Extra funding is approved for Columbus domestic violence shelter

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Columbus City Council is approving critical funding for the only domestic violence shelter in Franklin County. This comes as domestic violence homicides have more than tripled in the county this year compared to last.

LSS CHOICES says domestic violence is a matter of life and death and now $500,000 will help the shelter expand its services to keep more victims alive and safe.

In the last five years, the domestic violence shelter has tripled in size to meet the growing demand.

"I don’t know if it's the state of mental health but I think things are escalating much more quickly for people," President and CEO of Lutheran Social Services Rachel Lustig said. 

The shelter has gone from 51 beds to, with the help of this funding,168 by the end of the year.
"We're looking at the statistics. It's just a growing demand in the city," Councilmember Emmanuel Remy said. 

Council voted to approve the money to help the shelter maintain and expand its work.

"First off we’re about getting people safe, getting people stabilized, helping them to just catch their breath. But then it's about how do we find a safe home for you and your children and help you to create a path to a better future, free from violence," Lustig said. 

The shelter says about half the people at CHOICES are kids.

"This involves not just a spouse or a significant other, this could be a roommate, this could be somebody within the home that is causing emotional distress to actually physical harm. We want to make sure that people are doing their part to say something," Remy said. 

"If you don't feel safe or you're worried about somebody else, reach out and let's see what we can do. Because the last thing we want to do is have it go way south or we lose another person's life because nobody, it wasn't on anybody's radar," Lustig said. 

The shelter and the city are both encouraging people to speak up, whether it's to keep yourself or a loved one safe. The CHOICES helpline is 614-224-HOME (4663) and the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.