Explanation
Background: This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Office of Violence Prevention to enter into a grant agreement with Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio (LSS) for $500,000.00 in support of CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence.
CHOICES is the only domestic violence focused shelter in Franklin County providing a safe haven and a 24-hour crisis and information hotline. CHOICES offers crisis counseling services and case management, community advocacy and court accompaniment, transitional housing, and domestic violence awareness and prevention education. Target constituencies include victims of domestic and dating violence and their families who must flee their home for safety. Safe shelter is a proven intervention to enhance safety of domestic violence victims. In 2019, CHOICES relocated to a new, larger facility that was designed and built from the ground up to meet the specific needs of domestic violence victims.
Due to community support, LSS has been able to expand, renovate, and build new facilities so that physical spaces match and enhance quality of services. When LLS began operating in the new, larger 120-bed shelter, it was consistently operating at or above capacity within five months. As the need for community services increased, LSS raised additional funding to complete construction on Grace House, a 24-bed expansion and Dignity House, which will bring the final bed count to 168.
However, the high need for domestic violence services combined with the effects of the pandemic, affordable housing crisis, and high inflation is outstripping CHOICES’ ability to meet demand. This consistent high capacity in the shelter and extended lengths of stay increases costs in addition to the financial strain caused by high inflation. Additionally, new and different technology and human resources infrastructures are critically needed to better support new and emerging workforce and business practices.
CHOICES will use grant proceeds to ma...
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