Community Shelter Board
Who We Are: Community Shelter Board was created in 1986, founded on the vision that no one should be homeless in our community, for even one night. Our mission is to lead a coordinated, community effort to make sure everyone has a place to call home. CSB is the collective impact organization driving the best outcomes for people facing homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County. CSB is considered a national model for organizing a community’s response to homelessness.
What We Do: Community Shelter Board brings together agencies across the community to work together as a cohesive system for change, driving:
Strategy – to prioritize and position innovative solutions in alignment with federal, state, and local agencies
Accountability – through data and compliance monitoring for all public funding from federal, state, and local levels, as well as private sector funding
Collaboration – within the homeless system, between other systems of care, and across the community
Resources – from federal, state, and local levels in both the public and private sectors
Why We're Important: More than 1,200 people sleep in homeless shelters in Columbus and Franklin County on any given night, while an estimated 600 or more are on the streets. Community Shelter Board is leading a battle to slow the spread of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness. CSB is planning strategically to implement immediate actions in response to COVID-19 and preparing for the middle and long-term impact that this pandemic will have on the health and economy of our community, particularly on low-income people facing homelessness.
How We Impact The Community: CSB and its partner agencies offer life-changing programs that assure prevention, shelter, and re-housing assistance for more than 5,400 single adults and 1,000 families each year, including 4,100 children. Over the last five years, our prevention programs have helped more than 2,500 households avoid homelessness, while more than 8,000 households were re-housed and stabilized. And we have housed more than 2,200 households that experienced longterm homelessness and disabilities in specialized, supportive housing – saving costs for jails, emergency room visits, and inpatient hospital stays. Ensuring safe and decent housing for residents helps move our entire community forward.
How You Can Help: No child should spend the holidays in a shelter, especially during a global pandemic. Help us get families home for the holidays. We’ve already housed 500 families so far this year. Help us get even more families home before the holidays. We need your help more than ever before. If you’re thankful to have a safe, warm home, make a gift today at csb.org or text HOME2020 to 91999.
Connect with Community Shelter Board
355 East Campus View Boulevard, Suite 250 Columbus, OH 43235-5616 614-221-9195 www.csb.org
Donate: secure.qgiv.com/for/csbq
Executive Director: Michelle Heritage
Email: mheritage@csb.org
Development Director: Melissa Garver
Email: mgarver@csb.org Board Chair: Amy Dawson, Executive Vice President Fahlgren Mortine
