Breaking Ground - August 2000

You Don't Need a Home to Vote

Ohio Department of Development Reorganizes

ODOD Releases Housing Trust Fund RFP

Economic Human Rights Bus Tour a Success

US House Clears Renewal Incentives For Distressed Areas

Training Information Added to the COHHIO Web Site

COHHIO Co-Sponsors Welfare/Housing Conference

Community Reinvestment Modernization Act of 2000

Department of HUD and the Department of Treasury Speak Out Against Predatory Lending

Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio Membership

Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Training Set

COHHIO Responds to a Plague of Section 8 Opt ­ Outs

COHHIO and NHT Present Project-Based Section 8 Transactions Workshop

Activist Alert

Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) Update

Night Time Driving - Nighttime’s the time for extra-safe driving

Resources

 

You Don't Need a Home to Vote

Since 1992, the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has sponsored the national "You Don't Need a Home to Vote" non-partisan registration/voting rights campaign each election year. National Homeless Voter Registration Week is set for September 24-30, 2000.

In recent years, the booming economy has led many lawmakers, candidates and the general population, to disregard the continuing problem of homelessness in America as an important election issue.

Despite recent studies by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the Urban Institute which reveal startling new statistics on the numbers of men, women and children who experience homelessness throughout the year, this year's candidates have neglected to adequately discuss the importance of the living wage gap, affordable housing, and universal access to healthcare.

It is just as necessary to elect legislators and leaders of our country who will support the laws that will help bring an end to homelessness in America, as it is to organize and lobby for our issues. As part of the goal, NCH and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, recognize the importance of involving men and women who have experienced homelessness in this effort.

The issue of homelessness affects all people of the United States. Not only is the issue important among low-income people and those experiencing homelessness, but we must help to make it relevant to students, leaders and housed people every where.

In this election year, NCH hopes to call the attention of candidates and voters across the country to be responsive and support positive legislation involving affordable and accessible housing, healthcare and a living wage to those poorest among us.

The "You Don't Need a Home to Vote" 2000 campaign seeks to protect and promote the right of those experiencing homelessness, to vote through a five-pronged strategy of:
- registration, education, get-out-the-vote, legislation and litigation.

The 2000 Voter Rights and Registration packet put together by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, National Low Income Housing Coalition and NCH provides information for community organizers in the following:
Tips for Conducting Homeless Voter Registration; Voter Registration by Social Service Agencies - the legal do's and dont's of non-partisan registration drive and a model voter registration packet; Common Questions About Voter Registration; Overcoming Excuses: Transforming a "No" into a Registered Voter - effective techniques for overcoming apathy among homeless and low income voters; Answers to Your Questions About Voting: State-by-State Breakdown of Homeless Voter Registration - finding out whether your state allows homeless living in shelters or outside to register, which states require a mailing address, and which states have written administrative policy or state laws on homeless voter registration; Community/Candidates' Forum on Housing and Homelessness - How to Organize One in your Community; Get-Out-the-Vote Drives; Model State Homeless Voter Registration Bill; Legal Rights and Remedies; Selected Federal and State Cases on Homeless Voting Rights; Media Tips; Poster.

The campaign has already registered thousands of homeless people in all fifty states. The campaign has been successful in getting ten states to pass laws giving homeless people the right to vote.

In addition to NCH's voting rights campaign, NCH is also sponsoring Campaign 2000: Good Housing and Healthy Communities for Everyone. If you vote and believe that all Americans should have decent, affordable housing choices, in communities with real economic opportunities, call NCH and order Campaign 2000 postcards to send to legislators. Remind them that you are listening for their message regarding these issues.

To order a campaign packet, or Campaign 2000 postcards, please contact Michael Stoops, at NCH, at 202/737-6444, ext. 311.

Taken from Safety Network, NCH newsletter, Summer 2000.

Ohio Department of Development Reorganizes
On July 1, 2000, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) began administering the Housing Development Assistance Program (HDAP) and the Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) Competitive Operating Grant Program. Both programs were previously administered by the Ohio Department of Development's Office of Housing and Community Partnership (OHCP). To facilitate this reassignment of responsibilities, the OHCP Housing Development Section staff transferred to OHFA.

