Community Shelter Board CEO says more needs to be done as she moves on

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – On average, more than 1,200 people sleep in homeless shelters in Columbus and Franklin County each night, with hundreds more spending the night on the streets.

Those numbers are from the Community Shelter Board, which works to end homelessness in central Ohio and now, it’ll be looking for a new leader in that fight.

After 12 years in the position, Michelle Heritage said it was a very hard decision.

Heritage will remain as CEO of the board through the end of the year, saying with the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs of housing, the work is as important as ever.

“I really think that some of the challenges around homelessness that we are facing as a community are going to be some of the greatest challenges we’ve ever seen,” she said.

The Community Shelter Board works with 20 agencies around central Ohio to help some of the most vulnerable members of the community find places to live.

“What we’re seeing now with people experiencing homelessness is they are suffering in ways that are much more significant, much more traumatic, than we’ve seen in the past,” Heritage said.

She said that level of suffering has been brought on by the pandemic. The board’s network helped 15,000 people last year, including 5,000 children. Looking ahead, Heritage expects that with the lack of affordable housing and Columbus’ growth, the challenges will continue.

“I think the challenges we’re going to face as a community are going to be greater than we’ve seen in the past and I think this community is up for the task,” she said.

But Heritage won’t be here for those challenges. She’s joining her wife, who has taken a new job in New York City. The organizations she works with said she will be missed.

“There are so many more youth living in apartments now because of that work and we would not have been able to do that without Community Shelter Board or Michelle’s leadership,” said Sonya Thesing, executive director of Huckleberry House.

Heritage said increased awareness about homelessness and affordable housing is needed because, in her words, solutions begin when we have awareness.

“It's an absolute honor and a privilege to be part of something like this and I am a better person for having been part of Community Shelter Board,” she said.

The board has started a search for Heritage’s replacement, planning to hire a new CEO before she leaves at the end of the year.