(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Nationwide Children’s Hospital today announced a $15.5 million commitment from Franklin County Commissioners over the next three years to support affordable housing through the hospital’s Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families initiative.
Commissioners approved a resolution authorizing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds of $15.5 million for Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families’s Healthy Homes program through the end of 2025 to help retain and expand affordable housing in the Linden neighborhood. Of those funds, $15 million will support affordable housing initiatives, and $500,000 will support the Proud Linden Parent Program.
“We are grateful to the Franklin County Commissioners for supporting Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families and sharing our commitment to Linden and its residents,” said Nick Jones, vice president of community wellness at Nationwide Children’s. “Investment in the health of the whole child is vital to a thriving community, and that includes safe and affordable housing.”
Funds will be used to help achieve the following goals in Linden:
- Increase residents’ ability to remain in their homes safely and affordably, through Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families’ existing home repair and renter support programs, supporting up to 100 families’ homes.
- Expand availability of affordable rental homes and home ownership opportunities. Equity from Franklin County leveraged into a low-income housing tax credit development (LIHTC) aims to create a target of 200 affordable housing units, and build 33 homes to be placed in the Central Ohio Land Trust that will include credit counseling and homebuyer education.
- Increase community connection and education through the Proud Linden Parent Program. The Proud Linden Parent Program will be delivered to parents and primary caregivers of young children to increase knowledge of child development stages and parenting techniques. Through peer trainers and program assessment, families will be linked to high quality early learning programs and evidence-based kindergarten-readiness programs.
About Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 13,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.6 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.