Success Stories

Change in a state law will change people's lives

More renovations on the way 

Enough barriers face people with mental illness in search of a safe, affordable place to live. An Ohio legal statute shouldn't be one of them. But it wasn't until two dedicated public servants paved the way.

An issue was a law prohibiting non-profit organizations, including Community Housing Network, from using state capital funds and tax credits together in the same project.

In 2006, State Rep. Jon Peterson, (R-Delaware), and State Sen. Steve Stivers, (R-Columbus), led the charge to abolish these financing restrictions. As a result of the legislative solution, capital dollars can be leveraged with tax credits to develop new housing and maintain existing affordable housing.

Finding creative ways to develop housing is critical especially as state funding continues to decerase. Thanks to the leadership of two elected officials, most housing for people disabled by mental illness or developmental disabilities should benefit. CHN will begin using this mechanism in 2008 to renovate 391 apartments originally financed with funds from the Ohio Department of Mental Health.

Facing battles on the home front

Housing for veterans

They served their country. Now they are being served. Twenty-two veterans have sough shelter and peace of mind at an apartment building owned and managed by Community Housing Network.

One-third of the nation's adult homeless men have served in the armed forces. Many more are at risk of becoming homeless due to poverty, lack of family or social supports, and living in substandard housing. About 45% of homeless vets suffer from mental illness, and slightly more than 70% are burdened by substance addiction, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

CHN partners with community mental health agencies and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help the residents overcome their complex isues involving chemical dependency and mental illness. The housing program receives funding through the Community Shelter Board's Rebuilding Lives initiative.  Many of the residents have lived on the street, as part of a mostly unseen "army" of 250,000 veterans who are homeless on any given night in America.

Although the men live independently in the 32-unit building, they give each other peer support as they focus on maintaining sobriety and employment.

In a life challenged with severe mental illness, there have been many lows for Harry. Perhaps the most striking occurred when he was living outdoors in Columbus. In the springtime, I would hear the helicopter overhead and they sprayed for mosquitoes.  As the suffocating fog descended, he thought, if it kills mosquitoes, what's it going to do to me? Schizophrenia took away Harry's home and career as a computer programmer, but it never robbed him of his dignity.

Although uprooted by homelessness and illness, Harry's life is a success. He has lived in Community Housing Network apartments for 15 years, holding a CHN lease longer than any other tenant.

CHN has been very accepting. It's wonderful to not worry what the landlord will think if they know you have schizophrenia. The other persons in the building have mental handicaps also and that gives me some comfort.

Before the illness struck, Harry earned multiple college degrees and served as a minister and Latin teacher. Now he lives quietly at home.  I attend the CHN annual picnic as a place to go to mix socially with people who won't look down on you because you have a mental illness.

Harry is occupied playing a small keyboard, using his computer, sending letters to friends and relatives, and visiting his 94-year-old father in Kentucky. Harry volunteers for CHN, helping tenants with their resumes and other support.  There's nothing I could do to prevent the illness, and I certainly didn't want it. Even though I have a strike against me, it's nice to know that you have a purpose in life.