Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC) in Columbus, which supports queer youth in central Ohio, is ending its housing program.
Kaleidoscope announced the program's closing on Tuesday on its website and social media, saying "our youth are scared, and so are we."
Kaleidoscope Youth Center Executive Director Erin Upchurch said she broke the news last week to the 10 young people who are currently being housed through the program.
"I sat with them last Monday and there were of course tears. There's fear, they're terrified," Upchurch said.
Upchurch said many of the young people were previously living on the land, couch surfing, or living in dangerous environments.
The housing program began in 2019 and has helped more than 50 young people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.
Kaleidoscope holds four leases and can house a small number of people between the ages 18 and 24. Upchurch said most of the current participants are 19 to 21.
KYC reports that LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their non-LGBTQ+ peers and that they represent a disproportionate part of the current homeless population.
On top of that, youth in Columbus are faced with rising rents and a lack of all kinds of housing, as a :
"The truth is, we lack affordable, low-cost housing in Columbus and Franklin County. Trans youth are consistently underemployed. City and county budgets are tight because everyone is in need," the statement reads.
KYC said that it lost $500,000 in grant funding last year. In August, KYC found out that the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) was pulling back more funding that had supported the housing program since 2021. KYC said they received the notification about 45 days after the start of the fiscal year.
Before finding out its funding was gone, the organization received a letter from ODH saying that Ohio's biennial budget does not allow state funds to go to youth centers that promote "social gender transition."
KYC responded to that letter by saying that it was not a youth shelter.
Upchurch said it takes about $600,000 to maintain the housing program.
"And given the way that funding and the trajectory of funding that's happening for nonprofits, it doesn't feel sustainable," she said.
Upchurch hopes that with help from the city of Columbus, Franklin County and private donors, they'll be able to continue the program through July 2026. That's when the last of KYC's four housing leases expires.
Upchurch said at the earliest, the people in the housing program would have to move in November. The housing team is providing mental health services and support to participants.
