Wellness Navigators Serve New Americans

Published on March 10, 2026

Franklin County Board of Commissioners

Knowing a service exists and actually being able to access it are two different things. Franklin County is funding the gap between them. The Board of Commissioners approved a $118,368 subaward to Liberians in Columbus to operate a community wellness navigator program serving members of the Liberian and Far East communities in Franklin County.

Through the program, trained navigators assess residents' needs and connect them to services across the county's health and human services network, including housing assistance, childcare, career services, financial literacy, trauma support, and behavioral health.

The program will serve no fewer than 95 residents. Its design reflects how community-based organizations work: navigators are trusted members of the communities they serve, which means residents who might not engage with a county office directly will engage with someone who speaks their language and understands their experience.

The award is administered through Franklin County Job and Family Services and aligns with Goal 9 of the Rise Together Blueprint. That goal focuses on belonging and inclusion, and this program delivers on it in a direct, practical way. For Liberian and Far East community members in Franklin County, barriers to service access are real.

Language, trust, and cultural familiarity all factor into whether a family gets the help it needs. Wellness navigators address each of those barriers by design and this relationship-based model was built to get people to the front door and through it.