housing
Democratic governors pitch federal funds for housing, clean energy
WASHINGTON — Using the recent influx of federal funds to expand state and local clean energy infrastructure, affordable housing and workforce development will pay long-term dividends, a group of Democratic governors and mayors said Wednesday at an event hosted by a prominent liberal think tank. Ahead of the National Governors Association’s winter meeting here this […]
Black families fall further behind on homeownership
This story originally appeared in Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Some cities and states are trying to boost Black homeownership, which dropped to a 60-year low even before the economic turmoil wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Black homeownership fell in 2019 to 40.6%, down from the 2004 peak of 49.7%. The rate […]
As rural homelessness increases, HUD aims money at helping people without access to shelters
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has opened up millions of dollars in funding for groups serving unhoused people in rural areas — an unprecedented move by the agency, say housing advocates. People living in cars, parks, and on the street at night, which the agency labels unsheltered homelessness, has increased across the nation, […]
Ohio one of few states to skip on eviction moratorium during pandemic
When the new coronavirus emerged, a rush of 43 states and Washington D.C. instituted an eviction moratorium, temporarily blocking landlords from ousting tenants from their housing during a health crisis. Not Ohio. Two recent studies highlight Ohio’s lack of action on evictions as most other states, the U.S. Congress and eventually the CDC moved on […]
Study: Central Ohio housing stabilization project improved health outcomes for women, infants
A new study found that a Columbus project to help maternal and infant birth outcomes should be used more broadly to improve health access and housing. The Health Policy Institute of Ohio was commissioned to study Health Beginning at Home, a project from 2018 to 2021 meant to “test the impact of providing rental assistance […]
Mayors of U.S. cities plead for federal funds to alleviate housing crisis
WASHINGTON — The mayors of cities in Ohio, Montana and Arizona stressed the need for affordable housing to be included in any congressional infrastructure package during a Tuesday hearing before the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee. Mayors Daniel Horrigan of Akron, Ohio, Cyndy Andrus of Bozeman, Mont., and Corey Woods of Tempe, Ariz., […]
Bipartisan bill would allow expungement of Ohioans’ eviction records
When a tenant faces eviction, the filing can stay with them for years — potentially impacting their ability to find stable housing again. A bipartisan bill introduced by Sens. Stephanie Kunze, R-Hilliard, and Hearcel Craig, D-Columbus, proposes to allow eviction records to be expunged under certain circumstances. A tenant would be able to request to […]
Columbus schools’ fight for taxes on affordable housing spurs state legislation
Both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly unanimously passed legislation that would exempt providers of affordable housing for people with substance abuse or mental health disorders from property taxes. Senate Bill 57 comes in response to two rulings from the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals. The board recently sided with Columbus City Schools, which argued […]
Lawmakers seek Ohio moratorium on evictions, foreclosures
Ohioans struggling to pay their rents or mortgages may head into 2021 without the housing protections and public assistance that have carried them through much of the pandemic this year. A federal moratorium on evictions is about to expire. Two other relief programs helping unemployed Americans are set to run out. There are believed to […]
Report says most common Ohio jobs don’t pay employees enough to afford rent
Before the coronavirus hit Ohio, only three out of the 10 most common jobs actually paid employees enough to afford a basic two-bedroom apartment, according to a report released Tuesday according to a news release from the Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio (COHHIO). “Today, many of those workers have been laid off and […]
Being convicted of a crime has thousands of consequences besides incarceration. Some last a lifetime.
At least 77 million U.S. adults have criminal records, including nearly 7 million currently in prison or jail or on probation or parole. Typically, more than 10,000 of the incarcerated leave prison and nearly 200,000 churn through jails every week. But because more than 64,000 inmates and workers have become infected with the coronavirus so […]