe will be joined by Holly
Schottenstein Kastan, a member of CSB’s advisory board who previously served as
trustee and vice chair. Kastan is
the daughter of the late Mel Schottenstein, founder of the Community Shelter
Board. Created in 1986, the shelter
board provides services to families and individuals experiencing a housing
crisis in our community.
The meeting will be held at the White
House Conference Center and will be chaired by Health and Human Services
Secretary Tommy Thompson, and will be attended by Housing and Urban Development
Secretary Mel Martinez, Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi, and
others.
Congress established the Interagency Council on
Homelessness in 1987 with the passage of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless
Assistance Act. The Council is
responsible for providing Federal leadership for activities to assist homeless
families and individuals. President
Bush re-activated the Council with the appointment of Philip F. Mangano as
executive director in 2002.
According to Mangano, “Our strategy begins in the White
House and extends to the street in collaboration with state and local
government, homeless and mainstream providers and advocates, and homeless people
themselves. Our intent is to
include everyone in the response – government, community and faith based
organizations, businesses, consumers
- to insure that no one is left behind."
Under the shelter board’s ambitious Rebuilding Lives
plan, homeless men and women 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. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development conducted a nationwide study on comprehensive plans to address homelessness recognized CSB and Franklin County/Columbus, Ohio as a high-performer within HUD’s Continuum of Care process. CSB received the 2002 Nonprofit Sector Achievement Award from the National Alliance to End Homelessness for its leadership and work to build partnerships necessary to end homelessness. In 2001, CSB, 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,
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 15 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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