Breaking Ground - March 2000

SuperNOFA Published

Lawsuit Accuses Housing Authority of Charging Too Much Rent

Ohio Community Reinvestment Project Update

You’d Think We’d Have It Right By Now

How to Contact...

Newsletter Information

Continuum of Care Program Changes

COHHIO Membership

B.R.E.A.D. Organization Proposes Housing Trust Fund for Columbus

Fiscal Management Training

Mortgage Credit Partnership

COHHIO Receives Technical Assistance Grant from HUD

Activist Alert

COHHIO Web Page

AmeriCorps Houses the Homeless Year End Summary - 1999

COHHIO AmeriCorps Members

Bureau of Workers Compensation Safety Tips

Resources

New Poverty Guidelines Released

 

SuperNOFA Published
The Fiscal Year 2000 Super Notice of Funding Availability (SuperNOFA) has been released! On February 24th, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the availability of approximately $2.42 billion in HUD program funds covering some 39 different program areas (including Section 8 housing voucher assistance) operated and administered by HUD offices. The program areas covered in this SuperNOFA include the following:

 

- Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities (AN/NHIAC)
- Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI)
- Community Development Technical Assistance
- Continuum of Care (SHP, S+C, SRO)
- Community Outreach Partnership Centers (COPC)
- Drug Elimination Technical Assistance for Safety and Security (DETASS)
- Drug Elimination - New Approaches
- Drug Elimination Technical Assistance (DETAP)
- Economic Development Initiative (EDI)
- Fair Housing Assistance (FHIP)
- Healthy Homes
- Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCU)
- HOPE VI
- Housing Counseling
- Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA)
- Hispanic Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC)
- Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control
- Lead Research
- Mainstream Housing Opportunities for Persons With Disabilities
- Multifamily Drug Elimination
- Outreach and Training Assistance (OTAG)
- Rental Assistance (Designated Housing Plans)
- Rental Assistance (Section 8 Project Based, Section 202, Section 221(d)(3), Section 226)
- Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS)
- Rural Housing/Economic Development
- Supportive Housing for Elderly (Section 202)
- Supportive Housing for Persons With Disabilities (Section 811)
- Self Help Homeownership (SHOP)
- Youthbuild

 

If you would like addition information on any of the program areas listed above or you would like to receive an application kit, please contact the SuperNOFA Information Center at 800/HUD-8929, or visit the HUD website at www.hud.gov. Please note that each grant has its own application process and its own deadline.

 

Lawsuit Accuses Housing Authority of Charging Too Much Rent
Public housing is cheating tenants who have recently left welfare out of rent money, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in Columbus.

The Equal Justice Foundation, based in Toledo, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on behalf of Kimberly Watts of Columbus and any other public housing tenants who are having the same problem she is.
It accuses the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority of charging too much rent to former welfare recipients who qualify for a program that is supposed to disregard their income for 18 months after they begin work.

Watts, a Lincoln Park resident, was charged $243 a month rent in 1998 even though she should have been living rent-free, the lawsuit says. She was laid off from work in late 1998, and the authority recalculated her rent but again set it too high, the lawsuit says.

In September, Watts fell behind on her rent; the authority has filed to evict her and her daughter from their Woodrow Avenue apartment.

Watts moved off welfare in early 1998. She went through a training program, got a job and moved into Lincoln in May 1998, said J. Mark Finnegan, a lawyer with the Equal Justice Foundation.

A federal program stipulates that housing authorities should disregard tenants’ incomes while calculating their rent for 18 months after they quit receiving welfare, Finnegan said.

Public housing residents typically pay 30 percent of their gross income toward rent and utilities.

“Entry-level positions don’t pay very much. The hope is that after 18 months, you’ll have enough money to make it on your own,” Finnegan said. “The idea is not to cripple somebody at the beginning of their employment.”

Watts couldn’t be reached for comment.

Authority spokesman Khari Enaharo wouldn’t comment on the case.

“We need to consult with our attorneys and others to determine the nature of the suite and, based on that, determine what course of action will follow,” Enaharo said.

Watts approached the justice foundation, Finnegan said. The foundation, which serves the state, doesn’t know of other Columbus residents affected by the policy but thinks that they exist.

“CMHA claims that fewer than 10 people since 1994 have qualified for the income disregard. Logic dictates that there would be a lot more people who qualify for it because most people living in public housing are on welfare,” Finnegan said.

Enaharo said that as of February 11, 30 CMHA residents qualified for the program.

Written by Alice Thomas. Reprinted with permission by the Columbus Dispatch, February 13, 2000, 3D.

