National Church Residences

VP of Supportive Housing

Colleen Bain has served as National Church Residences’ Vice President of Supportive Housing since 2008. Colleen has more than 30 years’ experience developing, implementing and operating innovative programs for fragile and special needs populations. A Cincinnati native, Colleen received a B.A. in Psychology from the Ohio State University, and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling from the University of Dayton. Prior to joining National Church Residences, Colleen was the Executive Director for Lutheran Social Services’ Faith Mission/Faith Housing in Columbus, Ohio, and has held senior/leadership positions with other supportive service organizations including Netcare Corporation, Compdrug, and YWCA Columbus. Since joining National Church Residences, Colleen has overseen the expansion of its Permanent Supportive Housing portfolio and services from 200 units in 2008 to nearly 1,200 units today. She is particularly focused on implementing innovative and holistic Housing First programs aimed at ensuring the mental, emotional, physical and financial health of formerly homeless and other fragile populations by focusing on the intersection of health, housing, community engagement, and employment services. Colleen has also served in governance positions on multiple advisory boards including the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless , Franklin County Continuum of Care, Ohio Development of Development Advisory Committee, YMCA Housing Advisory Board, and more. Colleen is also a program/administrative surveyor for the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitative Facilities (CARF). In this role, she has the opportunity to survey human service organizations across the country and internationally. When she is not working, Colleen enjoys scuba diving, cooking, reading, and traveling. 

Blended Management is an effective approach that has been implemented in permanent supportive housing and other housing + healthcare settings that combines safe, affordable housing, with onsite healthcare and supportive services aimed at improving the health and well-being of the individuals served.  Many of the people served in National Church Residences' Assisted Living Conversion Programs have complex needs that extend beyond the scope and/or capacity of the healthcare services offered in traditional Assisted Living settings, including challenges with mental health and/or addiction, issues with literacy/education, histories of involvement with the criminal justice system, and challenges with other social determinants of health that may present barriers to their ongoing stability.  Research - and our own experience - suggests that a collaborative approach with clearly defined roles and responsibilities is an effective way to help these residents remain healthy and stably housed. This session will explore the basics of a "blended management" approach that optimizes the expertise and capacity of our respective healthcare and housing operations teams in the ALCP environment, with a focus on housing retention to ensure the best outcomes for the individuals served.

Working Collaboratively to Overcome Challenges in PSH

Permanent Supportive Housing is a proven best practice to help people with disabling conditions and histories of long term homelessness to improve their physical, financial and mental health, by providing safe affordable housing coupled with onsite integrated care and supports. Many of the people served in PSH struggle with social determinants of health including problems with literacy/education, histories of involvement with the criminal justice system, neglected behavioral and physical health conditions, and struggles with activities of daily living such as housekeeping, budgeting, healthy cooking, interpersonal communication and relationships. Research and our own experience shows that a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach is an effective means to overcome these challenges.  This session will explore how our housing operations (front desk, maintenance, property management) and supportive services (medical, behavioral health, peer support, employment services) teams can work together to ensure the best outcomes for the individuals we serve.