Additionally, OHFA has begun administering the Ohio Housing Trust Fund (HTF). Although OHFA is now responsible for the overall administration of the HTF, OHCP will continue to administer the following HTF-funded programs:
• Request for Proposals Program;
• Migrant Housing Labor Camp Improvements Program;
• Special Projects Program, with the exception of the Service Coordination Program project.

OHCP will also continue to administer the Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), which was previously funded, in part, with HTF dollars. In FY 2000, the CHIP will be funded with $24,879,400 of Ohio Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program and HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds.

Questions regarding the reassignment of the above listed responsibilities from OHCP to OHFA should be directed to John Riordan, Community Development Division Deputy Director, at 614/466-5863. Additional information regarding OHFA's programs is available on the OHFA web site at www.odod.state.oh.us/ohfa.

 

ODOD Releases Housing Trust Fund RFP
The Ohio Department of Development, Office of Housing and Community Partnerships has released its Housing Trust Fund Request for Proposals. A total of $9.5 million will be distributed. The deadline for submission is October 13. For more information, visit COHHIO's web site at www.cohhio.org or call Bob Johnson at OHCP at 614/466-2285.

 

Economic Human Rights Bus Tour a Success
Late last month, COHHIO in conjunction with the Institute for Policy Studies, co-sponsored the Ohio leg of the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ Economic Human Rights Bus Tour. The tour, which featured among others, U.S. Representative John Conyers and Jan Schakowsky along with actor/advocate Danny Glover, included stops at an emergency shelter in Columbus, Ohio; a rural Women’s center in Beaver, Ohio; and a Community Health Center in the Hilltop area of Columbus.

In addition to offering a unique opportunity to draw attention to issues such as homelessness and the lack of safe, decent, and affordable housing, welfare reform, and the lack of affordable health care options, this leg of the tour served as a positive step toward putting poverty and inequality back on the national agenda.

COHHIO would also like to take this opportunity to extend a special thanks to all of our partners that made this tour a success; specifically, thanks to Friends of the Homeless, Community Pride, and the Hilltop Community Health Center for hosting each of the three stops. COHHIO would also like to thank the Congressional Progressive Caucus for taking the time to highlight the dire need for national policy initiatives that could make a real difference in peoples’ lives.

 

US House Clears Renewal Incentives For Distressed Areas
Late last month, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed by a margin of 394-27, the Community Renewal and New Markets Act of 2000 (H.R. 4923). This bill, which makes good on an agreement reached last year between President Clinton and House Speaker Rep. Dennis Hastert, creates a major package of tax and other incentives all designed to stimulate economic development and job creation in America’s most distressed communities. Some of these incentives include:
• the establishment of 40 "renewal communities," eight of which must be in rural areas, and nine new "empowerment zones," two of which would have to be rural. Most of the various incentives contained in the bill would be applicable to businesses, investments or residents in one or both of those areas.
• the implementation of a program similar to President Clinton's proposed New Markets Tax Credit. It would allow the Treasury Department to allocate credits for up to $15 billion in new equity investments in special community development entities that would in turn provide assistance to individuals and businesses in low-income areas.
• an increases in state private activity bond volume caps to $75 per resident from $50 at present, with the phase-in beginning in 2001.
• an increase in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit volume cap to $1.75 per state resident, starting next year and continuing for five years, from $1.25 at present.

In addition, the legislation also provides for New Markets Venture Capital Companies that would be licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration and which would invest in small businesses located in low-or moderate-income census tracts. It would also provide for something known as America's Private Investment Companies (APIC), which would be licensed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. These would have to have at least $25 million in private equity capital and would be allowed to issue government-guaranteed debentures for twice that amount. The entities would also invest in businesses in low-and moderate-income areas.

"This is the most significant anti-poverty program to come out of Washington in decades," said House Small Business Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Talent. It is based on the principles that the federal government can't by itself pull people out of poverty and that people can't pull themselves out by their bootstraps, but that they can do it with help from their neighbors, the legislator said.

 

Training Information Added to the COHHIO Web Site
Visit the COHHIO web site at www.cohhio.org to get information on COHHIO’s latest trainings, including the Welfare/Housing training, Homeless Management Information Systems workshop, and the Project-Based Section 8 Transaction Workshop. Information available includes registration information and directions. You can also provide input for our 2001 conference.

