Proposal to Invest ARPA Funds in Affordable Housing
(Updated August 2022)
COHHIO and over 230 companies and organizations are asking Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly to make a significant one-time investment of Ohio’s American Rescue Plan Act funds into affordable housing. The response has been promising, but there is still no commitment. We recently had to make some difficult decisions about how to scale down the original proposal, and now we have to make sure our plan get implementeds. Now is the time for strong advocacy and reinforcement!
Here’s how you can help:
- Add your organization to the list of supporters
- Call or email your state legislators and ask them to support COHHIO’s $308 million plan to invest ARPA Fiscal Recovery Funds in affordable housing. (This is especially important if your Statehouse rep is in leadership or a member of the House Finance Committee!)
- Email or call the Governor’s Office at 614-644-4357 to let them know you support COHHIO’s proposal to invest ARPA funds in affordable housing. (Download talking points)
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provided the states with $350 billion in flexible Fiscal Recovery Funds. The State of Ohio was allocated $5.68 billion, providing a rare opportunity to make a significant dent in Ohio’s affordable housing problem.
The recent economic upheaval, combined with incomes not keeping pace with rapidly increasing housing costs, have led to nearly 400,000 Ohio households spending over half of their income on rent. In 2019, there were only 185,000 affordable rental units available to the 437,000 extremely low-income households in Ohio. The situation has only gotten worse since the pandemic and last year’s record rent increases averaging 11% in Ohio’s seven largest metropolitan regions.
Our proposal calls for a one-time investment of $308 million in State Fiscal Recovery funds including:
- Create 1,500 housing units for those who require nearby supportive services ($100 million): These permanent supportive housing (PSH) units would serve chronically homeless individuals with severe behavioral health challenges, homeless youth and survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence through gap financing with Ohio’s housing tax credit programs.
- Create up to 5,000 affordable rental units by leveraging other federal resources ($150 million): Rehab existing and develop new affordable rental units for low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities by leveraging the 4% housing tax credit and Multifamily Bond programs.
- Fight infant mortality through investment in safe, welcoming homes ($9 million): Expand the Healthy Beginnings at Home pilot for more families at risk of infant mortality in four additional counties.
- Rehabilitate existing housing to keep seniors and people with disabilities in their own homes ($39 million over 3 years): Avoid institutional care by rehabilitating homes for low-income homeowners and expand home repair and accessibility modifications for seniors and people with disabilities through the Housing Assistance Grant Program.
- Homes to help ex-offenders overcome behavioral health issues ($10 million): Expand the Frequent Users Systems Engagement (FUSE) initiative in five additional counties to help justice system-involved individuals reenter society and avoid recidivism.
This proposal would increase the supply of affordable homes for our most vulnerable Ohioans, reduce homelessness in our communities, restrain state and local spending on hospitals, courts, schools, jails, homeless shelters, and foster care, create jobs and help stabilize Ohio’s workforce.
Supporters include:
- Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO)
- Corporation for Supportive Housing
- Ohio Chamber of Commerce
- Ohio Business Roundtable
- Huntington National Bank
- Ohio REALTORS
- Ohio Bankers League
- PNC
- Ohio Credit Union League
- CareSource
- Nationwide Children’s Hospital
- Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Inc.
- National Church Residences
- Ohio Apartment Association
- Habitat for Humanity of Ohio
- Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing
- Ohio Housing Council
- Ruscilli Construction Co., Inc.
- Ohio Housing Authorities Conference
- Ohio Domestic Violence Network
- Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council
- Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging
- Philanthropy Ohio
- Ohio Poverty Law Center
- National Association for Rural Mental Health
- Ohio Conference of Community Development, Inc.
- Ohio Association of Foodbanks
- The Ohio Council of Churches
- Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland
- Model Group
- Buckeye Community Hope Foundation
- National Affordable Housing Trust
- Ohio CDC Association
- Ohio Fair Lending Coalition
- Finance Fund
- The Woda Cooper Companies, Inc.
- Wallick Communities
- CHN Housing Partners
- Enterprise Community Partners
- Equitas Health
- PrimaryOne Health
- Homeport
- Millennia Housing Development
- NeighborWorks Collaborative of Ohio
- Novogradac & Company LLP
- The NRP Group
- The Provident Companies
- Ohio Grandparent Kinship Coalition
- Tidwell Group
- Greater Ohio Policy Center
- AIDS Healthcare Foundation
- Policy Matters Ohio
- UHCAN Ohio
- Ohio Federation for Health Equity and Social Justice
- ABC Management
- A Guided Home
- Abuse & Rape Crisis Shelter of Warren County
- ACCESS,Inc.
- Adams Brown Community Action Partnership
- Adams County Homeless Shelter
- Affordable Housing Advisors, LLC
- Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio
- Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus & Franklin County
- Alliance for Children & Families, Inc.
- Area Agency on Aging District 5
- Area Agency on Aging District 7
- Athens-Hocking-Vinton Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board
- Aurora Project, Inc
- Avondale Development Corporation
- Barbara Poppe and Associates
- Broken Connections, Inc.
