Building Resilience

Dear Friends,

IT’S DEEPLY GRATIFYING TO WITNESS PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IN ACTION AS A COST-EFFECTIVE PLATFORM FOR HEALTHIER, MORE MEANINGFUL LIVES. 

We see its powerful impact in the lives of Douglas, Simone, and Tedesse, three residents featured in this report. Although each story is different, they carry a common thread: given the opportunity housing provides, people can make remarkable personal progress, even in the face of extraordinarily adverse circumstances.

Their stories solidify our commitment to grow our capacity and creativity address the tremendous demand for permanent supportive housing in our community, so that we can strengthen as many lives as possible.

This commitment is the reason we’re excited about new initiatives like the Mainstream program, which expands services to the most vulnerable in our community.

And it’s the reason we’re pleased to report progress on Parsons Place and Marsh Brook Place, and to announce a new project called Creekside Place. For us, construction milestones have special significance, because every project ultimately is an investment in our City, our County, and the lives of future residents. 

We’re proud to be working with so many great partners in making the entire Central Ohio community stronger. Thank you for working with us and for your commitment to those served through permanent supportive housing.  

RESIDENT STORY: SIMONE

“This place is a stepping stone.
I’m very grateful for it.”

Simone’s apartment makes a strong first impression.

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Her home is bright, airy, and meticulously organized. Every room, like her neatly pressed dress, is filled with pops of color, especially red (her favorite); and the living room wall is lined with pictures of the Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower, and other familiar landmarks of Paris -- a city she said she dreams of visiting before she dies.

“I like to keep things bright,” she says. “It helps fight off those feelings of depression.”

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Simone’s iridescent apartment isn’t her only source of inspiration.

When asked about her experience living at Terrace Place, she’s effusive. “I can’t say enough about the managers, (CHN property manager) Cynthia is the best. Just seeing her come in here every day, being professional, it inspires me.”

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Simone was a victim of domestic violence and struggled with medical issues that she says contributed to her losing her full-time job in 2015. She spent time in an all-women’s facility for the homeless in 2017, before being connected to Terrace Place in 2018. Living in a CHN property, Simone says, has made all the difference. 

“(CHN staff) help us get on our feet. CHN works so well with the community, connecting residents to resources – you just need to do your part.”

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She quickly rattles off organizations and people who have helped her: Concord Counseling Services, OSU’s Extension at Terrace Place (which provides fresh food), and her first property manager, Celeste Cardwell, who she says “gave me inspiration, being a strong black woman, and very knowledgeable in her line of work.”

Simone is grateful for so many people she’s interacted with personally at CHN, including Employment Specialist Bill Palmer, from whom she recently received a completion certificate in his Employment Readiness class.  Taking advantage of the resources available “is all about moving in the right direction,” she says.

Simone is pleased with how far she’s come, but eager to keep moving forward. She works part-time but is anxious to find full-time employment. For her, living in CHN is part of a process, an important step in fulfilling higher aspirations. 

“This place is a stepping stone,” she says with conviction. “I’m very grateful for it.”

In 2018,

two new
funding sources

expanded services to Central Ohio’s
most vulnerable people,

cultivating healthier lives

throughout the community.

PARTNERSHIP WITH CMHA & ADAMH

CITY OF COLUMBUS HUMAN SERVICES GRANT

On a Mission
with Mainstream

Bringing Economic
Security for All

Central Ohio added 50 new supportive housing units for vulnerable residents this year, thanks to Congressional approval of $385 million for HUD’s Mainstream program, the first such funding in over a decade.

Central Ohio’s success in HUD’s first funding round is due in part to the community’s strong partnerships between the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County, and housing providers like CHN.  The award provides crucial housing assistance funding to serve people with disabilities and those at risk of long-term homelessness. Mainstream is designed to help people transition out of segregated settings and experience the benefits of stronger community engagement.

To support the new residents, ADAMH is funding supportive services for resident well-being on a number of fronts, including mental health, housing stability, community engagement, and employment. When residents first move in, CHN’s Mainstream team meets them weekly, working collaboratively with case managers and others to develop an individualized plan for healthy, successful outcomes.  The team continues meeting regularly with residents to support their progress and provide connections as needed.  The Mainstream program also includes a research component to measure outcomes and evaluate effectiveness to inform program improvements, and ultimately support future funding requests for our community to expand the program.

“The potential for on-going funding for housing assistance for the vulnerable populations we serve is so important because new resources are scarce,” says Rachel Rubey, Director of Supportive Services.  “We’re excited to be working in tandem with CMHA and ADAMH in this program that has great potential for offering quality of life opportunities for people with disabilities, and for strengthening the Central Ohio community as a whole.”

Over two hundred CHN residents are benefiting from home-based supportive services, thanks to a City of Columbus Human Services Grant awarded in 2018. The grant – new for CHN – will benefit residents of Networks Restoration I, a collection of properties scattered throughout Franklinton and other neighborhoods near downtown Columbus.

CHN’s program will contribute to the City achieving its vision of a “thriving community where individuals and families” have access to programs that give them capacity-building opportunities designed to move them from “economic insecurity to economic security” for the long-term.

“This program will give hundreds of our residents the tools they need to increase economic stability and improve their lives.”

“This program will give hundreds of our residents the tools they need to increase economic stability and improve their lives,” said CHN Grants Manager Noel Welsh, noting that those being served include 117 children under the age of 17. “I’m excited about it. This partnership shows our commitment to making sure every resident is engaged and able to thrive.”

The program kicked off in June 2019, in partnership with Integrated Services for Behavioral Health. The funding supports two full-time Engagement Specialists, who work with residents to set goals and connect with services like employment readiness, transportation, child care, financial literacy, and community events.

