This week, the Columbus REALTORS® Foundation visited local nonprofits around central Ohio to present them with checks through its Community Partnership Grants program. From projects that support individuals experiencing housing insecurity to initiatives that fund home repairs for low-income families, this program helps local organizations continue to make a difference in their communities.
The Columbus REALTORS® Foundation is proud to recognize 13 local nonprofit organizations as the recipients of its 2026 Community Partnership Grants. During their visits, the Foundation presented checks to this year’s newly awarded recipients, Center for Healthy Families, Community Housing Network, Fostering Further, Huckleberry House, The Salvation Army, and Vista Village. Other recipients include Central Community House, Community Shelter Board, Home for Families, Joseph’s Coat LifeCare Alliance, Make-a-Day, and Star House who the Columbus REALTORS® Foundation continues to support after years of Community Partnership.
The 2026 recipients represent organizations tackling housing and community stability from several angles, including housing instability, youth services, foster care, family support, permanent supportive housing, and more. Read more about each organization below:
Center for Healthy Families
Center for Healthy Families works to strengthen families and create healthier futures for pregnant and parenting teens and young adults throughout central Ohio. Through its Healthy Families Connection program, the organization provides individualized support to help young families work toward goals including education, employment, healthy relationships, and maintaining safe, stable housing.
By helping young parents overcome barriers to housing stability and build the skills and resources needed for long-term self-sufficiency, Center for Healthy Families is working to create stronger foundations for both parents and their children.
Central Community House
Central Community House has served Columbus’ Near East and Near South neighborhoods since 1936, providing programs that help residents of all ages build greater stability and independence. Through its family services, the organization offers direct aid, emergency assistance and emergency housing support to families facing challenges in their households. Central Community House also operates Village Central, which connects older adults with case management and resources to address housing and health barriers, helping residents remain independent and connected to their communities.
Community Housing Network
Community Housing Network has spent more than 35 years helping vulnerable residents of Franklin County find stability through permanent supportive housing.
As the largest and longest-standing provider of permanent supportive housing in Franklin County, Community Housing Network develops and manages affordable housing for people who have experienced housing instability, including individuals navigating mental illness, substance use disorders, and trauma-related challenges. Residents also have access to supportive services and community resources designed to help them remain safely and stably housed. Through this approach, 90% of residents who worked with CHN successfully maintained housing.
Community Shelter Board
Community Shelter Board leads a coordinated community effort to help people facing housing crises find a safe and stable place to call home. Rather than working alone, CSB brings together a network of partner organizations across Franklin County to connect residents with emergency shelter, supportive services and pathways to permanent housing. Through this collaborative approach, the organization works to address immediate needs while helping individuals and families move toward long-term housing stability.
Home for Families
Home for Families works alongside families and young adults experiencing housing instability to help them achieve long-term stability. Through programs including Rapid Re-housing, Housing Assistance for Transitional Age Youth and support for expectant mothers, case managers first help clients address their immediate housing needs before developing individualized plans focused on long-term success. Each year, the organization provides safe, secure and affordable housing solutions to more than 1,200 families experiencing housing crises.
Joseph’s Coat
For families working to establish a safe and comfortable home, everyday necessities can make a meaningful difference. Joseph’s Coat provides clothing, furniture and household goods directly to individuals and families in need throughout central Ohio. With the support of more than 100 volunteers, the organization helps ensure families have access to essential items that can turn a house or apartment into a functional home.
Life Care Alliance
For many older adults and individuals living with medical conditions or disabilities, maintaining independence starts with having the support needed to remain safely at home. LifeCare Alliance provides nutrition, health and support services designed to help central Ohio residents continue living independently in their own homes. From home-delivered meals to its Help-at-Home and visiting nurse programs, the organization addresses everyday needs that can make it possible for residents to remain safe, stable and connected to their communities.
Make-a-Day
Make-A-Day meets central Ohio residents where they are, providing immediate necessities while helping them overcome barriers on the path toward greater stability. Since 2018, the organization has shared more than 60,000 meals, distributed more than 12,000 essentials and connected hundreds of people with housing and employment opportunities. By helping individuals navigate challenges such as obtaining identification, accessing benefits and connecting with community resources, Make-A-Day works to create pathways toward housing, employment and long-term stability.
Star House
Star House helps young people ages 14 to 24 meet their immediate needs while building a foundation for long-term stability. Through its drop-in center, young people can access food, clothing, hygiene items, showers, therapy, case management and connections to housing, employment, education and other resources. Star House also provides services at Carol Stewart Village, a 62-unit affordable housing community for young adults ages 18 to 24. Among young people accessing Star House for three months or more, 55.8% obtained housing and 63.8% obtained employment.
Fostering Further
Fostering Further supports children, families, young adults, and social workers throughout central Ohio’s foster care community.
Rather than serving as a foster care agency itself, the organization works alongside agencies, community organizations, and donors to identify and meet needs within the foster care system. Its programs provide support for foster and kinship families, create meaningful experiences for children in foster care, recognize caseworkers, and help young adults successfully transition out of the foster care system.
Columbus REALTORS® Foundation Board of Trustees at Fostering Further
August 5, 2026
Huckleberry House
For more than 50 years, Huckleberry House has provided a safe haven for young people facing difficult circumstances. The organization serves youth and young adults through its Teen Crisis Program, housing programs, counseling services, and youth outreach.
By providing temporary shelter for teens ages 12 to 17 and helping young adults ages 18 to 24 develop the skills needed to live independently, Huckleberry House works to ensure young people in central Ohio have the support and stability they need to move forward. Their impact is clear, as 86% of teens participating in their Teen Crisis Program transition to safe and stable housing.
Columbus REALTORS® Foundation Board of Trustees at Huckleberry House,
August 4, 2026
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army has a long history of serving individuals and families during times of need. Through programs addressing housing instability, hunger, emergency assistance and other essential needs, the organization helps people overcome immediate challenges while building a path toward greater stability.
One of these efforts is its housing program, which uses the Housing First model to help unhoused individuals achieve long-term residential stability. The approach prioritizes getting individuals and families into stable housing first, then addressing other barriers that may affect their ability to remain housed.
Columbus REALTORS® Foundation Board of Trustees at The Salvation Army
August 5. 2026
Vista Village
Vista Village revolutionizes how housing instability is addressed in Columbus through an innovative transitional housing model on the city’s southeast side. As Columbus’ first tiny-home transitional living program, Vista Village combines safe, stable housing with supportive services designed to help residents move toward economic independence and self-sufficiency.
The first phase of the community includes 41 tiny homes along with a community center, garden, park and green space, creating not just housing but a supportive environment where residents can work toward long-term stability.
Columbus REALTORS® Foundation Board of Trustees at Vista Village
August 4, 2026
About the Columbus REALTORS® Foundation
The Columbus REALTORS® Foundation is a charitable, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of the central Ohio community. Its mission is to support real estate-related programs and qualified organizations working to improve the overall real estate and housing environment throughout central Ohio.
Originally formed in 1991 as a donor-advised fund, the Foundation has grown into an independent nonprofit charity and has been investing in the community since 2008.
At the heart of the Foundation’s work is a commitment to affordable housing and healthy communities. Through Community Grants, emergency aid, REALTOR® Care Day, educational scholarships and service, the Foundation provides Columbus REALTORS® members with opportunities to give back to the communities they serve.
