How central Ohio homeless agency could be hit by DOGE cuts
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues making cuts to the budgets of various agencies and departments, many organizations are bracing for the trickle-down effect.
Locally, the Community Shelter Board's president and CEO Shannon Isom said the organization is expected to receive about $4 million in federal funding. She is waiting to see what impact any cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would mean for her team.
'We don't believe it's the entire $4 million that is at risk, but that there's a good proportion of that, and so again, this has just come out and we're still trying to organize that, but what we do know is that this community, we will have to figure out how to serve youth that serve families differently,' Isom said.
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Since 2023, Isom has served as president and CEO of the Community Shelter Board, the first Black person to lead the organization in its nearly 40-year history.
'Our continuum of care, Community Shelter Board, is ranked number one in HUD for being a united funding agency,' Isom said. 'And that's not only in the way that we spend our dollars, making sure that every dollar is spent.'
One of her key accomplishments while leading the YWCA Dayton was growing the organization's operational budget by 196%, which made her an ideal fit for the Community Shelter Board.
'But we're ranked number one and procuring the dollars and being really competitive and so, over the last two years, we have increased the dollars that have come into this community federally by 32%,' Isom said.
With decades of leadership experience, Isom's work is deeply rooted in her commitment to addressing gender and racial issues as well as the critical issue of housing.
'For the first time here within Franklin County here, within Columbus, we are dealing with an economic boom that we are seeing that is over and above probably not only that what we planned for, but what we imagined and, in that way, it's a good thing,' Isom said.
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She completed her undergraduate studies at Spelman College in Atlanta. She credits the historically Black women's college with playing a pivotal role in shaping the person she is today.
'It is embedded within you, probably within 72 hours, the whole reason we are educated in this sisterhood, is to give,' Isom said.
The Community Shelter Board works with 16 agencies across Franklin County to provide resources for homelessness prevention, shelter, street outreach, rapid re-housing, and permanent supportive housing. For more information, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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