Home for Families

The date was June 19th, 1865. Black Americans who were enslaved in Texas had just learned news of their freedom, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, we honor and celebrate the incredible resilience of Black Americans while recognizing the work that needs to be done to achieve greater equity for all.

In observance of the holiday, our office is closed today.

Our Dowd Education summer day programming kicked off this week! Basketball, card games, coloring, golf, gardening, and swimming are just some of the things they've been up to as they begin getting to know each other during this first week. Lots of field trips and exploring are on the horizon! 🌞

Check out these photos from our summer day camp in 1992! Our summer camp was in its infancy in the early 90s, and we're incredibly proud to still be offering it today. Our summer day programming officially kicks off next week, and we're looking forward to providing hands-on enrichment opportunities for our students that they can enjoy while building crucial academic, social, and emotional skills. 🌞

Want to join an organization where the work that you do creates meaningful change in your community?

We're hiring for the following positions:
- Transition Age Youth Case Manager
- Rapid Rehousing Case Manager
- Rapid Rehousing Intensive Case Manager

View the details and apply at the link below:
https://www.homeforfamilies.org/about/careers.html

Our blog post for June is up! Check it out at the link below to learn what we did with staff to celebrate our recent recognition from The Columbus Foundation as one of their 5 Nonprofits to Watch in 2026, all about the latest happenings in our Dowd Education day programming, and more!

https://www.homeforfamilies.org/about/newsroom/

As we prepare to start our Dowd Education summer day programming, we'd like to share our thanks to those whose support makes it possible to offer this crucial programming for the families we serve. 🌞

We want to share a big thank you to NJM Insurance Group, Kiwanis Club of Columbus, Harding-Buller Foundation of Worthington, and Heartland Bank Community Foundation for sponsoring our summer programming and ensuring our students have access to enrichment activities during the summer months.

Another round of thank yous goes to Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services for offering year-round support for our afternoon and summer programming, and Columbus Recreation and Parks Department Go! Lunch Program for supporting our kids' summer meals!

Check out this HFF newsletter from June 1990! The beginning of the summer found us prepping for our summer day camp -- just like we're doing right now, 36 years later!

Our TAY team added a little mini pantry in their office to help them better support their clients! TAY stands for transition-aged youths, and our team works with those aged 18-24 who are challenged with housing instability.

When these clients receive housing assistance, they're often moving into apartments for the first time in their lives. Many lack the family support necessary for help with the crucial resources that make a new space feel like home. Sleeping on the street, couch surfing, and staying in shelter also make it challenging to maintain personal belongings.

Our TAY team purchased bedding, hygiene items, and cleaning supplies to help them quickly and easily get their clients what they need. They also have reading materials on hand for folks with young children! This is just one example of the wraparound supports that help our clients move toward stability.

This past Friday, we celebrated our staff with an afternoon at the Easton Pins Mechanical Co.. 🎳 We couldn't do what we do without the hard work and dedication of our team, and this was just a small way for us to say thank you for all their energy and effort! 🌟

Our little garden is coming along! 🌽 In addition to the sprouts planted in the ground, we now have three new raised beds! Planted by our Dowd Education afterschool program with help from Scouts leader Mr. Ali, our crop of veggies helps our students learn about eco-friendly food practices.

When our summer day programming begins later this month, students will continue caring for the plants. Eventually, they will be able to harvest bell peppers, jalapeños, tomatoes, corn, beets, carrots, okra, wax beans, and green beans! Thanks again to ScottsMiracle-Gro for donating soil for this project! 🌱