https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/2021/12/08/how-watch-dispatch-program-can-people-afford-live-here/6409432001/
Black community leaders urged public and private officials to do more to create affordable housing in Greater Columbus, saying the need has become as dire as ever.
"We are demanding an affordable housing action plan," said Nana Watson, president of the NAACP Columbus chapter, who said there still aren't enough units being built.
"This is a health care crisis. This is a social justice crisis," said U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Gahanna area Democrat, during an event at Trinity Baptist Church on the city's Near East Side.
Despite many efforts — such as Columbus' $50 million bond package for affordable housing, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther appointing the city's first assistant director of housing strategies in May, and the work of groups such as the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio — Black leaders from various organizations on Thursday said numbers indicate the problem of the lack of affordable housing is worsening.
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The Columbus region’s humming economic engine could stall if we don’t get the worsening housing shortfall under control.
That was the crux of the message from a recent panel of community leaders assembled by the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio to discuss the connection between economic development and affordable housing. (Watch the replay here.)
Kenny McDonald, who has led the region’s economic-development efforts for the past decade-plus as head of what’s now One Columbus, told the panel it concerns him when the availability of affordable housing no longer matches the pitch he’s made to businesses moving or expanding here.
“It goes to the very heart of having the mindset of a growth region, meaning there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that,” he said. “We like to brag about all the people moving here, we love to brag about all the great employers that we have here. But we also want to brag that we’re fulfilling those promises that we can supply the workforce, that those people can have a place to call home.
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Columbus is recognizing the need to solve affordable housing crisis more quickly than other cities our size, local leaders say, putting the city in a strong position to overcome the thorny challenge.
"Our city is in a sweet spot where we still have time to pull the housing market back from the brink before our crisis sprawls out of control," said Carlie Boos, director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio.
Carol Washburn wasn’t sure if her daughter would ever live independently.
Washburn, of Upper Arlington, said her daughter, Debbie, was born with cerebral palsy among other developmental disabilities, and because of this, she didn’t know what the future held for her
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Buenconsejo said the organization, which is is a part of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, is funded through grants from organizations such the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities as well as rent.
Early on in the pandemic, a team member at the Alcohol Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County resigned.
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Leah Evans, vice president of real estate development at Homeport, said the pandemic has impacted women in how they work, where they can work and if they can work. It brought issues like affordable housing, mental health and inequitable ways of work to the forefront of many people's minds.
"We need to talk differently about how we position women at work," Evans said. "We need to make sure women don't unduly bare the burden of housework, child rearing, mental health, elder care."
Another thing that the pandemic has exacerbated is the eviction crisis, said Carlie Boos, executive director of Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio.
"It's not been a great 18 months," Boos said. "It's been a roller coaster. For people living in it, it's been chaotic."
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Last month, in a story exploring the relationship between the labor shortage and the lack of affordable housing in Central Ohio, Alive gave readers a sneak preview of a pilot program called Resiliency Bridge, which Bruce Luecke, president and CEO of local nonprofit developer Homeport, described as a workforce training program that builds on the positive results of Success Bridge, a partnership with Columbus State Community College.
More:The labor shortage is also an affordable housing problem
Success Bridge, a three-year collaboration among Columbus State, the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio (AHACO), the Community Shelter Board and the Homeless Families Foundation, helped low-income Columbus State students with housing costs.
Today, AHACO released more details about Resiliency Bridge, an 18-month pilot program that will provide 60 families in low- and extremely low-income households with "housing assistance, wrap-around supports, and workforce education." At the conclusion of the program, participants are expected to "grow their income by at least 75 percent."
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Housing Innovation to Help Local Workers Grow Income, Recover from COVID-19
Columbus, OH – (September 23, 2021) – A local collaboration will launch a new program this fall to provide housing assistance, wrap-around supports, and workforce education to help low-wage workers move into high-demand career fields.
