What resources are available for housing-insecure and homeless college students?

Sheridan Hendrix, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
Star House provides local youth experiencing homelessness with respite and connections to stabilizing resources — all in one place. Most of the nonprofit agency's youth have been disconnected from their families, and have couch-surfed with friends or relatives, lived in their cars, abandoned buildings or on the streets.

Housing insecurity doesn't always mean living in a homeless shelter or out of a car. Sometimes it means falling behind on rent or utility payments. Other times it means couch surfing and doubling up. And it can also mean leaving home because of abuse, violence or feeling unsafe.

Whatever the situation is, there is help out there. Here is a list of some of the resources in Greater Columbus available to young adults and college students dealing with housing insecurity or homelessness:

Eviction, rent and utilities assistance

Drop-in centers, crisis shelters and housing assistance

  • Star House

    • Drop-in center for homeless youth ages 14-24 (children of clients are welcome)

    • Open 24/7, 365 days a year

    • Also offers food, showers, laundry, counseling and other services

    • Located at 1220 Corrugated Way in Milo Grogan; call 614-826-5868

  • Huckleberry House

    • Crisis shelter for youths ages 12-17 and housing programs for young adults ages 17-24

    • Also offers counseling services

    • Main campus located at 1421 Hamlet Street in the University District; call 614-294-8097

  • CHOICES

    • Franklin County's online domestic abuse shelter and hotline

    • A safe refuge for victims and their children who are in imminent danger and have no safe place to go

    • Also offers legal and community advocates, counseling services and kennels

    • Call the 24-hour hotline 614-224-HOME (4663)

  • Home for Families

    • Rapid Re-Housing to help homeless families living in shelters move into stable housing

    • Homeless Prevention for Expectant Mothers provides housing and support services to pregnant women and their children

    • Housing Assistance for Transitional Age Youth provides housing assistance and programming

    • Call the Homeless Hotline at 614-274-7000

  • Community Shelter Board's Community Guide for People Facing Homelessness

College-specific resources

Other resources

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: College students dealing with housing insecurity: Here's how to get help