Latest news with #OhioHousingTrustFund
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio housing advocates want lawmakers to nix budget language that alters affordable housing funding
Stock photo from Getty Images. Housing advocates are urging Ohio senators to remove an amendment from the state's two-year operating budget that would significantly affect a source of funding for local homelessness and affordable housing programs. The Ohio House added language to their version of the budget that would change the Ohio Housing Trust Fund. The Ohio Senate is currently working on the budget and will send it back to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who must sign it into law by June 30. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'The Ohio Housing Trust Fund is the primary source of state funding for local homelessness, emergency home repair and affordable housing development,' the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio's executive director Amy Riegel said during a press conference Thursday. 'We see that making any type of change and overhauling it would be drastic and would make huge ripple impacts across the state.' The trust fund was created in 1991 and is administered by the Ohio Department of Development. It is funded by a portion of the fees collected by county recorders, with half of the fees staying with the county and the other half going back to the fund — which requires at least 50% of the funds be spent in non-urban areas. The House budget proposal would remove the requirement for county recorders to send the state Department of Development money to reallocate the funds, making it less effective across the state. 'This would leave counties with only the funds that they are able to collect, which creates a drastic impact on communities where they might not be collecting as many revenues as other counties,' Riegel said. 'Shifting to a county-by-county approach will negatively impact folks who are struggling to just keep her roof over their heads.' Robert Bender, CEO of the Provident Companies, is concerned counties could lose their leveraging ability and wouldn't have the capacity to administer funds. 'We have an easy solution: just don't mess with it,' he said. 'This is really elected officials who don't have enough information trying to tinker with something to make it better when it's going to make it worse.' The Housing Trust Fund provided emergency shelter for more than 27,000 Ohioans last year, Riegel said. 'That's just one year,' Riegel said. 'Multiply that by the last 23 years, and you can see this has a huge impact across our state.' Housing advocates asked House lawmakers why the amendment was added, but Riegel said the rationale behind it remains unclear. Now, they are talking to Ohio senators about trying to remove the amendment. 'We have heard from many of them that they do support removing the language … however, it is the decision of the entire body of how to move forward,' Riegel said. Habitat for Humanity of Ohio's Executive Director Ryan Miller said they serve primarily populations of people who have paid off their homes, are living on fixed incomes and dealing with health issues. 'They have no other option, and we must keep the current funding structure in place to let them live in dignity and peace,' he said. The trust fund is one of the most effective tools to reduce homelessness, said Becky Eddy, chief community development officer for the Integrated Services for Behavioral Health. 'The current regional approach isn't broken,' she said. 'Shifting to a fractured county-by-county model would slow things down, drive the administrative costs and ultimately increase homelessness across the state.' Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio House budget proposal seeks to change decades-long statewide affordable housing program
Stock photo from Getty Images. A major source of Ohio's funding for local homelessness and affordable housing programs was altered in the Ohio House's proposal for the state's next two-year operating budget due before July 1. The Ohio Housing Trust Fund was created in 1991 and is administered by the Ohio Department of Development. It is funded by a portion of the fees collected by county recorders, with half of the fees staying with the county and the other half going back to the Ohio Housing Trust Fund — which requires at least 50% of the funds be spent in non-urban areas. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Through the Trust Fund, it funds homeless services, home modifications and repairs for homeowners, usually individuals who are aging,' said Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio's Executive Director Amy Riegel. 'It also provides gap financing for housing development and affordable housing development across the state.' The House budget proposal would remove the requirement for county recorders to send the Department of Development money to reallocate the funds, making it less effective across the state. 'Each county, whatever their receipts are, that's the funding they have, and that's all the funding that they have,' Riegel said. 'It is a significant change.' She was surprised to see this in the House's budget proposal. 'When the state is able to aggregate those dollars, they are then able to put it back out into communities where it is most needed at that time, and there are not enough resources,' Riegel said. 'The Trust Fund could be 10 times what it is today, and we still wouldn't be able to solve every housing issue across the state, but it is very effective, very useful dollars. … This is a program that actually works really well, that's very strong, and we only have the hope to continue to strengthen it.' Ohio is lacking more than 264,000 affordable rental units, according to the 2025 Gap Report released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and coalition on housing and homelessness. Ohioans make at least $20.81 an hour working a full-time job to be able to afford a 'modest' two-bedroom apartment, according to the 2024 Out of Reach Ohio report. Ohio House lawmakers also nixed Gov. Mike DeWine's Ohio Housing Investment Opportunity Program in the budget that would have invested $100 million in fiscal year 2026 to help increase single and multi-family housing in rural areas. 'That would have helped individuals build all types of homes,' Riegel said. 'I know that was something that the home builders have really advocated for, so disappointing to see that not included.' The House's proposed version of the budget would give the Ohio Housing Finance Agency $18.9 million for fiscal year 2026 and $19.6 for fiscal year 2027, the same as DeWine's proposal. The House is set to vote on its version on the budget soon. The budget will then go to the Senate before going back to DeWine's desk where it must be signed into law by June 30. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dayton mayor urges Ohio House to keep affordable housing funds
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Dayton Mayor Jeffrey J. Mims, Jr. has shared a response to the Ohio House Finance Committee's state budget proposal on Thursday, April 3. The proposal would affect the Ohio Housing Trust Fund (OHTF). Sub. House Bill 96 can be read in its entirety here. 'The Ohio Housing Trust Fund is a critical resource that helps communities like Dayton address housing affordability and homelessness,' said Mayor Mims. He continued by explaining how the fund has been used in previous years. Mims said the loss of funding would jeopardize Dayton's most vulnerable. 'From 2022 to 24, Dayton/Montgomery County received $3.5 million in OHTF support. The House Finance Committee's proposed budget for 2025 to 27 would effectively eliminate this vital program, jeopardizing efforts to expand affordable housing and support for our most vulnerable residents,' said Mims. 'I urge Ohio House members to maintain support for this vital resource for Ohio's communities,' said Mims. Speaker of the Ohio House Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and House Finance Chair Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) spoke on Tuesday, April 1, about the fiscally conservative budget proposal. 'This proposed budget tackles the issues that matter most to Ohioans,' said Speaker Huffman. 'From supporting our schools and strengthening our workforce, to providing property tax relief and revitalizing Ohio communities, this budget delivers real solutions for our state.' To learn more about the Ohio House representatives, visit here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