The Resiliency Bridge pilot program will serve 60 families, which will be selected exclusively through referrals from partnering organizations. The program provides low- and extremely-low income households earning between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income career training in high-paying sectors. This will enable them to earn at least $19.83 per hour upon graduation, which is the income currently needed to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment in Franklin County according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s (NLIHC) “Out of Reach” report. All participants are expected to grow their income by at least 75 percent after completing the year-and-a-half long program.
In addition to affordable housing and no-cost career education, enrollees will receive personalized supports like family counseling, transportation assistance, reliable internet access, childcare, and food security by aligning the program with other social service systems.
The Resiliency Bridge initiative is a public-private partnership between local leaders, including the Homeless Families Foundation, Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio, Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, Community Shelter Board, the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Columbus State Community College, ColumbusWorks, the Columbus Partnership, Habitat for Humanity Mid-Ohio, Homeport, Impact Community Action, the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, and Action for Children.
“For low-wage workers to build a stable career and achieve financial independence, they need employment credentials in high-mobility fields, but too many families lack the housing security needed to access those training programs,” said Lisa Patt-McDaniel, CEO of the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio, who is providing education and career services to Resiliency Bridge participants. “No one should have to risk homelessness just to get a stable job, and this pilot will show the connection between stable housing and economic mobility.”
JPMorgan Chase provided philanthropic support to help develop this groundbreaking intervention that is responsive to Franklin County’s workforce and housing needs, yet replicable across the country.
“Access to safe, affordable housing is a leading determinant of income, wealth, health and overall quality of life,” said Brandon Nelson, Columbus Market Executive for Middle Market Banking and Specialized Industries at JPMorgan Chase. “Yet for many people, especially those from underrepresented communities, access to stable, affordable housing and homeownership in neighborhoods that offer good-quality jobs, schools and critical resources is increasingly out of reach. The Resiliency Bridge initiative takes a comprehensive approach to addressing these challenges, and JPMorgan Chase is proud to work alongside these partners to make a meaningful impact on this issue here in Central Ohio.”
“We know that the impact of COVID-19 will be felt in many of our households for a long time to come,” said Board of Commissioners President Kevin L. Boyce. “The Resiliency Bridge program tackles the challenges made clear by the pandemic while continuing to follow the Rise Together Blueprint to make the long-term investments necessary to help all our neighbors recover and thrive.”
“COVID-19 was a wake-up call. The nature of our workforce is changing, jobs that used to provide a living wage can no longer support a family. At the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, we need to get ahead of that curve to avoid overwhelming an already fraying affordable housing system,” said Charles D. Hillman, President & CEO of the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, a partner and an investor in the project. “Education is the path to prosperity, and we are proud to stand with partners who understand how integral housing stability is to that journey.”
The Homeless Families Foundation will oversee housing and supportive services delivery for Resiliency Bridge applicants. “This is a mission project for us. We believe in creating a nurturing, family-centered environment that blends housing stability with supportive services, that’s exactly what Resiliency Bridge does,” said Beth Fetzer-Rice, executive director at the Homeless Families Foundation.
The unique program was created with support from the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio using a human-centered design process that ensured the voice of the community was prioritized throughout the program’s development. “We were privileged to work with a team of local residents who know from firsthand experience how hard it is to advance in your career and provide for your family while struggling with housing costs. They made sure that Resiliency Bridge is a significant and impactful program,” said Carlie J. Boos, executive director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio.
“I am so glad to be a part of this opportunity and see that I helped create something and turn it into a reality. Made it bigger than what it was before,” said Kartier Hinton, a local community member who helped design the program. “I realized we all need to come together as one, and push each other, and help each other a lot more.”
First-year funding of $1,711,000 million was secured with $500,000 philanthropic investment from JPMorgan Chase, a $500,000 matching grant from the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, and $711,000 investment of rental assistance funds from the Franklin County Board of Commissioners. Project partners are also providing in-kind services to support program participants. The Resiliency Bridge team is now seeking funds for the second and third years of the pilot program.
