Columbus City Council this week approved legislation giving 75 thousand dollars to the Community Shelter Board to support a program fighting infant mortality. The agency is teaming up with a program called Moms2Be, which works to keep mothers and their children in stable housing. Shelter board director Michelle Heritage says homeless pregnant women face a host of challenges.
Hertiage says 354 women were in local shelters last year, and one goal of the 18-month-long collaboration is to cut that number. The program will identify pregnant women in unstable housing and work with them to develop and implement a plan to resolve the problem. The women will also get counseling and other services. The effort is also being funded with state and private-sector dollars.
