About Us

The Homeless Families Foundation is a family shelter in Columbus, Ohio. Its program includes shelter in separate apartment units and support services for homeless families with children and The Dowd Center for after school and summer tutoring and enrichment for K-8th grade students. It operates as a Housing First agency: most families, with some help, are capable of living independently and can best work to address their issues when they are in a stable, long term home. HFF staff and volunteers help the family overcome the precipitating events that led to homelessness, prepare to obtain permanent housing, and provide follow-up support to help the family maintain housing.

The children are an important focus of The Homeless Families Foundation. Its programs of shelter and support services are designed to provide immediate stability for children, who may be missing school or day care, missing meals, moving from place to place each night, uncertain about their future while their family is homeless.

HFF is funded by special events, grants, and the Community Shelter Board and its funders, which include the City of Columbus, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, the State of Ohio, and the United Way of Central Ohio, supplementing the generous donations of numerous individuals, corporations, foundations, and community organizations.