THE HOMELESS FAMILIES FOUNDATION

Home for Families believes it is unacceptable for any child in Columbus to be homeless. Not one child. Not one night. Our goal is to end family homelessness by stabilizing families, educating children, and surrounding the most vulnerable among us with a caring community of support.

Key strategies that will guide The Homeless Families Foundation over the next three years include:
Develop integrated, comprehensive, person-centered educational programming from cradle to career (1-18 years old). This includes the SPARK (Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids) an in-home program to prepare children and families for Kindergarten; the afterschool and summer programs for K-12 that focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) activities, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and life/leadership skill building. HFF will obtain 5 new collaborative partners to increase student/family education and economic stability.
Develop integrated, comprehensive, person-centered programming across the housing continuum, including families and transitional age youth. This includes rapid rehousing that moves families out of shelter and into permanent housing; wrap around services that provide financial and material assistance, while also providing linkages to other community resources. HFF is also planning to develop and implement a new Permanent Supportive Housing project for homeless families.
Our goals for the next three years are to: increase the number of families served by 20%; increase successful stability outcomes by 5%; and increase funding for programs and services while maintaining administrative/fundraising costs at a maximum of 15%.

We are experts at what we do. Founded nearly 40 years ago by community members who believed that no child should experience homelessness - not even for one night - HFF has expanded its programming to better serve the community, yet has remained true to the original vision of its founders. As the largest non-shelter provider of family housing in Franklin County, HFF helps over 1,200 families and youths across all programs each year achieve lasting stability and self-sufficiency through essential housing interventions, homelessness prevention, and wraparound supportive services.

Our programs empower families to overcome homelessness and chronic housing instability through proven, rapid re-housing strategies that provide our clients with the targeted assistance and intensive case management services that they need to transition from emergency shelter to permanent homes. We also help families achieve financial stability through direct financial and in-kind material support and referrals and linkages to community resources, including financial education and employment services. Additionally, our afterschool, summer, and kindergarten readiness (SPARK) education programs help low-income children achieve academic success, regardless of their family's housing situation, taking the first important steps to disrupting the vicious cycle of poverty.

Our programs provide a vital continuum of care in the housing community that meets the holistic and specific needs of our clients. We work collaboratively with an array of community partners and local, county and state governments, to ensure that our clients have access to the resources they need to achieve housing stability and financial self-sufficiency.

Since 2020, Home for Families has experienced and sustained significant growth in programming and the number of families and youths that we have been able to serve. In 2020, HFF provided assistance to 662 families. In 2023, HFF provided assistance to over 1,200 families and 2,324 individuals. While skyrocketing costs of rent and a shrinking supply of available and affordable housing have made it increasingly difficult for low-income families and youth to find suitable housing, 80% of HFF clients who completed programming in 2023 did so successfully, moving into permanent housing or avoiding eviction and staying in their homes. HFF will continue to respond to the growing housing crisis by providing crucial housing, financial, and educational stability services, while also offering aftercare and wrap-around supportive services for clients who have completed programming but may still need additional assistance.