The Columbus Foundation’s Great Needs Challenge

Alarming numbers of local residents are seeking emergency shelter. A burgeoning housing crisis for families and individuals devastated by job losses, layoffs, and home and rental property foreclosures, is exacerbated by the arrival of cold weather. Due to the increased needs, longer wait times are experienced before men, women, and families are re-housed. Often, more than 80 adults are turned away from Columbus’ emergency shelters because they are over capacity. Family shelters place 30 to 50 families per night in hotels because the shelters are at capacity. The Great Needs Challenge supported more Rapid Re-housing specialists and direct financial assistance, to assist single adults and families locate affordable housing.

Free furniture and household goods are important to families facing difficult situations. The Furniture Bank of Central Ohio (formerly MAP) always needs more furniture, and is committed to providing dressers to families. To achieve that goal, the Furniture Bank developed a partnership with the Marion County Correctional Institute (MCI) to build dressers. MCI has furniture production operations that had been suspended due to the recession, and a partnership with the Furniture Bank helps produce the needed furniture while putting inmates back to work. The labor is free. The Great Needs Challenge helped to launch this partnership, by providing raw materials and a shop supervisor to oversee production of 2,500 dressers in 2011. The cost per dresser is $48.

HandsOn Central Ohio (formerly FirstLink) connects people in need with programs and services. Through the call center, specialists assess the callers needs, access community information through a database, and connect the caller to agencies that can meet their need. Demand for assistance far exceeds the capacity of HandsOn. An increase in calls for food and shelter, tax preparation, and mortgage and foreclosure assistance resulted in long hold times during high-volume call times. The wait time is difficult for the many people using a pay phone or pay-by-the-minute cell phone. The Great Needs Challenge addressed this issue by providing more management support.

Ninety-nine percent of LifeCare Alliance’s clients, who are homebound, older adults, and individuals with a disability and/or chronic illness, live on an annual income of $20,000 or less. For those unable to leave their homes, LifeCare Alliance’s Meal-on-Wheels is a critical service that helps its clients remain in their homes. Meals-on-Wheels saw requests increase 15 percent or 150,000 meals, from the record one million meals served last year. Additionally, Meals-on-Wheels had 500 clients who should receive two meals per day, but only receive one due to funding shortages. The Great Needs Challenge enabled LifeCare Alliance to provide more than 100,000 meals. The cost per meal is $2.75.

Demand of Mid-Ohio Foodbank services continues to increase—with many former supporters now finding themselves in need of services. Suburban pantries specifically have seen a 10 to 12 percent increase in demand while some harder hit central Ohio pantries have seen increases as high as 45 percent. All indications are that the increased demand will be sustained for the future; however donations to the Foodbank have not been increasing to meet these demands. A $1.00 investment in the Foodbank results in $8.00 worth of food purchasing power to stock shelves, pantries, and families’ kitchens.

Launched in 2006 by the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, The Ohio Benefit Bank (OBB) helps individuals and families access federal and state resources. Franklin County is home to 200,000 people living in poverty and 300,000 who are one paycheck away from poverty, yet close to $1.7 billion of public benefits remains unclaimed by Ohioans. In Franklin County there are over 200 OBB sites. At increasing numbers, veterans are returning to Ohio and are seeking support services. The OBB is committed to serving this population. The first step is to program the OBB for the range of educational programs available for veterans. Including: Yellow Ribbon Program, Post 9/11 GI Bill, Reserve Educational Assistance (REAP), Veterans Education Assistance Program (VEAP), Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E), and Work-Study. The Great Needs Challenge allowed for such expansion and programming of benefits.

Access to free prescriptions for those without insurance, those unable to afford prescriptions, those who have lost insurance is critical to the good health of our community and our neighbors. Since opening in February 2010, the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio, Inc. has provided 10,000 prescriptions—42 percent more than anticipated. Next year, the pharmacy expects to fill 18,000 prescriptions. The Great Need Challenge helped the pharmacy add a part-time pharmacy technician and increase its current capacity. Two critically important prescriptions not available at a discounted rate are insulin and fast-acting inhalers, and the pharmacy must pay market rates for these medications. A monthly supply of these prescriptions costs between $16 and $40.