Since 1988, Homefull has worked to end homelessness by providing housing, services, advocacy and education. Whether it’s providing financial assistance to single adults and families who are experiencing housing instability or offering employment services through training programs and partnerships with local employers, Homefull strives to ensure a healthy community for all our region’s citizens.
Read more about Homefull in this Q&A with Tina Patterson, who has served as its CEO since 1995.
Why are your services now more important than ever?
The need has grown dramatically. Today, we serve individuals and families across the full continuum of homelessness – from prevention to shelter to permanent housing – reaching 16 counties throughout Ohio. As we step into operating the Gettysburg Men’s Shelter, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the urgency is even clearer. Demand is rising while funding streams, particularly at the national level, have become more uncertain. Our work is more important than ever because we are not only providing shelter, but also stability, coordination and a pathway forward for people who have nowhere else to turn.
What changes are you looking to implement or programs are you looking to build upon?
We are intentionally shifting our work upstream by focusing not only on responding to homelessness but also on addressing the underlying drivers of poverty. At the core of this approach is increasing the income and long-term stability for the individuals and families we serve.
We are expanding workforce development efforts that connect people to meaningful employment with livable wages, not just short-term jobs. At the same time, we are continuing to grow our affordable housing portfolio to ensure people have access to safe, stable places to live once they regain their footing. We also recognize that stability depends on meeting basic needs, which is why we are improving access to nutritious food through initiatives like the Gettysburg Grocery and strengthening connections to quality, accessible healthcare.
Together, these efforts represent a more comprehensive, solutions-driven model – one that not only helps people exit homelessness but also prevents it by creating real economic opportunity and long-term stability.
Recent grants awarded from Dayton Foundation funds to your organization have been unrestricted, giving you the flexibility to apply funding toward the greatest needs. How do gifts like these help you help others?
Unrestricted funding gives us the ability to respond in real time to complex and evolving needs without being limited by rigid program boundaries. It allows us to be innovative, test new approaches and quickly adapt when we see what’s working and what’s not.
Gifts like these help us fill critical gaps that traditional funding often overlooks, whether that’s stabilizing someone in housing, investing in workforce pathways that lead to livable wages, expanding access to food through efforts like the Gettysburg Grocery or addressing urgent health needs. Just as importantly, they give us the flexibility to design and implement creative, person-centered solutions that reflect the realities people are facing today.
Ultimately, this kind of support allows us to be more effective and meet people where they are, address root causes and create lasting pathways out of homelessness and poverty.
What are your most important needs right now? How can the community support them?
Our most important need right now is flexible financial support to design, develop and implement solutions that truly move the needle on homelessness. We know what works, but scaling those models and adapting them to meet growing and changing needs requires sustained investment.
Community support is critical in helping us build and expand effective approaches that address both immediate needs and long-term stability. Financial contributions allow us to innovate, strengthen programs like workforce development, affordable housing and food access, and respond quickly where gaps exist.
If we are going to achieve our vision of a community without homelessness, it will take all of us – partners, funders and community members – working together to invest in solutions that are comprehensive, flexible and built for lasting impact.
For more information or to support Homefull’s important work, visit https://www.homefull.org/.