Community Housing Network Case for Support

The opportunity is yours

How you can help

When you look at a person experiencing homelessness,

What do you see?

At Community Housing Network, we see resilience.

People who’ve had to live with heartbreaking circumstances any of us could find ourselves in.

When we meet someone who is experiencing homelessness with a combination of mental illness, addiction, and other trauma-related issues, Community Housing Network says to them, “We see you. In all your courage and complexity.

And we welcome you.”

The opportunity is yours

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Community Housing Network / How you can help

Community Housing Network meets each resident where they are, so we can help them get where they want to go. And while the journey is different for each person, it always starts with home.

Our mission is to provide supportive housing that fosters recovery, sustains wellness, and empowers success.

Our vision is that communities support and embrace people with disabilities by providing the assistance they need to have an equitable opportunity to thrive.

“My [home at CHN] has been a tremendous blessing to me. Since I left [my career], I have had a few thoughts of giving up—but when I look around my home, I am forced to realize that throwing away everything I’ve built (with the help of others) would be a tremendous waste. And so I continue to fight for myself and my future.

Life is full of unknown doors and possibilities…I am believing in a new miracle for myself that will be a catalyst of hope for others who have had to face hopelessness…so that they too can stand tall and keep moving forward.”

Community Housing Network resident

The opportunity is yours

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Community Housing Network / How you can help

Open doors Anyone who has experienced mental illness, traumatic crisis, abuse, loss, illness, or violence is at risk of becoming homeless. And once a person ends up unsheltered, they are at higher risk of substance abuse, sexual assault, other crimes, or worsening mental illness.

For the most vulnerable among people experiencing homelessness, getting and retaining safe housing can be a major challenge. A severe mental illness may cause behaviors that landlords or neighbors deem unacceptable; or a disability may interfere with completing forms and making payments on a strict schedule.

At Community Housing Network, we believe that people who are homeless have encountered enough obstacles.

Housing shouldn’t be one of them.

CHN opens our doors to the most vulnerable among the homeless.

With your contribution, we also open every pathway for them to recover their health and happiness.

The opportunity is yours

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Community Housing Network / How you can help

CHN residents experience:

Mental illness 82%

Chronic physical disability or health condition 41%

Substance abuse 31%

Developmental disability 6%

Meet the Resilient: Sheila When she first met her CHN service

Sheila to AA so she could work on her

coordinator, Sheila was struggling—with

sobriety. Finally, receiving a rent reduction

drug addiction, health issues, paying rent, and finding food. Sheila’s untreated addiction had led to her losing her job, a crushing blow in anyone’s life. Her

to make monthly payments affordable.

Every step of the way, the service coordinator served as Sheila’s safety net and support system, reminding her of her

circumstances, and mental and physical

innate resilience, connecting her to useful

health, were all suffering. She needed

resources, and helping her achieve stability.

some support to get back on her feet.

A resident at CHN’s Inglewood Court, Sheila was connected with an on-site service coordinator as soon as she signed her lease.

Together they figured out a plan and began to address each issue, one by one. First, a revised resume that enabled Sheila to apply for local job opportunities. Second, obtaining food assistance benefits and health insurance so Sheila could access

Today, Sheila is not only steadily employed full-time, she’s even putting some of her earnings away for the future. With medical insurance and addiction services, she’s been able to improve her physical and mental health, and achieve sobriety. After going through her own traumas, Sheila now shares her hard-won confidence and positivity by providing peer support to other residents in her building.

proper nutrition and care. Third, connecting

The opportunity is yours

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Community Housing Network / How you can help

Share resources

Since 1987, Community Housing Network has developed and managed permanent supportive housing throughout Franklin County for people who are homeless with a mental illness, addiction, and other trauma-related issues.

The way we see it, home is where

At every stage, through every struggle

healing starts. When someone has a

and success, each resident has a team

home of their own, they are reminded

on their side, telling them,

that their life is their own. That they can attain security and stability. That they have opportunities to make choices and progress.

Home is a place to begin their journey to wellness. CHN ensures residents have all the information, resources, and connections they need to work toward stability, at their own pace in their own way. Our role is to assist in their healing in whatever shape it takes. For some, addiction counseling may help them stay clean for longer than ever before. For others, skills training may lead to a fulfilling job. Maybe regular healthcare, treatment, or medication stabilizes their mental health.

“We see your resilience. We believe in you. And we’re here to support you, however you need, every step of the way.”

To us, that’s what home really means.

Residents feel safe and comforted, knowing they have a place to rest, recover, and reset. They are surrounded by people who are invested in their wellbeing and encourage their growth. They belong to a community that empowers them to move forward, knowing that we’re always here for them.

CHN makes sure that residents have more than just a place to stay. With your help, we make sure they also have the resources to truly live.

The opportunity is yours

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Community Housing Network / How you can help

This could illustrate the support resisdents recieve

Meet the Resilient: Antonio

Antonio, it seemed, had it all:

Thanks to a prudent intervention, Antonio

a home, a satisfying career, and

came to CHN in 1990. With safe housing

multiple college degrees. In his off-time, he ministered to his faith community and taught Latin.

He was smart, successful, and service-minded.

and supportive services, Antonio has worked on recovering, both from his disease and the trauma it inflicted.

