Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into contract with the Community Shelter Board (CSB) in support of the Moms2B program.
Pregnant women experiencing homelessness are less likely to have adequate prenatal care and more likely to have a baby born premature and low birth weight. In a recent study, the stress of homelessness “was more strongly predictive of preterm birth and low birth weight than even smoking and substance abuse.” Unfortunately, homelessness affects Black women disproportionately in Columbus and elsewhere, further contributing to the high infant death rates experienced by Black families.
For pregnant women who already have children, another concern is the stress and negative effects that homelessness and shelter stays have on children. Homeless children are four times more likely to experience delayed development and two times as likely to repeat a grade compared to non-homeless children. They also attend an average of two different schools in a single year, affecting the continuity of their academic attainment. Housing is an effective healthcare intervention. Fifty percent of school-age homeless children experience anxiety, depression, or withdrawal compared to 18% of non-homeless children.
By helping pregnant women stay housed, prevention programming results in short term and long-term socio-economic benefits that ripple out to the community. CSB will work directly with Moms2B to identify pregnant women who are in an unstable housing situation that endangers them or the health of their baby. Once identified, case managers from CSB’s homeless system will work intensively with these women and their families for up to 18 months to develop and implement a plan that addresses and resolves hurdles that brought the family near homelessness. Pregnant women and their families will receive rent and utility assistance for up to 12 months to retain housing, combined with links to supportive services ...
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