In addition, trainings being held by other organization’s are also listed on the web page. If your organization has a training that you would like included on the web page, please email the training information to Susan Francis at susanfrancis@cohhio.org.

Other recent additions to the web page include a page on predatory lending and a page of links of organizations working on welfare issues.

If there’s something you’d like to see on the web page that currently isn’t there, please email Susan Francis at COHHIO at susanfrancis@cohhio.org or call at 614/280-1984.

 

COHHIO Co-Sponsors Welfare/Housing Conference
“What are We Learning From Welfare Reform In Ohio?”
Welfare time limits hit Ohio On October 1, 2000. On October 2, COHHIO and Ohio State Legal Services are co-sponsoring a conference on welfare and housing. Mark your calendars and send in your reservation now for this opportunity to get the most current information and research about what is really happening to people as they leave the roles in record numbers. This conference is dedicated to the memory of Milton Tenenbaum, a professional and advocate who devoted his life to economic and social justice for all.

Learn what is really happening in Ohio in regards to:

* the Child Welfare recommendation for a $20,000,000 housing subsidy for families involved in the child protective system and/or with substance abuse and mental health issues;
* what is available for families who have met time limits;
* who remains on the roles and what is available to these families;
* what is really happening to families who have left the welfare roles.

Join us to learn the facts and add your efforts to develop strategies to enhance the success - and address the failures - to better ensure a system that works for Ohio’s families.

For more information, contact Pam Argus at COHHIO at 614/280-1984 or visit the COHHIO web page at www.cohhio.org.


What Are We Learning From Welfare Reform in Ohio?
Second Annual Milton Tenenbaum Conference
October 2, 2000 - Makoy Center, Columbus

Sponsored by COHHIO and the Ohio State Legal Services Association

REGISTRATION
(one form per person, form can be copied, please print clearly)

Name (first, last)
Agency

Address
City, State, Zip
Phone, Fax, Email
_____ Please check for vegetarian lunch

REGISTRATION FEE = $25

Checks can be made out to OSLSA and registrations with payment can be sent to Ohio State Legal Services Association, 861 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215. Registration deadline is September 15. You can also access registration and direction information at our web site at www.cohhio.org or call the Makoy Center at 614/777-1211 for directions.

 

Community Reinvestment Modernization Act of 2000
As you may remember, late last year President Clinton signed into law the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999. This “financial modernization” came at a price. It opened the door for mortgage companies, insurance firms, and other bank affiliates to substantially increase their lending activities, while at the same time limiting the overall effectiveness of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Unintended or not, the Financial Services Modernization Act contained provisions that have negatively impacted the ability of community-based organizations to use CRA in the spirit in which it was intended. In fact, while the financial services industry enters the 21st century, CRA remains stuck in 1977.
Late last month, U.S. Representatives Gutierrez and Barrett introduced the Community Reinvestment Modernization Act of 2000 (H.R. 4893), in an effort to bring the Community Reinvestment Act in line with the changing financial services landscape. Major provisions of the legislation include:
• Extending CRA to non-bank affiliates of bank holding companies that lend and offer other banking services;
• Extending CRA-like requirements to securities firms, independent mortgage companies, and insurance companies;
• Requiring local CRA ratings for each state and MSA in which a bank has branches, as well as those geographical areas in which loans equal or exceed .5 percent of the total market for loans;
• Repealing the current CRA sunshine provision included in the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999. Retaining the requirement that the text of the agreement be made public, but dispensing with the annual disclosure requirement that involves detailed itemized lists of how community groups use any grants or loans in the agreement. Deleting the CRA contact or speech trigger for sunshine. Allowing federal banking agencies to monitor progress made in complying with the agreement;
• Prohibiting insurance companies that violate fair housing court consent decrees from affiliating with financial holding companies;
• Extending Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA)-like data reporting requirements to insurance activities, including information on race, gender, and income of policyholders, and census tract location of where policies are offered;
• Enhancing CRA small business data by requiring all depository institutions to report information on race, gender, and revenue size of the small business, and the census tract location of each loan;
• Removing exemptions from HMDA data reporting for all small banks and mortgage companies. Requiring the number of sub-prime loans made to be reported under HMDA, as well as information on loan pricing and terms, including interest rates, origination fees, discount points, financing of lump sum insurance payments, balloon payments, and prepayment penalties;
• Requiring public comment periods for all mergers between banks and non-bank financial companies, taking into account the community reinvestment performance of all parties to the proposed transaction;
• Requiring public meetings in geographical areas in which the Federal Reserve Board determines that a bank/non-bank merger has substantial public impact;
• Increasing the small bank exam cycle for satisfactory and outstanding rated banks from once every four and five years, respectively, to once every three and four years; and
• Requiring that the National Information Center database include data fields indicating if subsidiaries of holding companies are HMDA and CRA small business reporters.

