Find support in Central Ohio

988 Lifeline

Call or text 988, or use the official chat, for immediate crisis support.

Lutheran Social Services Network of Hope

Central Ohio human-service navigation for people who need help choosing a practical starting point.

Mid-Ohio Food Collective

Official Mid-Ohio Food Collective finder for people looking for nearby food assistance. Pantry hours, stock, and eligibility can change, so KindMesh links to the live finder instead of copying schedules.

Community Shelter Board

Official Community Shelter Board entry point for coordinated homelessness response. KindMesh lists the hotline and system context, not shelter placement locations.

The Hotline

National official domestic violence hotline with phone, text, and chat options. Use a safer device if a partner or another person may be monitoring browsing, calls, or messages.

Lutheran Social Services CHOICES

Official CHOICES resource for domestic violence hotline and survivor-support routing. LSS says CHOICES serves all victims of abuse, including men. Call the hotline to ask about counseling, support groups, legal advocacy, shelter, and safety planning. KindMesh intentionally does not publish protected shelter locations.

Equitas Health / BRAVO

Equitas Health describes BRAVO as no-cost private support for LGBTQ+ people who have experienced violence or abuse, including intimate partner violence and sexual violence. The page also links to support groups and BRAVO live support.

OhioHealth SARNCO

Official OhioHealth SARNCO resource for confidential sexual-assault support, hospital advocacy, aftercare advocacy, and related survivor services.

Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio

Official civil legal-aid provider for housing, public benefits, family law, immigration, reentry, seniors, tax, veterans, work, and related legal-support needs.

Ohio Legal Help

Statewide legal-help portal for housing, family, money, benefits, work, health, education, veterans, and legal-aid navigation.

Ohio Legal Help

Official Ohio Legal Help page explaining Columbus free eviction help and Right to Counsel routing for eligible tenants.

Rentful614

Franklin County housing-stability resource hub for rent help, eviction prevention, tenant-landlord resources, and practical housing navigation.

Columbus Metropolitan Library

Public library social-services resource that can help connect people to local support, referrals, benefits, housing, and practical navigation.

Franklin County

County one-stop navigation page connecting residents to public assistance, aging, child support, re-entry, jobs and family services, and other county supports.

State of Ohio

State portal for applying for and managing public benefits. KindMesh should route users here for official applications and document upload rather than collecting benefits details.

Franklin County Job and Family Services

Franklin County's public SNAP page explains the county-owned starting point for food assistance, EBT, and ABAWD work-requirement information.

USDA Food and Nutrition Service

Federal explanation of SNAP work requirements and ABAWD rules. KindMesh can help track hours, but it cannot certify compliance or replace official case notices.

Ohio Department of Health

Official Ohio WIC starting point for supplemental foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, referrals, and local clinic navigation.

Ohio Department of Development

Official state starting point for energy assistance programs such as HEAP, crisis assistance, and related utility support.

State of Ohio

State workforce portal for job search, career planning, training exploration, resumes, and employment resources.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Federal consumer-finance tools and explainers for money topics, financial products, debt, scams, and complaints.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Federal financial education curriculum and tools that can support budgeting, banking, credit, saving, and community workshops.

Ohio Public Library Information Network

Statewide public library finder from OPLIN. Useful for finding local branches that may offer internet, computers, printing, job help, homework help, literacy programs, and community referrals.

Ohio's Imagination Library

Ohio-specific enrollment path for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which mails free age-appropriate books to young children.

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities

Official OOD service descriptions and provider search covering employment-related services, disability skills training, work incentives, transition services, interpreting, and rehabilitation technologies.

Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging

Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging page for help at home, including PASSPORT, assisted living waiver, MyCare, Senior Options, Title III, caregiver supports, transportation, meals, and care management.

Ohio Department of Medicaid

Ohio Medicaid program that helps eligible people transition from institutional settings to home- and community-based settings.

Ohio Treasurer of State

Ohio Treasurer resource for STABLE accounts, which can help eligible people with disabilities save and invest for disability-related expenses without losing certain means-tested benefits.

Star House

Official youth drop-in resource with food, clothing, hygiene, showers, laundry, therapy, case management, housing/resource connections, and other basic-needs support.

Huckleberry House

Official youth and family resource for crisis shelter, counseling, transitional living, family support, and Central Ohio youth support.

Stonewall Columbus

Affirming Central Ohio LGBTQ+ community resource for support navigation, basic-needs connections, referrals, wellness, identity programming, family resources, and community programming.

Disability Rights Ohio

Statewide disability-rights intake resource for help with discrimination, denied services, access barriers, abuse/neglect concerns, and disability-related rights questions.

Franklin County Veterans Service Commission

Official county veterans resource for temporary financial assistance, medical transportation, VA claims, pensions, survivor benefits, and related navigation.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio

Official service listing for birth control, STI testing/treatment, abortion services, emergency contraception, gender-affirming care, wellness, HIV testing, and confidential all-options counseling.

Central Ohio Group Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous

Official local AA meeting directory and hotline for Central Ohio.

Central Ohio Area of Narcotics Anonymous

Official local Narcotics Anonymous meeting and helpline resource.

Central Ohio Al-Anon Family Groups

Official Central Ohio Al-Anon and Alateen meeting resource.

SMART Recovery

Official SMART Recovery meeting finder for in-person and online meetings.

NAMI Franklin County

Local NAMI affiliate for support, education, advocacy, and referral information.

Mental Health America of Ohio

Mental Health America of Ohio resource for support groups, referral, and navigation.

ADAMH Board of Franklin County

Official Franklin County behavioral-health board entry point for provider network and safety-net services.

Mount Carmel Health System

No-cost trauma-focused outpatient counseling, therapeutic groups, clinical case management, advocacy, education, and community training for people impacted by trauma.

Ohio State University College of Medicine

Grant-sponsored trauma treatment, case management, and support for adult survivors of crime-related violence through Ohio State's STAR Trauma Recovery Center.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Federal treatment locator for mental health and substance-use services.

Maryhaven

Provider-owned Columbus page for detox, residential, outpatient, medication-assisted treatment, and recovery services.

Franklin County Public Health

County public-health page for naloxone, fentanyl test strips, overdose education, community trainings, and agency/business requests.

Safe Point / Equitas Health

Safe Point lists free Narcan/naloxone, fentanyl test strips, condoms, pregnancy tests, HIV/STI/Hepatitis C testing and prevention, safer-use supplies, and outreach support.

Columbus Public Health

Official clinic page for STI testing and treatment, same-day HIV PrEP, birth control options, reproductive health counseling, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, and care navigation.