The Ohio Development Services Agency recently awarded grants totaling nearly $26 million in state and federal funding to help 72 local agencies working to prevent homelessness, provide emergency shelter, and operate permanent housing initiatives.
Grants from the Homeless Crisis Response Program, which is funded by the Ohio Housing Trust Fund and the federal Emergency Solutions Grant program, will help 50 nonprofit and local government agencies operate emergency shelters and quickly move individuals into permanent housing. Approximately 39,000 Ohioans will be assisted through the program.
Grants from the Supportive Housing Program, which is funded by the state’s Housing Trust Fund, will help 31 nonprofit agencies transition homeless Ohioans to permanent housing or provide permanent supportive housing to homeless people with disabilities. Approximately 5,300 Ohioans will be assisted through the program.
Click here to view a complete list of 2017 grantees.
The ODSA announcement generated some positive local media coverage, like a more than $1 million Homeless Crisis Response Program grant to WSOS Community Action Commission to help provide homeless prevention and rapid re-housing services across a seven county region in Northwest Ohio. The Caring Kitchen Inc., which provides emergency shelter, a food pantry, tutoring, clothing and other services in Champaign County, also got brief coverage in the Springfield News-Sun about their $109,500 grant.
Local media coverage of these programs is important for raising awareness and highlighting the impact of state and federal funding for agencies that are doing critical work in their communities to fight homelessness and housing insecurity. COHHIO is able to provide assistance to member organizations interested in writing op-eds or letters to the editor to flesh out initial coverage of these grant funds – please contact Marcus Roth at marcusroth@cohhio.org.
