Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO)

United States Capitol

United States Capitol

Looking for Factsheets and Reports? Visit COHHIO's Online Library where you will be able to find fact sheets, reports and more information on many of our advocacy topics.

Federal Issues

Stay tuned to COHHIO for updates on the following issues:

Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act
Next Steps in Implementation
On May 20, 2009, President Obama signed into law the HEARTH Act to reauthorize HUD's McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance programs.  The bill makes transformative changes to the McKinney program, modernizing and streamlining housing assistance and services and allocating millions more to homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing, and permanent housing.  Before the new program’s implementation, HUD is charged with creating its new rules and regulations.  Local, state, and national advocacy efforts play a key role in ensuring we achieve the strongest McKinney reforms possible.  Below is a timeline of next steps in the implementation of the new McKinney program and suggestions for what you can do to impact the program rules and regulations.

Fall / Winter 2009:  HUD issues draft regulations for public comment
No later than May 20, 2010:Final HUD regulations released
Three months after final regulations are released OR by November 20, 2010:Regulations go into effect 

For more, visit the National Alliance to End Homelessness at www.naeh.org

National Housing Trust Fund Status
July 30, 2009 marked the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the National Housing Trust Fund. The NHT Fund was created as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on July 30, 2008. While President Barack Obama has expressed continued support of the National Housing Trust Fund, the NHTF has not yet received funding.
The initial funds were to have come from contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but those were suspended when the companies got into financial trouble.
President Obama proposed $1 billion in mandatory spending for the trust fund as part of his FY10 budget request, but the Administration has not yet identified a dedicated source for the funding. House Financial Services Committee Chair Barney Frank (D-MA) recently proposed providing the fund with $1 billion in FY10 from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) enacted last fall. The Obama Administration has not endorsed using TARP funds for this purpose. 
The National Housing Trust Fund campaign calls on Congress and the Administration to capitalize the fund so communities can begin building, rehabilitating and preserving homes for the lowest income families. Affordable homes for the lowest income people have been in short supply for a long time; the housing bust and recession have only made it worse.
The National Housing Trust Fund is the first new federal housing production program to serve extremely low-income families since 1974. Among its most important features:

  • It is a permanent program to be capitalized with dedicated sources of revenue.
  • At least 90% of the funds must be used for the production, preservation, or rehabilitation of rental homes.
  • At least 75% of the funds for rental housing must benefit extremely low income (30% of area median income or less) households. All funds must benefit very low income households (50% of area median income or less)

Quotes from other campaign partner organizations on the one-year anniversary of passage of National Housing Trust Fund legislation, as well as more information on the NHTF, can be found at www.nhtf.org
Neighborhood Stabilization Program
(via Housing & Economic Recovery Act of 2008)
The Neighborhood Stabilization Program will provide $3.9 billion to local communities to address vacant and foreclosed properties (to be allocated to states or units of local government with the greatest need, as determined by number & percentage of home foreclosures, number & percentage of homes financed by subprime mortgages, and number & percentage of homes in default or delinquency).
Ohio’s share is approximately $258 million, of which $116 million will go directly to Ohio’s cities and counties. The Ohio Department of Development recently submitted its plan to for HUD’s review. If more NSP funds are allocated from the FED, those funds could be targeted more towards rural communities. If the NSP formula were weighed based on vacant/substandard housing and not just foreclosures, rural communities would see more benefits.
House Holds Hearings on Preservation Legislation
On July 15, 2009, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity Services held a second hearing on draft legislation that would help preserve the assisted housing stock. The legislation, the “Housing Preservation and Tenant Protection Act of 2009” was circulated publically the week of June 22.
Formal introduction of the bill is expected after August recess and Committee consideration as early as September. Regular updates may be found on the National Low Income Housing Coalition website, www.NLIHC.org
Runaway Homeless Youth Act (RHYA)
Signed by President Bush on October 8th, 2008, this legislation will reauthorize the program for an additional five years. Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) programs help prevent victimization and ensure basic safety of unaccompanied children and youth. RHYA also ensures youths’ access to family reunification, housing, education, employment training, health care, and other vital social services.