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Commissioners approve $250,000 pilot to provide emergency financial assistance with 0% loan option
Summary
Franklin County approved a $250,000 pilot grant with Rise Together and Motherful to provide short-term emergency financial assistance, including up to $10,000 per household with a zero-interest loan option for larger expenses; commissioners emphasized data collection and added financial-literacy considerations.
Franklin County commissioners on Feb. 25 approved a $250,000 pilot, "Bridging the Gap," to test inclusive emergency financial assistance aimed at preventing crises such as job loss or housing disruption.
Rochelle Pride, interim director of economic development and planning, described the pilot as an effort to reach residents excluded from existing assistance programs. Speakers from partner organizations outlined the model: Motherful's executive director Lisa Woodward gave an example of a single parent who needed a $5,000 engine repair to keep working. The pilot design discussed to the board included a maximum assistance amount of $10,000 per household, with up to $5,000 offered as a zero-interest loan and the remainder as a direct grant when needed.
"If the expense is over $5,000, they're offering a loan with no interest that they can work to pay off," Woodward said, adding the program aims to prevent small emergencies from becoming crises that lead to job loss or homelessness.
Commissioners questioned how the loan option would affect the revolving pool of funds and what protections would prevent borrowers from entering a harmful repayment cycle. Officials said program designers are examining existing models such as the Hebrew Free Loan Association in Cleveland, plan to include options for reporting to credit bureaus only when appropriate, and are exploring partial loan forgiveness to protect participants who cannot repay. Staff also noted early conversations about adding financial coaching (Jewish Family Services, Columbus Financial Empowerment Center) to help participants build plans.
Commissioner Boyce and others urged that the pilot collect data on prevented crises and outcomes so the county can evaluate scalability. Board members framed the pilot as a homelessness-prevention and workforce-stability tool and asked that staff return with outcome metrics to guide future expansion.
The board adopted Resolution 14325 authorizing the grant agreement and emphasized the pilot nature of the program; staff said the county will monitor utilization and report outcomes to the commissioners.
