Rep. Jarrells Announces $1.9M to Support Rhodes Tower, Housing Complex, & Central Ohio Behavioral Healthcare

June 2, 2025

COLUMBUS — Assistant Minority Leader Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) today announced that the Ohio Controlling Board allocated $1.9M in funding to support local housing, building infrastructure in Columbus.

The Department of Mental Health (DMH) will receive $1M for the construction of a 60-unit permanent supportive housing complex on West Jenkins Avenue and an additional $54,220 to modify the existing phone alcove areas to prevent injury and reduce risk to patients and staff at Central Ohio Behavioral Healthcare. The Rhodes Tower on East Broad Street will receive $879,208 from the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to provide elevator maintenance services.

“These dollars reflect a real commitment to people and their safety. The Rhodes State Office Tower Elevator Modernization Project ensures that one of Ohio’s tallest buildings remains accessible and equitable for all who enter it. At the same time, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has long been a cornerstone in delivering quality care to our communities. By investing in affordable housing and maintaining our mental health facilities, we’re supporting that mission and putting the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors where they belong—at the center,” said Rep. Jarrells.

Details about the projects:

The Rhodes Tower investment is part of DAS’s efforts to provide preventive maintenance and emergency repair services to the elevators not actively being upgraded;
In collaboration with the Community Housing Network, the 60-unit permanent supportive housing complex will meet the physical, emotional, and behavioral healthcare needs of residents while encouraging long-term self-sufficiency and independence; and
Maintenance to the Central Ohio Behavioral Healthcare building is in response to a safety risk identified in the phone alcove area of the patient units.

To learn more about all Controlling Board projects, please visit the Ohio Controlling Board page.