The Community Reinvestment Act has resulted in significant amounts of capital flowing into the State of Ohio. The Community Reinvestment Modernization Act of 2000 represents an opportunity to not only update CRA, but to ensure that it continues to direct much needed resources into traditionally underserved neighborhoods. In the last twenty-three years, community organizations and banks have negotiated some 360 cooperative agreements totaling more than $1 trillion in loans and investments for minority and working class neighborhoods throughout this country. While it is questionable as to whether or not any significant action will be taken on this legislation during this session of Congress, it is still imperative that support be shown. To date, two members of the Ohio Congressional Delegation have signed-on as co-sponsors (Representatives Kucinich and Tubbs Jones). Please contact your representative and encourage them to support the Community Reinvestment Modernization Act of 2000. If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Rick Taylor at 614/280-1984 or via e-mail at ricktaylor@cohhio.org.

 

Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Treasury Speak Out Against Predatory Lending
In late June, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) along with the Department of the Treasury released a report outlining several recommendations designed to curb the increasing occurrence of predatory mortgage lending. Curbing Predatory Home Mortgage Lending is the result of months of research and information gathered at five regional forums sponsored by the HUD-Treasury Task Force on Predatory Lending. The report proposes a four-point plan to address predatory lending practices:

Improve consumer literacy and disclosures: Creditors should be required to recommend that high-cost loan applicants take advantage of home mortgage counseling, disclose credit scores to all borrowers upon request, and give borrowers more timely and more accurate information as to loan costs and terms.

Prohibit harmful sales practices in the mortgage market: Practices such as loan “flipping” and lending to borrowers without regard to their ability to repay the loan should be banned. New requirements should be imposed on mortgage brokers to document the appropriateness of a loan for high-cost loan applicants, and lenders who report to credit bureaus should be required to provide “full-file” payment history for their mortgage customers.

Restrict abusive terms and conditions on high-cost loans: Congress should increase the number of borrowers in the subprime market covered by legislative protections, further restrict balloon payments on high-cost loans, restrict pre-payment penalties and the financing of points and fees, prohibit mandatory arbitration agreements on high-cost loans, and ban lump-sum credit life insurance and similar products.

Improve market structure: Award Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) credit to banks and thrifts that promote borrowers from the subprime to the prime mortgage market, and to deny CRA credit to banks and thrifts for the origination or purchase of loans that violate applicable lending laws.

As HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo put it “Predatory lenders are greedily devouring families’ life savings and destroying good neighborhoods all across the country. We heard horror stories at our forums around the country about the suffering these lenders have caused, and members of Congress have heard the same stories. We ask Congress to join us and move swiftly to give American homebuyers the protection they need from predatory lenders.”

While expanded access to credit from both prime and subprime lenders has contributed to the highest homeownership rates in the nations’s history, there is growing evidence that some lenders are engaging in predatory lending practices - excessive front-end fees, single premium credit life insurance, and exorbitant pre-payment penalties - that make homeownership much more costly for families that can least afford it. Copies of the report can be found at both the HUD web page (www.hud.gov) and the Treasury web page (www.treas.gov).

Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio Membership
Name
Organization
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone, Fax, County
Individual: _____ $35 (Regular) _____ $75 (Benefactor) _____ $250 (Sustainer) _____ $10 (Low-Income) _____ Fee Waiver Requested
Agency (according to budget): _____ $35 (100,000 or less) _____ $75 (100,001-250,000)
_____ $125 (250,001-500,000) _____ $200 (500,001-1 million)_____ $250 ($1 million-$1.5 million) _____ $300 (over $1.5 million)

Please send your tax deductible check to COHHIO at 85 E. Gay St, Ste. 603, Columbus, Ohio 43215.
Thank you for your support!

Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Training Set
As reported in the Summer edition of Breaking Ground, COHHIO will be sponsoring a half-day workshop on the design and implementation of Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS). While many communities throughout the state are already using some type of centralized, automated data collection system to compile and aggregate information on homeless services and the persons who utilize them, there is still more to be done. With the need to collect and maintain this information becoming increasingly more important, so too has the need to establish common data standards across jurisdictions. In simplified terms, we need to make sure that we are comparing “apples to apples.” By establishing common data standards, collection techniques, and reporting methods, HMIS data can be compared across jurisdictions in an effort to better understand the dynamics of homelessness and the overall effectiveness of the services available.

If you are interested in learning more about HMIS, please plan on joining us on Wednesday, September 6th, at the YWCA of Columbus. The workshop will begin at 10:00 am and go until 3:00 pm. Lunch will be provided. Please complete the registration form below, and return it with your payment to COHHIO, 85 East Gay Street, Suite 603, Columbus, Ohio 43215. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Rick Taylor at COHHIO at 614/280-1984 or via e-mail at ricktaylor@cohhio.org. You can also check out the COHHIO web page (www.cohhio.org) for details regarding this workshop.

REGISTRATION
(one form per person, form can be copied, please print clearly)

Name

Organization

Address

City, State, Zip
Phone, Fax, Email

_____ Please check for vegetarian lunch

REGISTRATION FEE = $10

____ Total Enclosed (COHHIO Federal ID. #31-1189029)

Checks can be made out to COHHIO and registrations with payment can be sent to COHHIO, 85 East Gay Street, Suite 603, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3118. Credit cards are not accepted. Payment must accompany registration. No phone registrations. You can also access registration and direction information at our web site at www.cohhio.org.

 

 

COHHIO Responds to a Plague of Section 8 Opt ­ Outs
Over the past six weeks, COHHIO staff has been addressing the needs of tenants in properties where the owner is "opting-out" of the project-based Section 8 contracts. Opting out is one option for owners if they think they can get better rents as a private rental property than they can from HUD under the rent comparability rules. When an owner decides to opt-out, HUD provides a Section 8 voucher to the tenants who are currently living in the property. The local housing authority usually administers tenant vouchers. Owners are required to accept that voucher at the property for at least one year (assuming that the owner and the voucher administrator can agree on a "reasonable rent" AND if the unit passes Housing Quality Standards inspection.) Three big problems are:
• Combating tenant anxiety over a change in their living arrangements.
• Timing the change-over so that tenants who want to use their vouchers elsewhere have a reasonable opportunity to seek new housing, and
• Making the paperwork flow from the HUD Multifamily office, to the HUD public housing office, to the local contract administrator, to the tenant, to the owner in an efficient manner so that no one gets lost in the cracks.

Because these procedures are being designed while conversions are underway, it’s like building an airliner while it's in flight!

This past month, Jill Russ and Spencer Wells, COHHIO staff, have been addressing opt-outs at five Hart Management properties (approximately 150 units) in Cincinnati and at Heritage Hills I in Chillicothe (approximately 45 units).

To help in contacting the tenants and get them to the right offices at the right times with the right information, COHHIO has hired Debbie Mays in Cincinnati and Brenda Hawk in Chillicothe to help with outreach efforts.

Because NO ONE knows how this works, COHHIO has been called upon to monitor the change-overs, catch the folks falling through the cracks, get answers to questions that no one unanticipated, and patch the holes. Then when we've got an idea of how it works, the consortium of housing authorities led by Columbus Metropolitan Housing and Orion Consultants will take over HUD Multi-family's role in the opt-out process! Jill and Spencer hope this month's experiences will help shape the standard operating procedures for this new entity. COHHIO's Director Bill Faith says: "Our real life experience can be used in future opt-out situations in Ohio and across the country". For example, Warren Perkins, COHHIO's VISTA member in Cincinnati, is preparing a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet on the opt-out process for use in future encounters. COHHIO's work with opt-outs will also identify some places where HUD regulations need to change to protect tenants in future opt-out situations.

These initial opt-outs will be seen as "indicators" by other owners who are considering opting out of their project based contracts. For example, Gorsuch Management has invited COHHIO staff to participate in pre-Opt Out meetings in South Charleston and in Springfield, Ohio. COHHIO staff, Jill Russ and Spencer Wells, are monitoring other properties closely. COHHIO should have good data from these experiences to help counsel owners who are considering this option. For more information, contact Jill or Spencer at COHHIO at 614/280-1984.

