Facing a looming funding shortfall for homeless services, Franklin County Commissioners are weighing a permanent funding increase for the Community Shelter Board, starting with an additional $5 million for the nonprofit's current fiscal year.
Commissioners discussed at a Sept. 3 briefing session amending the county's contract with the Community Shelter Board, a nonprofit that coordinates Franklin County's response to homelessness. Commissioners are expected to vote on a resolution authorizing the first $2.5 million installment at their next general session Sept. 8.
The $2.5 million would be funded from "higher-than-anticipated" sales tax collections and transferred into the county's Affordable and Emergency Housing Fund, according to county officials
at the briefing session.
County officials also outlined a longer-term recommendation to increase the shelter board's annual funding beginning in 2027. Under the proposal, the county would set aside an additional 50 cents from real estate conveyance fees already used to support the shelter board, raising its annual contract amount to roughly $11 million.
"If approved, this additional $2.5 million investment from the Franklin County Commissioners will provide immediate stability to our community's homelessness response system," Community Shelter Board CEO and President Shannon Isom said in a prepared release. "Together with the Commissioners' already planned $11 million commitment for 2027 and The Columbus Foundation's extraordinary $2 million gift, this funding will help bridge and maintain service levels across our family and adult shelter systems, preserve critical shelter capacity, and move us towards a sustainability model that we so desperately need."
The talks about raising Community Shelter Board funding come about a month after the nonprofit warned it would have to cut about 43% of the county's year-round adult shelter capacity after learning it wouldn't receive the roughly $14.5 million in county funding it had budgeted for fiscal year 2027.
The shelter board told The Dispatch in late July that its $14.5 million request was informed by the nearly $11.6 million the county had provided the prior year. County Administrator Kenneth Wilson said at the time that the county never promised an exact amount this year beyond the $6.2 million in real estate fees it already awarded.
Commissioners John O'Grady and Erica Crawley turned their frustration over the looming funding shortfall on The Columbus Partnership – a private economic development organization made up of more than 80 CEOs from Columbus' leading businesses – after learning at their Aug. 6 administrative session that private fundraising was expected to account for just 9% of the shelter board's upcoming budget.
Isom previously told The Dispatch she planned to meet with Columbus Partnership leadership at the end of August to discuss private-sector contributions to the shelter board. When asked about how that conversation went, Isom said she appreciated the opportunity to connect with the Partnership and is grateful for the significant investments Partnership members have already made to the shelter board.
"As the needs of our region continue to grow, maintaining a strong and sustainable homelessness response system will require continued partnership across sectors," Isom said in a statement. "We value the business community’s role in that effort and look forward to continuing the conversation about how we can work together to ensure individuals and families have access to safe shelter, stable housing and the support they need.”
About a week after the county's administrative session, The Columbus Foundation approved a special emergency grant of $2 million from its reserves to the shelter board. The grant will be paid over two years, with the first $1 million helping to close the current funding gap and mitigate the decrease in number of people served in facilities managed by the shelter board's community partners.
"Through strong partnership and a shared commitment to our most vulnerable neighbors, we have identified a path forward that protects essential services and strengthens our collective response to homelessness," Isom said in the release. "The Commissioners' response and The Columbus Foundation for their leadership gift, collaboration, and willingness to act during a critical moment for our community shows we are a community of action."
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Homeless service funding could be salvaged in Franklin County under new plan
