Central Ohio homelessness at all-time high, according to new report

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Homelessness is at an all-time high in central Ohio, according to the Community Shelter Board (CSB), which revealed statistics Tuesday morning from the January 2024 point-in-time homeless count.

Leaders from CSB, as well as various partner organizations, presented the numbers to a group at the First English Lutheran Church. The church, which served as a warming center during the winter months, can house up to 70 people at one time.

It is thanks, in part, to shelters like First English Lutheran that the CSB says this year’s point-in-time count did show progress. However, they warn the report may not fully capture the true scope of the issue in central Ohio.

"It increased. Although nominal, it increased. Meaning we're seeing another record-breaking year of homelessness," Shannon Isom, president and CEO of the Community Shelter Board, said.

The CSB said this year's report shows their strategies for addressing unsheltered homelessness are working. The number of unsheltered single adults decreased, while the number of single adults using shelters and transitional housing rose.

But the report brought to light a concerning shift, with 47% more people experiencing chronic homelessness; particularly those in unsheltered conditions. "Our shelters are full. They're burgeoning. We must think of a different way in which we think of 'first housing,'" Isom said

Point-in-time counts are conducted yearly with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This year's report also revealed mixed data on homelessness impacting families, youth, veterans, and those experiencing domestic violence.

"We must respond," Isom said. "And we must respond with a level of quickness that doesn't have anyone moving through homelessness more than once, more than a quick stay, more than a touchstone to get to the next. That is our goal."

Diane Shelley, the Great Lakes regional administrator for HUD, said there is a 2025 budget proposal with money to address the need for things like non-congregate shelters, permanent supportive housing, and prevention and diversion efforts.

"Our Washington D.C. office is equipped to crunch these numbers and they will get a readout," Shelley said. "I also listen to what are the needs of the community. How can we be better partners? And that goes into the development of policy."

Isom said the displacement of families and the 400 affected household at places like Colonial Village, are also contributing to the deteriorating housing infrastructure. And as more business and economic development comes to the area, the development of affordable housing needs to keep pace.

"We want developers to come in here and look at this as a place they can do business, a place which they can maybe raise their family, a place in which they can also stake claim to the business of developing housing," Isom said. "What we haven't seen in earnest, is that part for the affordable housing piece. The Community Shelter Board leans into that and wants to see that."

Leaders from the First English Lutheran Church say they're working to make the church a more year-round shelter. Last year, the CSB says more than 600 people were sheltered in one of four alternate locations -- like First English -- offering a smaller footprint for couples and pets.

However, Isom said with central Ohioans now facing sky-high rent hikes, creating more permanent, affordable housing is the best way to solve the housing crisis. The Community Shelter Board leads a coordinated community effort to ensure everyone has a place to call home in Columbus and Franklin County.

For more information on the CSB, its mission, and its services, click here.