 

SAVE THE DATE!
COHHIO and NHT Present Project-Based Section 8 Transactions Workshop
Preserving Ohio’s Affordable Housing: A Transactions Workshop for Non-profit Housing Developers interested in acquiring project-based Section 8 housing properties will be held on November 1 and 2, 2000 at the Wyndham Dublin Hotel in Columbus. The workshop is sponsored by COHHIO’s Preserving Ohio’s Affordable Housing Project and the National Housing Trust (NHT), with support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Look for more information in the newsletter, on our website (www.cohhio.org), and in your mailbox over the next few months. Contact Jill Russ at COHHIO at 614/280-1984 for more information about the workshop or about COHHIO’s Preserving Ohio’s Affordable Housing Project.

 

Activist Alert
COHHIO is implementing an activist alert network. Those wanting to be added to the network may be contacted by mail, phone, fax or email.

Please check below the topics you would be interested in receiving alerts about and add your contact information to the form below. We would only be contacting you if you select a topic that has a pressing need for some action.

 

Topics:

__ Welfare Reform

__ CRA/OCRP

__ Section 8/Housing Preservation

__ Homeless Youth

__ Federal/State Budget Issues

__ Housing Trust Fund

__ Supportive Housing

 

__ Criminalization/Violence Against Homeless

__ Housing Development

__ NIMBY

__ General Housing Issues

__ General Homeless Issues

__ Other _________________________

Name:

Organization:

Address:

City, State, Zip
County, Email:

Phone, Fax:


Please return this survey to Susan Francis, COHHIO, 85 East Gay Street, Suite 603, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3118 or fax to 614/463-1060. For questions, call Janet Holcomb at COHHIO at 614/280-1984.

 

Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) Update
Phish Supports Youth Program - Phish is more than just a great band, they are agents for Social Justice. Since the early 90's Phish has been actively involved in numerous philanthropic projects including benefit concerts, grant making, and hosting organizations at shows. Phish created the non-profit WaterWheel Foundation in 1997 to oversee the band's charitable activities. Initially established to oversee contributions toward the Lake Champlain clean-up, the foundation now continues an established touring program. Since the Touring Division began in 1997 Phish fans have raised over $77,000 and helped 70 non-profits to raise awareness and funds at Phish shows. On July 15th the WaterWheel Foundation spotlighted the COHHIO Youth Empowerment Program at the Phish concert at Polaris amphitheater. Funds raised at this event were used to support youth leadership activities. For more information contact www.phish.com.

COHHIO YEP - A state youth council is formed. The first meeting of the COHHIO YEP state council was held at Ohio University in Athens the week of July 30th to August 4th. Members of the newly formed council stayed at OU for a week to identifying program goals and to develop council leadership. Training were provided by the Ohio University Leadership Institute, the Cleveland Mediation Center, Appalachian Peace and Justice Network and COHHIO. Representatives from Cleveland, Columbus, and Athens attended this event. We are currently looking for currently or formerly homeless youth representatives from the Akron, Cincinnati, and Toledo areas to serve on the youth council. If you are interested in the COHHIO Youth Council please call Angela Lariviere at COHHIO at 614/280-1984.


YEP Gains Community Support - This quarter, YEP has received monetary or in-kind support from: Walmart, Mid Ohio food bank, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Grandma's Pizza, Ohio University, Cleveland Campaign for Human Development, Waterwheel Foundation, Appalachian Peace and Justice Network and Saint Ladislass Church. Thank you for your support!

 

Night Time Driving - Nighttime’s the time for extra-safe driving

A common accident: You’re driving home from an evening meeting at work, and it happens-you get a flat tire. After pulling onto the highway’s berm, you grudgingly get out to change the tire. Good move or not? Not. “It is very dangerous to pull over to the side of the road, especially late at night,” says Jim Fell, chief of the research and evaluation division of traffic safety programs at the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. “It is common to get hit by an oncoming car while changing a tire.” Roadside crashes of this kind are caused by the “moth effect.” Drivers tend to focus on an object outside their intended path of travel and steer involuntarily into it. This effect intensifies at night.