Tedesse Haile appreciates things most take for granted – seemingly mundane amenities like green trees, fresh food in grocery stores, or even breathable air.  

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He spent 20 years in the Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya, a sprawling, congested desert settlement home to nearly 200,000 refugees, including thousands of Ethiopians who, like Tedesse, fled political turmoil in the 1990s.

“It was ugly, all desert, when we first got there,” Tedesse says. “The food was very bad, you couldn’t cook anything. Sometimes you eat, sometimes you don’t eat.” 

Tedesse says the camp’s harsh initial conditions cost thousands of lives from malaria and malnutrition. Sand from the desert would choke his lungs, contributing to asthma and chronic pneumonia.

Tedesse married and had two children, Michael and Salam, while living in the camp. His wife died before they were able to be resettled. 

Finally, through the assistance of a United Nations refugee agency, Tedesse, Michael and Salam boarded an airplane bound for the United States in March of 2012. Tedesse describes himself as arriving in a broken condition. 

“I was not as you see me now, today,” he says. The camp left emotional scars and debilitating battles with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, making it nearly impossible to maintain stable work and housing. Left with few other options, Tedesse and his family ended up in a Columbus shelter.

A critical turning point came when a caseworker from the Homeless Families Foundation connected Tedesse to a doctor from OSU Hospital, and helped place him and his family in permanent housing at CHN’s Southpoint Place in 2014, a step Tedesse describes as a decisive factor in improving his chronic health conditions and mental well-being. “This house, this place, it saved my life. I was born again in this place, under the umbrella of CHN.”

Looking out the window of his apartment, he talks about how often ambulances would pull up to his unit when he first moved in. “But now,” he says, “Six months, a year, no ambulances. It’s amazing.”

Tedesse’s improved health has put him in the position to take other steps. He now has a part-time job as a valet parking attendant, and is a regular at the nearby South High branch of the Columbus Library, where he diligently works toward his GED. 

He says his children are doing well in their new home. Michael, now sixteen, enjoys playing with friends on Southpoint’s basketball court, and he and Salam are both adjusting to their school. Tedesse’s demeanor is bright, and his hopes are high, not just for himself, but for them.

“I tell my kids what they have to be, they have to have a dream, and to give back to this country. This government and these people, Americans, they pulled me from the grave.”

  MISSION  

Community Housing Network provides permanent supportive housing that creates opportunities for our residents to be successful. We collaborate with supportive partners to expand these opportunities and impact our community.

   BY THE NUMBERS  

2000+

HOUSEHOLDS SERVED IN 2018

41

AVERAGE TENANCY PERIOD, IN MONTHS, FOR CHN RESIDENTS

96%

OF FORMER RESIDENTS HAD NOT RETURNED TO HOMELESSNESS
6 MONTHS AFTER EXITING CHN

Funders

Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County

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Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board
of Franklin County

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City of Columbus

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The Columbus Foundation

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Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority

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Community Shelter Board

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Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati

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Franklin County Board of Commissioners

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Harry C. Moores Foundation

Individual Donations and Contributions

Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing

Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services

Ohio Development Services Agency

Ohio Housing Finance Agency

Osteopathic Heritage Foundations

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Partners & Collaborators

Affordable Housing Alliance 
of Central Ohio
 

Alvis

Amethyst

Ayers Staffing

BeecherHill

Berardi+Partners

Brice United Methodist Church

Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts

Carlile, Patchen & Murphy

Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging

CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence

City of Columbus Land Bank

Coalition on Homelessness 
and Housing in Ohio

Columbus Coalition for the Homeless

Columbus Division of Police

Columbus South Side Area Commission

Columbus Urban League

Community Development for All People

Community Properties of Ohio

Concord Counseling Services

Corporation for Supportive Housing COWIC

Digital Works

Directions for Youth and Families Discovery

District Civic Association

Equitas Health

Feed My Sheep Ministries

Fifth Third Bank

First Merchants Bank

Franklin County Department of Jobs and Family Services

Franklin County Land Bank

Franklin County Veterans Service Commission

Gardiner Allen DeRoberts

GeoGraphics

Geotechnical Consultants

Godman Guild

Goodwill Columbus

Greater South East Area Commission

HandsOn Central Ohio

Homeless Families Foundation

Huckleberry House

Huntington National Bank

IMPACT Community Action

Integrated Services Behavioral Health

The Jefferson Avenue Center

KeyBank

The Kroger Company

Lardiere McNair, LLC

Local Matters

Lower Lights Christian Health Center

Lutheran Social Services

Mannick Smith Group

Maryhaven

MCR Services

Measurement Resources

Mental Health America of Franklin County

Metropolitan Community Services: T.O.U.C.H.

NAMI Franklin County

NAMI Ohio

National Church Residences

Netcare Access

New Horizons Methodist Church

North Central Mental Health Services

North Community Counseling

The Ohio State University Extension

The Open Shelter, Inc.

Park National Bank

Parsons Avenue Merchant Association

The P.E.E.R. Center

PrimaryOne Health

Red Capital Group

Reeb Avenue Center

Reeb-Hosack/Steelton Village 
Community Civic Association

Rockford Homes

Shorth North Alliance

Southeast Healthcare Services

Syntero

The Title Company

Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

United Way of Central Ohio

University Special Improvement District

Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio

Weinland Park Community Civic Association

YMCA of Central Ohio

YWCA Columbus

2018 Board

Senior Leadership Team

Samantha Shuler
Chief Executive Officer

Christina Alutto
Chief Administrative & Financial Officer

Ryan Cassell
Chief Development Officer

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Jennifer Sharma
Chief Operating Officer