29-04-2025
Columbus passes funding bump for homeless shelters; what is Franklin County's share?
The city of Columbus is allocating $10.4 million for homeless shelters and programs to help residents at risk of ending up on the streets.
The Columbus City Council voted on April 28 to authorize the grant to the Community Shelter Board, which distributes public funds to Columbus' homeless shelters and other nonprofits addressing homelessness.
This comes a few months after Community Shelter Board leadership lobbied the city and Franklin County for a large bump in funding, raising the alarm that homelessness is rising locally and federal COVID-19 pandemic cash that had been used to help address the problem is dwindling.
The city is giving the board slightly less than it asked for to maintain beds and programs, and millions less than its leadership asked for to improve the local shelter system.
The $10.4 million represents less than the city gave to the board in 2024 ($14.9 million), using $9.4 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, but more than the city previously allocated directly ($5.5 million in 2024).
Adam Rowan, chief compliance and operations officer at the Community Shelter Board, testified to the city council that this money will sustain and expand critical programs.
The Franklin County Board of Commissioners has not yet voted on how much money to give to the Shelter Board this year.
In December, when the shelters made their pitch to the county for increased funding, Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce said they made a good case, but it was a significant ask.
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Government and Politics Reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@ Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus increases funds for homeless shelters after call for help