The right response: If your car breaks down or you get a flat tire at night: 1) Pick a safe spot as far as possible from the road to pull off; 2) Put on flashers, the dome light and set up a flare; 3) If possible, don’t change the tire or try to fix the car yourself; 4) If you have a cell phone, call a towing service, or 9-1-1 in an emergency; and 5) If there is a phone on the road, decide if it’s safe to walk to it. Your safest choice may be to wait for a car to stop. Then ask the driver to call a service or police to assist you.

Night-driving hazards: About half of all motor-vehicle deaths occur at night. Death rates based on mileage are about four times higher at night than during the day.
Three factors make night driving more challenging than driving during daylight hours: vision, fatigue and alcohol.
Vision. In addition to being harder to see at night, visual clutter from stationary and moving lights confuse drivers. You are more likely to suffer from illusions, spatial disorientation, and distortions of distance and motion. Night vision also declines beginning in our 20s. As we age, the pupil of the eye, which regulate how much light gets in, doesn’t open as readily. Therefore, someone may have 20/20 vision during the day but 20/30 or 20/60 vision at night.
Fatigue. Even if you are well rested, you may feel tired driving at night. Peak drowsiness occurs between late evening until dawn. Age does not play a significant role in fatigue. To assess your fatigue level: beware of eyestrain, unfocused episodes, head dropping, yawning, wandering thought, swaying out of your lane or an urge to close your eyes.
Alcohol and drugs. More impaired driving crashes occur between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., according to Fell. “These cause more injuries and fatalities than crashes at other times, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.” Avoid cars showing signs of driver impairment, such as: making wide turns; straddling the center lane marker; weaving, swerving or drifting; driving too slowly; or following too closely.

Information from the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.

Resources
TRAININGS
The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) is offering several trainings:
• Lead Abatement Licensure Trainings. Residential Lead Hazard Abatement for Workers Refresher Course, September 6, Columbus. Provides certified lead hazard abatement workers with a review and updates regarding personal protective equipment, safety practices and Ohio's lead abatement laws and regulations. Lead Inspector Training, October 2-3, Xenia. Will equip inspectors with the specialized skills necessary to conduct accurate and defensible building/housing inspections for lead-based paint. Lead Risk Assessor Training, October 4-6, Xenia. Will familiarize participants with the likely locations of lead hazards; the interpretation of results of paint, dust, soil and water testing; and the development of abatement reduction responses. Residential Lead Abatement for Supervisors/Contractors, October 23-27, Athens. Focus on identification of proper work techniques for paint, dust and soil. Will identify most cost-effective abatement methods. Lead-Based Paint Maintenance Worker Training, October 31, Columbus. Will provide maintenance workers with a understanding of the adverse effects of lead; and proper cleaning, maintenance and repair methods that will minimize lead hazards. Residential Lead Hazard Abatement for Workers, November 14-17, Xenia. Features hands-on practice skill development sessions; Occupational Safety and Health Administration; EPA and HUD compliance methods; and worker/occupant protection strategies. $100 for each training. For more information, call Tom Sherman at 614/466-2285.
• HVAC Training for Housing Specialists, September 12-13 (Xenia) and October 17-18 (Findlay). Will help participants identify common components of heating systems and domestic hot water tanks and how different systems work. Will be able to perform per- and post-work inspections and write specifications for replacement work. Registration deadline is 14 days prior to each course. Registration is free, but required. To receive a registration form, contact Norman Penn at 614/466-2285.
• Housing Development Finance: Problem Solving and Deal Structuring, September 25-29, Columbus. Focus on the structuring of housing deals that are complicated by a variety of issues, financial and non-financial. Will explore structuring options which most effectively use local, state and federal dollars to maximize public-sector leverage. $350. For more information, call Mary Dupler at 614/466-2285.

September 12 - Stop the Clock Rally, Statehouse, Columbus. Rally to stop the mass cut-off of mothers and children in Ohio. For more information, contact Stop the Clock Campaign at 513/381-4242.

September 13 - 14, Funding and Financing Sources for Community Economic Development, Ohio CDC Association, Columbus. Will provide a hands-on overview and analysis of federal, state, and local sources of government funding as well as the identification of private sector financing for community economic development. $80-100. For more information, call 614/461-6392.

