{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"A Bigger Central Ohio Will Need a Bigger Safety Net","description":"Central Ohio\u2019s future promises growth, momentum, and opportunity. But as the region adds more people and faces mounting pressure on housing, health care, and human services, a challenging question is emerging: will the systems we rely on be able to keep up? In this forum, we take one of the first public looks at a major new long-range study on human needs in Central Ohio through 2050. Commissioned by Columbus City Council and the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County, an all-new Regionomics report examines how population growth and change are likely to reshape housing, poverty, homelessness, health, disability, workforce participation, and more across the 10-county region. With experts, we\u2019ll unpack the study\u2019s most urgent findings and explore what they mean for the future of the region. Where will the greatest strain show up first? Who is most at risk of being left behind? And what must public leaders, service providers, and all of us do now to prepare for the needs of a future Central Ohio? Featuring: Michael Corey, Executive Director, The Human Service Chamber of Franklin County Rhea Cunningham, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio Melissa Green, Columbus City Councilmember Dr. Bill LaFayette, Owner, Regionomics The host is Jordan Laird, Columbus Government and Politics Reporter, The Columbus Dispatch. This forum was sponsored by The Bank of America Foundation. The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream was The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch.  This forum was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum. To read the complete new Regionomics report, "Columbus in 2025, 2035, and 2050: A Survey of Human Needs Now and in the Future," please visit the website of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County.  If you would like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our fantastic partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading Another World is Possible: Lessons for America from Around the Globe, by Natasha Zapata (2025). This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio on July 8, 2026 ","author_name":"The Columbus Metropolitan Club","author_url":"http:\/\/columbusmetroclub.org","html":"