- CANAPI
- Catholic Charities Bishop William M. Cosgrove Center
- Celebrate One
- Central Community House
- Cincinnati Development Fund
- City of Whitehall
- Columbiana County Educational Service Center
- Columbus Apartment Association
- Columbus Chamber of Commerce
- Columbus Coalition for the Homeless
- Columbus Early Learning Centers
- Columbus Empowerment Corp.
- Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Community Action Commission of Fayette County
- Community Action Organization of Scioto County
- Community Building Partnership
- Community Development for All People
- Community Housing Network
- Community Shelter Board
- COMPASS Family & Community Services
- Cradle Cincinnati
- Creative Housing | Creative Renovations
- Crisis Care Line
- Dominion Christian Center
- Dragonfly Consulting Group
- Drake Construction
- EDEN Inc.
- Erie Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Fair Housing Contact Service
- Fair Housing Resource Center, Inc.
- Famicos Foundation
- Family and Community Services, Inc.
- Family Promise of Delaware County
- Findlay Hope House for the Homeless, Inc.
- First English Lutheran Church
- Forche Law and Mediation
- Franklin County Auditor’s Office
- Franklin County Recorder’s Office
- Freshwater Future
- Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition
- Greater Dayton Premier Management
- Greater Hilltop Area Shalom Zone CDC
- Green National
- GreenLight Fund Cincinnati
- Grovedale Consulting
- Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio
- Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County
- Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning Valley
- Habitat for Humanity of the Tri-State
- Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio
- HAPCAP/Southeast Ohio Foodbank
- Haven of Portage County
- Healthy Beginnings at Home
- Heart of Ohio Homeless Shelter – Marion Shelter Program, Inc.
- Heart to Heart Family Support Center
- Hocking Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Home for Families
- Home Is The Foundation
- Homefull
- Hooker DeJong, Inc.
- Humility of Mary Housing
- Hunger Network in Ohio
- IMPACT Community Action
- Inclusive Housing Resources
- Ironton Lawrence CAO
- Jordan Community Resource Center
- Joseph’s Home
- JOVIS
- Kings Local Food Pantry
- Knox Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Lance Fred Greene Corporation
- League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland
- Liberty Center of Sandusky County
- Licking County Coalition for Housing
- Lighthouse Youth & Family Services
- LISC Greater Cincinnati
- Lorain County Coordinated Entry
- Lowenstein Development, LLC
- Lucas County Human Trafficking Coalition
- Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Luken Solutions
- Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry
- Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio
- MACHDO
- Mahoning County Homeless Continuum of Care
- Mary Magdalen House
- Maximum Accessible Housing of Ohio
- Medali Services
- Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Mercy Manor, Inc.
- Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati
- MHARS Board Lorain County
- Miami Valley Community Action Partnership
- Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Inc.
- Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
- Modcon Living
- Montgomery County Commission
- Montgomery County Homeless Solutions Policy Board
- Mota Design Group, Inc.
- Move to PROSPER
- MVAH Partners
- My Sister’s Place
- Neighborhood Housing Partnership of Greater Springfield
- Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton, Inc.
- Neighborhood Properties, Inc.
- NEO Black Health Coalition
- New Era Benefits Consulting, Ltd.
- New Sunrise Properties
- Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission
- Oberer Companies
- Ohio Animal Advocates
- OneEighty, Inc.
- Over-the-Rhine Community Housing
- Parsons Avenue Redevelopment Corporation
- PIRHL
- Price Hill Will
- Public Health -Dayton & Montgomery County
- Randall B. Shorr, Attorney at Law
- Reeb Avenue Center
- Regionomics
- Renewal Housing Associates LLC
- Renter Mentor
- RESULTS Columbus
- Right Path Financial Coaching
- Saad & Saad LLP
- Saint Vincent de Paul, Dayton
- Saint Vincent de Paul Society, St. Teresa of Calcutta conference
- Sarah’s Friends, Inc.
- Sawmill Road Management Company
- Siemer Institute
- Slavic Village Development
- St Matthew Episcopal Church
- Paul’s Community Center
- Star Title Agency LLC
- Strategic Opportunities LLC
- Strategies to End Homelessness
- Summit Community Development Corp., Inc.
- Sunset Development
- Tender Mercies, Inc.
- The Ability Center of Greater Toledo
- The Akron Leadership Foundation
- The Community Builders
- The Orlean Company
- Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board
- Tom Albanese Consulting, LLC
- Torrey Hill Apartments
- TouchPointe Marriage and Family Resources
- Tri-County LLC
- TUSCARAWAS METROPOLITAN HOUSING AUTHORITY
- United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland
- United Methodist Church for All People
- Urban Mission Ministries
- Urban Strategies Inc.
- Vacant and Abandoned Property Action Council
- Vincentian Ohio Action Network
- Vogt Strategic Insights
- Wooster Homelessness Task Force
- Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation
- YMCA of Central Ohio
- YWCA Dayton
- YWCA Greater Cincinnati
- YWCA Hamilton
- YWCA Mahoning Valley
- Zanesville Housing Development Corporation
