CSH works to advance affordable housing aligned with services as an approach to help people thrive. We do this by advocating for effective policies and funding, investing in communities, and strengthening the supportive housing field.
CSH supports affordable housing developers, service providers, and policymakers withthe tools, data, and expertise to drive lasting change. Since 1991, CSH has helped create or preserve more than 467,000 supportive housing units for individuals and families exiting long-term homelessness.
CSH also works to break the cycle of justice-system involvement and institutionalization. We advance innovative programs and models, systems change, and policy advocacy so that individuals impacted by the justice and carceral systems can access affordable housing and supportive services.
In many communities, there is an overreliance on the justice system because of a lack of fair, humane, and fair systems for people facing complex barriers to housing. Historically, these systems have not provided the resources and supportive services that people need to thrive, instead favoring punishment and incarceration for people experiencing homelessness.
Communities must move away from institutionalization and instead focus on providing secure, stable housing and trauma-informed services. The evidence is clear: when formerly incarcerated people have a stable place to call home, they’re more likely to remain housed, rebuild their lives, and thrive. In Ohio, CSH is creating the opportunity for people who have served time to do just that – to imagine and shape a promising future as they re-enter their communities.
Returning Home Ohio (RHO) is a partnership between CSH and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. RHO provides people exiting prison with affordable housing and access to individualized supportive services. The program serves individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. RHO has collaborated with partners throughout the state, connecting more than 1,100 people with a place to live since launching in 2007.
Community Transition Program (CTP) primarily supports people exiting prison diagnosed with a substance use disorder. Funded by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the program connects and provides people with housing and services like mental health and substance use treatment. CSH collaborates with local partners to connect people leaving prison with housing and case management. As of 2024, CTP has housed more than 1,200 people.
Without a supportive housing intervention, more than three-quarters of individuals released from prison will re-offend within five years, and over two-thirds will be rearrested within only three years. Supportive housing reverses these statistics by providing stability and support that prevents repeat incarceration.
RHO participants were:
60% less likely to return to jail or prison
40% less likely to be rearrested
91% people served by RHO or CTP avoided exiting to jail or prison
Within households served between July 2023 to June 2024:
89% of participants were stably housed
80% of participants have successfully accessed public benefits
23% of participants are employed