Although NLICH found that the local “housing wage” is $19.83 per hour, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that only one of Ohio’s ten most common jobs pays that rate. A September 2021 survey from the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio found that 80 percent of employers and housing professionals faced reduced employee morale and lower productivity stemming from housing insecurity, 53 percent also reported higher turnover rates as a result of the local housing shortage.
The Resiliency Bridge project will be discussed on Tuesday, September 28th at “Work & Home: How Affordable Housing Leads the Way for Economic Growth” featuring business and housing experts. An impetus for this initiative is the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio’s plan to close the 54,000-household affordable housing gap in Franklin County. For more information on Resiliency Bridge, visit https://www.ahaco.org/resiliency.
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Dwight Dixon's home is a three-story, 10-unit apartment building with a flat roof that looks like many other built in Columbus in the 1950s and 1960s.
Dixon, 61, has lived for three years in the building on North 21st Street, just north of East Broad Street in the King-Lincoln-Bronzeville neighborhood on the Near East Side.
Dixon would love to stay. He said he is on disability and does maintenance at the property, including cutting grass.
But in August, he received a letter from the building's new managers that his monthly rent will almost double beginning Nov. 1, from $500 to $950.
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Carlie Boos, executive director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, said it's an ongoing concern.
"We know that this is happening. Our affordable housing providers are losing land battles to market-rate buyers," Boos said.
Boos said tenants in the building could be eligible for emergency rent assistance from IMPACT Community Action.
"We don’t need people becoming homeless during a pandemic," Boos said.
As Ohio's workforce struggles to emerge from pandemic, affordable housing offers path to economic growth.
A new infographic report from the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio finds a powerful relationship between affordable housing, workforce development, and economic growth.
Even before the pandemic, Franklin County's severe affordable housing shortage created a stark competitive disadvantage for the region. The "housing wage" needed to afford a basic two-bedroom apartment grew again this year to $19.83 per hour, far above the minimum wage and out of reach for blue collar workers. In fact, only one of Ohio's ten most common jobs paid that rate.
Employers are paying the price for this shortage, too, as 80% of local survey respondents reported that our lack of affordable housing drained employee productivity. More than half also reporting higher turnover rates and recruitment difficulties due to the housing shortfall.
The pandemic added yet another layer of insecurity to this already strained landscape. The survey found that the vast majority of today's missed rent payments in Franklin County - 79% - are attributable to worker unemployment or reduced employment income. With Ohio's initial unemployment claims hovering above 13,000 for the second week in a row, and evictions beginning their long-predicated ascent, housing policies that guide a strong recovery present a compelling action agenda for Central Ohio.
These challenges are not limited to renters. Nationwide, we only built 65,000 homes designed for entry-level buyers last year, enough to fit every one of America's new homeowners inside Ohio Stadium (with plenty of room to spare for social distancing). In Central Ohio, the average home sale prices now tops $313,000. Those missed opportunities for young people to lay down roots and build wealth in Central Ohio will be felt for years, maybe even generations.
But, luckily, solutions to the housing crunch won't just solve our long-term growth needs, they can also support a swift and equitable COVID-19 recovery. Hamilton County recently committed 25% of its recovery funds to affordable housing initiatives. If Columbus and Franklin County were to match, or even exceed that threshold, we could unlock the restorative power of building local. Paring up this hyper-local stimulus with zoning reforms that better match today's consumer demands for walkability and mixed-use spaces would transform our opportunities.
And, soon, a remarkable partnership of local leaders and elected officials will unveil Central Ohio's latest groundbreaking collaboration to leverage affordable housing for long-term economic mobility. We hope you can join us on September 28th at 11:00 AM to learn more about that exciting initiative and open up a broader community conversation on these topics.
For more fascinating survey findings and compelling data linking housing and regional prosperity, view the full infographic report or share the graphics on our Twitter page. And if you