For 164 years we’ve helped generations of people come together to find support, get healthier, learn new skills and make friends for life.
Whitehall Community Park YMCA
Fall of 2018 brought the official groundbreaking of the Whitehall Community Park YMCA. In partnership with the City of Whitehall, our 15th branch will be unique both in the facility itself and in its program offerings to best meet the unique needs of the community.
In Whitehall, less than 50% of seniors graduate from high school. Recognizing the need for a learning alternative in a safe and inclusive environment, the new Whitehall YMCA will represent an evolution from a typical Y model to a facility that will also offer youth and teens a teaching kitchen, music studio, performing arts space, job readiness programs and much more.
Emmlyn, a 12 year old from Whitehall says with excitement about the Whitehall Y "I love to cook, especially pizza and I am excited for there to be a kitchen. I am excited to have a place just to hang out!"
Reynoldsburg Progress
The Reynoldsburg Community Center YMCA became one step closer to fruition with the unveiling of building’s renderings at a community event in June. The 'Progress Party' was also the platform to announce the inclusion of OhioHealth in the facility. The 13,000 sf addition will offer primary care, lab services, Urology and Pulmonary services. The new building offers the first of its kind for the YMCA of Central Ohio, truly integrating health and wellness in a singular space. The Reynoldsburg Community Center YMCA is slated to open in late 2019.
We believe everyone can reach their full potential. At the Y, we've never met a kid, ten, man or woman whose potential we couldn't see.
Rapid Re-Housing Program
The YMCA of Central Ohio wants to end homelessness. Rapid Re-Housing provides individuals experiencing homelessness a path to permanent housing through the use of time-limited financial assistance and targeted supportive services. Additionally, individuals in emergency shelters need practical and immediate solutions to help reduce the amount of time in shelter.
The fundamental goal of rapid rehousing is to reduce the amount of time a person is homeless. In 2018, the YMCA of Central Ohio provided housing assistance to 1449 individuals. Below are just three of the stories of women that have greatly benefited from this program.
I came to Columbus from Florida. I had a job but needed to wait for an apartment. I had no options and the stress was terrible. I told the case worker that I couldn’t keep doing this for very much longer. I was tired. My soul was tired. The Y helped me with my deposit and first three months of rent. I’m paying my own way now. Because of the YMCA, I am living the dream.
ECRN+ Stable Families Program
The Stable Families initiative, headquartered in Columbus, provides families at imminent risk of homelessness with a combination of immediate emergency funds and longer-term health and human services. This effective approach is designed to prevent homelessness and reduce student mobility among low-income families throughout central Ohio.
I'm a single mother of five kids. When things were really bad I had no job, no income and no one to take care of the kids if I did get a job. Without the help of Stable Families who knows where we’d be. I have a job at Kroger now and I love what I do. Things are really looking up and I finally have hope.
With funding from United Way, the Y was asked to partner in reimagining the Stable Families work here in Columbus. This initiative will put our capabilities in housing and early childhood education to work as we serve our community’s most vulnerable families.
Over the past four years, Stable Families has helped 862 families with 1,400 children find permanent housing and resolve the issues that led them to a housing crisis.