The Ohio Historic Preservation Office (OHPO) is offering free Building Doctor Clinics. The remaining clinics are: September 14-15 - Fremont; and October 12-13 - Grandview Heights. Designed to help solve common, old-building problems and help owners make informed repair and improvement decisions. They will also visit older buildings in or near the communities where a clinic is being held to examine problems and prescribe cures. Interested participants must register to attend. For more information, call 800/499-2470.

Basic Skills in Affordable Housing Development, Ohio CDC Association, Columbus. Help build capacity for designing, financing, and implementing projects for low and moderate income home buyers and renters. September 19-21 - Codes and Standards, Methods and Materials ($60-90); and October 17-19 - Project Presentation, Role Play, Review and Exam ($60-90). For more information, call 614/461-6392.

October 5 - 6, Ohio CDC Association 16th Annual Conference, Toledo. Topics will include: affordable housing, microenterprise/microlending, state and federal legislative and policy initiatives, community building and IDA's, and state and federal legislation. For more information, call 614/461-6392.

October 19-21 - Housing First: Ending and Preventing Family Homelessness, Beyond Shelter, California. The "Housing First" approach advocates for the immediate relocation of homeless families into permanent housing, followed by up to one year of home-based support after the move to help families stabilize. For more information, call 213/252-0772, ext. 222 or visit their web page at www.beyondshelter.org.

October 26 - Small Business Incubator Start-Up and Management, Ohio CDC Association, Columbus. Will discuss the necessity of smart planning, sound community support and sustained organizational commitment. $50 each. For more information, call 614/461-6392.

October 30 - November 2 - 2000 Summit, Office of Housing and Community Partnership and Ohio Conference of Community Development, Huron. Will provide OHCP award recipients and their affiliates with training and technical assistance regarding program administration, compliance issues and housing and community development. Cost is $60 per day. Registration deadline is September 19. For more information, contact Betsy Giffin at 614/466-2285.

November 20-21 - Growing Together: Annual Ohio Housing Conference, Ohio Housing Finance Agency and Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, Columbus. For more information, contact Kelly Jo Marks at OCCH at 614/224-8446.

PUBLICATIONS
Separate and Unequal: A Report on Education Barriers for Homeless Children & Youth, National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. Available by calling 202/638-2535.

America's Homeless II: Populations and Services, Urban Institute Report. Reveals new estimates on the changing homeless population that many face despite a booming economy. Available by calling 202/261-5709, or on-line at www.urban.org.

Governance, Enterprise Community Development Library Series. Manuals available through the Governance Series include: Building and Managing a Better Board, Evaluating Your Executive Director, Board Basics, Assessing Your Organization and Leadership Skills for Board Members. For more information, contact Tanai Sanders at 800/205-5122 or email at tsanders@enterprisefoundation.org.

FUNDING
Surdna Foundation, Inc. supports efforts that increase the availability of owner-occupied and rental housing for low, moderate and middle-income families, move individuals from welfare dependence or under-employment to economic independence and strengthen families and communities by expanding early childhood initiatives. The Foundation has interest in programs that preserve and produce affordable housing and promote homeownership, expand existing neighborhood enterprise and produce multiple job opportunities for neighborhood residents and enhance the quality and quantity of early childhood programs. Grants are awarded on an ongoing basis and average between $1,000 and $300,000. Prospective applicants should submit a letter of inquiry prior to a full proposal. For letter guidelines and criteria for a grant proposal, contact Surdna Foundation, Inc., 330 Madison Avenue, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10017-5001 or visit their web site at www.surdna.org.

September 6 - Online Fundraising Seminar, Ericcson Internet Community Awards. Will discuss the pros and cons of online fundraising, including auctions, e-commerce shopping and donation portals. Will offer a chance for viewer participation through realtime feedback to the presenter and discussion sessions among online audience members. For more information, visit www.ericsson.se/erica.

HUD USER provides information about HUD's housing and community development policy initiatives and research through its web site and through its toll-free Customer Service Center. HUD USER can be accessed in any of the following ways: www.huduser.org (website); huduser@aspensys.com (email); HUD USER, P.O. Box 6091, Rockville, Maryland 20849-6091 (mail); 800/245-2691 (phone); 301/519-5767 (fax); and 800/245-2691 (faxback).

(614) 280-1984 Voice
(614) 463-1060 Fax

cohhio@cohhio.org