About Us
CFS History
Settlement Houses have existed in Columbus since 1899. With a common philosophy of promoting social reform utilizing the strengths of neighborhoods at the grassroots level, the Settlement Houses enjoyed many opportunities for collaboration and sharing of best practices during the first hundred years of their history. By 1988, the Columbus Federation of Settlements (CFS) had evolved into a formal Federation with bylaws. Similar to other federations, the purpose of the CFS was to promote and strengthen the unique work of Settlement Houses and to give leadership to the community regarding the impact that critical social issues have on family and neighborhood life.
In 2003, the members of the Columbus Federation of Settlements decided to set a new strategic direction for the organization. Seeing the changes that were taking place in Columbus neighborhoods, such as significant increases to the immigration population and the number of elderly residents raising small children, they determined that CFS needed to upgrade its services to match the growing needs of the community. In addition, the organization needed to identify alternative funding sources, since it was projected that funds from traditional sources would decline significantly in the years to come.
To address these concerns and lay the groundwork for growth, it was decided that the Columbus Federation of Settlements would incorporate as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and, through that entity, work to achieve improvements in programming and operational efficiencies, develop economies of scale, and strengthen community partnerships.
CFS Today
CFS supports its member agencies through a range of Direct Service Programs and Capacity Building Projects.
Direct Service Programs currently include:
Capacity Building Projects include policy and procedure development, marketing, IT improvement, and federation-wide staff training.
For example, CFS developed templates for a personnel handbook that could be adapted by the member agencies. CFS also developed templates for a volunteer policies and procedures manual and a volunteer handbook for volunteers. These efforts represent an economy of scale as the costs of these efforts were much less than if agencies had individually gathered information and developed documents.
CFS has adopted a lofty vision for its future which involves a stronger organizational structure, enhanced administrative support
for members, and a larger role in advocacy. To achieve these goals, CFS will continue to expand services and look to develop
new initiatives.
Settlement Houses have existed in Columbus since 1899. With a common philosophy of promoting social reform utilizing the strengths of neighborhoods at the grassroots level, the Settlement Houses enjoyed many opportunities for collaboration and sharing of best practices during the first hundred years of their history. By 1988, the Columbus Federation of Settlements (CFS) had evolved into a formal Federation with bylaws. Similar to other federations, the purpose of the CFS was to promote and strengthen the unique work of Settlement Houses and to give leadership to the community regarding the impact that critical social issues have on family and neighborhood life.
In 2003, the members of the Columbus Federation of Settlements decided to set a new strategic direction for the organization. Seeing the changes that were taking place in Columbus neighborhoods, such as significant increases to the immigration population and the number of elderly residents raising small children, they determined that CFS needed to upgrade its services to match the growing needs of the community. In addition, the organization needed to identify alternative funding sources, since it was projected that funds from traditional sources would decline significantly in the years to come.
To address these concerns and lay the groundwork for growth, it was decided that the Columbus Federation of Settlements would incorporate as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and, through that entity, work to achieve improvements in programming and operational efficiencies, develop economies of scale, and strengthen community partnerships.
CFS Today
CFS supports its member agencies through a range of Direct Service Programs and Capacity Building Projects.
Direct Service Programs currently include:
- Transportation for Seniors,
a program for
persons 60 and older that provides free
transportation to and from the grocery
store and social events.
- Family-to-Family, aimed
at strengthening
local families by connecting them with the
support and services necessary to help them
become self-reliant.
- Transit Arts
and Art in the House, programs
that provide educational arts-based opportunities
in the settlement houses for youth ages 5 to 19.
Capacity Building Projects include policy and procedure development, marketing, IT improvement, and federation-wide staff training.
For example, CFS developed templates for a personnel handbook that could be adapted by the member agencies. CFS also developed templates for a volunteer policies and procedures manual and a volunteer handbook for volunteers. These efforts represent an economy of scale as the costs of these efforts were much less than if agencies had individually gathered information and developed documents.
CFS has adopted a lofty vision for its future which involves a stronger organizational structure, enhanced administrative support
for members, and a larger role in advocacy. To achieve these goals, CFS will continue to expand services and look to develop
new initiatives.
