Safelite Pledges $250,000 toward Community Shelter Board
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Safelite AutoGlass Foundation has pledged $250,000 to the Community Shelter Board (CSB) over the next three years to support the “From Homeless to Home” campaign. A record 10,500 people in the Columbus area slept in shelters last year – that’s larger than the population of New Albany.
During the last three years, Safelite AutoGlass, the largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services, and its charitable foundation have been proudly supporting CSB in its effort to create new housing for the growing fight against homelessness in central Ohio and to design systems that lead to permanent housing.
CSB’s efforts involve a phased opening of the Van Buren shelter. The first phase of renovation was completed in July 2014 and 356 beds are now operational. A new building just south of the existing building will also house a new family shelter, which is the second family emergency shelter in Columbus and Franklin County. The shelter will open in autumn 2015 and will offer emergency accommodations for up to 85 families nightly, eliminating the need to shelter families on cots and in motels. Services designed to transition families from shelter into stable, permanent housing will be an essential focus at the new family shelter. Last year, the Safelite AutoGlass Foundation donated a $25,000 Impact Grant toward the opening of this shelter.
The “From Homeless to Home” campaign, for which Safelite AutoGlass President & CEO Tom Feeney serves as co-chair will help underwrite operating the new Van Buren Center as well as CSB’s “Navigator Model.” CSB designed the innovative Navigator Model to move single adults more quickly into stable housing and stop repeat homelessness. Navigators provide services at all shelters for single men and women across Franklin County, delivering intensive case management services focused on housing.
Additionally, Safelite AutoGlass Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Doug Herron serves on the CSB board of directors. Safelite also is a past sponsor of CSB’s annual “Day to End Homelessness” telethon.
About the Community Shelter Board
Community Shelter Board, established in 1986, is a collective impact organization that creates collaborations, innovates solutions, and invests in quality programs to end homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County. Community Shelter Board oversees an annual budget of $31 million to support homeless programs and services. Last year, these programs served 12,000 people. Community Shelter Board is funded by the City of Columbus, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, the United Way of Central Ohio, The Columbus Foundation, Nationwide Foundation, American Electric Power Foundation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the State of Ohio, and many other public and private investors. For more information, visit www.csb.org/.
About Safelite AutoGlass
Safelite AutoGlass® is the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services with 5,000 MobileGlassShops™ and company stores in all 50 states. Last year, nearly 5 million customers chose Safelite for its 24/7 national contact centers, advanced online scheduling, superior repair and replacement systems, and the industry’s only nationwide lifetime guarantee. Founded in 1947, the Columbus, Ohio-based company employs more than 12,000 people across the United States. For more information, visit www.safelite.com/, or follow us on www.facebook.com/safelite and twitter.com/safelite.