County Backs $1.5M for Development for Seniors and Pregnant Women
Published on June 30, 2026
Franklin County Board of Commissioners
Two underutilized former hotel buildings in Columbus will become free, permanent housing for 100 of Franklin County's most vulnerable residents under a $1.5 million agreement approved by the Board of Commissioners on June 30.
Resolution 454-26 authorizes a memorandum of understanding with Champion's Bridge, LLC, a Columbus-based social impact organization led by Maurice Clarettt whose mission is to meet vulnerable residents where they are rather than where systems expect them to be. The project will serve seniors, low-income adults, residents on fixed incomes, and pregnant women. Residents will pay nothing. Internet access will be provided at no cost for a minimum of 30 years. Champion's Bridge has committed to maintaining the project's principal purpose for 30 years as a condition of the county's investment; the agreement includes a clawback provision if that commitment is violated.
Wraparound services will be provided by Our Brothers' Keeper.
The agreement came together over roughly a year of conversations among Champion's Bridge, county departments, HUD, and state partners. Deputy County Administrator Joy Bivens connected the organization to Board President John O'Grady. Ruchelle Pride, Chief of Economic Innovation and Development, coordinated with federal partners to support project structuring that met HUD guidelines.
O'Grady told the room that housing has been his consistent top answer when people ask what the county's most important work is. What made this project different from the moment he heard about it was the combination of federal and state partnership alongside wraparound services built into the model from the start. "From the minute that Joy brought you to my office and said, hey, Maurice has got an interesting idea, I was in," he said.
Commissioner Erica C. Crawley spoke specifically about the piece of the project serving pregnant women. She cited her legislative work on a program called Healthy Beginnings at Home and Franklin County's partnership with Ohio State University and Celebrate One. "When you provided access to housing, birth outcomes absolutely changed and improved," she said. Women who cannot find stable housing and enter the county's shelter system face real risk to carrying a pregnancy to term, she added.
Ruchelle Pride thanked county teams, Our Brothers' Keeper, Franklin County Children's Services, Juvenile Court, Franklin County Public Health, and the Community Shelter Board for their roles in building the partnership. The project aligns with the county's upcoming housing action plan.