Through mental illness and loss, Antonio has not only endured, he has thrived.

Back to being the vibrant individual he

And then everything Antonio had achieved crumbled with the onset of schizophrenia.

His disease disrupted his ability to work.

Without an income, he couldn’t keep up with his mortgage. Before long, Antonio was jobless and homeless. Untreated and alone.

was before schizophrenia derailed him, Antonio now spends time playing the keyboard, writing letters, visiting friends and family, and helping other residents with computer skills. With stability and support, Antonio now lives a life in which he is active, connected, and fulfilled.

Permanent Residents can stay until they feel well and ready to move forward— two to four years on average— because we do everything we can to keep them housed and healthy over the long-term.

Supportive Residents have access to a range of voluntary services tailored to help them recover their wellbeing and confidence, from case management to counseling, treatment to transportation.

Affordable The average annual income of Community Housing Network residents is $5,445, so all units are subsidized and rent is calculated on a sliding scale.

Housing Our 1,400+ units include options from individual apartments to family homes, all over Franklin County, all designed to foster a sense of peace, safety, and dignity.

The opportunity is yours

CHN collaborates with a wide network of organizations throughout Franklin County— experts at healthcare, case management, addiction counseling, skills training, and more.

We partner with these service providers to coordinate voluntary, individualized housing support plans that address a resident’s needs and help them work toward their personal goals. We’ve honed this blended-management approach over more than 30 years to ensure that residents receive housing and support that is coordinated, streamlined, and most of all, helpful.

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Community Housing Network / How you can help

Build on success

In our 30+ years, Community Housing Network has built more than housing. We’ve built a model that affirms the resiliency and resourcefulness of each individual we serve. We’ve built a network of expert support providers ready to fill every need. And most of all, we’ve opened countless doors for residents to build meaningful, purposeful lives.

We know that what we do works. We see it in residents who call a CHN building home for many years—and in those who leave CHN ready to rent or buy on their own. We see it in those who’ve broken the cycle of domestic abuse—and in those who nurture healthy kids in our family units. We see it in everyone who stands a little taller because they know they have solid ground beneath their feet and support by their side.

At Community Housing Network,

Just as CHN’s housing opens the door

we know we help our residents feel

for individuals to build their futures, it

connected, cared for, and empowered.

also creates a snowball effect. Helping

And their stability proves it:

one individual helps us all. The wellbeing of one person contributes to

Between 2015 and 2020, an average of 96% of CHN residents maintained permanent housing, and 98% of those who moved out did not return to homelessness.

the social and financial well-being of our community.

With the stability of a home, residents have every opportunity to recover their health and happiness. To make progress and explore their potential.

To live the life they want.

The opportunity is yours

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Community Housing Network / How you can help

With every resident who receives the resources they need for healing, we combat the mental health crisis debilitating our communities. People in permanent supportive housing spend less time hospitalized—they have fewer acute mental health crises that require emergency care because they receive support that helps them manage and cope with their mental health

Since 1987, CHN has served 9,829 households

conditions before they intensify.

With every housing unit, we fight homelessness that leaves thousands of Ohio’s adults and children on the streets every year. When they have stable homes and supports to maintain their well-being, housed people are less likely to require emergency services (hospitals, jails, and shelters) than those who are homeless. This reduces the burden on our emergency systems—and on our public budget.

Programs like CHN's could cost up to $23,000 less per consumer per year than a shelter program

In every area where a CHN property

diverse backgrounds and incomes

is located, we further equity. By

live together. Where people truly see

housing people with mental illness,

each other, with mutual compassion

addiction, and other trauma-related

and respect.

issues, connecting them to supports, and helping them find employment,

CHN helps residents build positive

we go a long way toward erasing the

outcomes that span their entire lives.

stigma of homelessness and mental

With your contribution, we also build

illness. We create neighborhoods and

positive outcomes that span our

workplaces where people of

entire community.

The opportunity is yours

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Join us CHN has dedicated three decades to honing our programs and services to ensure our approach genuinely improves lives.

We’ve established enduring relationships with partners, funders, and allies to create a seamless social safety net. We’ve provided nearly 10,000 households with homes since 1987, extending stability and wellness through generations.

For all the good we’ve accomplished in more than 30 years of serving Franklin County, there’s still room for progress. For as long as anyone struggles with homelessness, mental illness, addiction, and other trauma-related issues, our work must not only continue, but grow.

At Community Housing Network, we’re determined to open more doors to opportunity.

How can we reach and serve more people who are homeless and vulnerable?

How can we broaden access to permanent supportive housing across neighborhoods, counties, and the state?

How can we deliver more extensive services to residents that enable them to reach their goals?

How can we be good neighbors, developers, and partners who uplift this community?

The answer is you.

With your contribution, we can assure

The opportunity is yours. Give to

people who are unhoused and vulnerable

Community Housing Network, and

that this community has their back.

together we’ll build homes and health

We can make sure that those who’ve

across our entire community.

endured hardships have equitable resources to heal, progress, and thrive.

We can show residents that we see their resilience and value their dignity.

Make a donation today to Community Housing Network at chninc.org/donate.

For more information and to donate, please visit: chninc.org Community Housing Network 1680 Watermark Drive Columbus, OH 43215 © 2021 Community Housing Network. All rights reserved.