 

Ohio Community Reinvestment Project Update
The OCRP currently maintains agreements with Charter One Bank and Firstar Bank and is currently in the process of renewing an agreement with Fifth Third Bank. OCRP has also attempted to obtain an agreement with Key Bank but unfortunately, Key refused to sign an agreement and proceeded to severe our relationship all together. OCRP then exposed Key’s discriminatory lending practices through a statewide press release. We have also increased memip as well as involvement by various community groups through the Monthly Update, a traveling workshop and by hiring a VISTA to work solely on the OCRP.

OCRP is in the beginning stages of a project that will focus around Predatory Lending. Through this project OCRP hopes to separate Sub-Prime lenders from Predatory lenders through a collaboration with the Ohio State Legal Services (OSLSA). For more information on any of these activities, call Christina Buzzard or Rick Taylor at COHHIO at 614/280-1984.

 

You’d Think We’d Have It Right By Now
We in the United States have long believed that all children should have access to an education. Another strongly held belief is that education is the way out of poverty. Finally, we see the United States losing manufacturing jobs and relying more on the technology sector, requiring even more education to supply well-paid jobs. How well are we doing in living out the American dream and adjusting to today’s realities?

Frankly, the statistics are quite dismal. The high school graduation rate in the U.S. was 72 percent in 1996, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. This means we are creating a population in which more than one in four of our children becomes an adult without the minimum level of education to secure a job. It is becoming harder and harder for people without a basic education to earn a living by the sweat of their brow.

To put this into perspective, consider that the U.S. high school graduation rate places us as 23rd out of 29 industrialized countries. Norway, Belgium, Japan and Finland had graduation rates of 98 percent or higher showing that is can be done.

We already have an adult population where one out of six adults is functionally illiterate. Rather than making headway, we are at best, standing still, and at worst, moving backwards.

And what is ahead for those who do not finish high school? A study performed by the National Priorities Project, based in Massachusetts, found that students who do not graduate from high school, on average, earn 69 percent less than those who do.

Add to this disheartening picture the fact that in 1998, 18.9 percent of American children lived in poverty, according to Bread for the World. The U.S. child poverty rate is more than twice the average child poverty rate for other developed nations, primarily because other countries supply more benefits - on the average, about twice as much - as the United State does.

There is a linkage between low graduation rates and poverty. Check school districts near you and compare their graduation rate with the extent of poverty in the district. You will find that schools situated in pockets of poverty tend to have lower graduation rates.

If you don’t think we need to do better by our children simply because they are children, then cast the argument in economic terms. Each year that 14.5 million children continue to live in poverty, our economy loses about $130 billion because poor children tend to grow up to be less educated adults and less productive workers, as estimated by the Children’s Defense Fund.

Reprinted from the Hunger Network in Ohio newsletter, Volume 23, No. 2.

 

How to Contact...

NATIONAL
National Coalition for the Homeless. Hotline:
202/775-1372 or http://NCH.ari.net.

National Low Income Housing Coalition
http://www.nlihc.org

President Clinton
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20500; 202/456-1414; 202/456-2461 (fax)
president@white house.gov

Senators Voinovich & DeWine
United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510
Voinovich - 202/224-3353; 202/228-1382 (f)
Voinovich - voinovich@voinovich.senate.gov
DeWine - 202/224-2315; 202/224-6519 (f)
DeWine - senator_dewine@dewine.senate.gov

Representatives
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515; 202/224-3121

STATE
Governor Taft
77 S. High St., Columbus, Ohio 43215
614/466-3555; 614/466-9354 (fax)

Ohio Senate
State House, Columbus, Ohio 43266-0604
614/644-5466 (fax-R); 614/644-1982 (fax - D)

Ohio House of Representatives
77 S. High St., Columbus, Ohio 43215
614/644-9494 (fax)

Legislative Directories are available by contacting us: COHHIO - 85 E Gay St, Ste. 603,
Columbus, OH 43215-3118; 614/280-1984; 614/463-1060 (fax)

 

Newletter Information

Newsletter of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) Spring •
Volume 5 • Issue 1. Editor: Susan Francis

COHHIO is a coalition of organizations and individuals committed to ending homelessness and to promoting decent, safe, fair, affordable housing for all, with a focus on assisting low-income people and those with special needs.

COHHIO Staff
Bill Faith, Executive Director; Pam Argus, Associate Director; Christina Buzzard, OCRP VISTA, Susan Francis, Communications Coordinator; Janet Holcomb, Administrative Assistant; Jill Russ, Section 8 Project Coordinator; Rick Taylor, Housing Policy Director; Ande Ucubagabriel, Fiscal Manager; Spencer Wells, Tenant Outreach Coordinator; Cathy Johnston, AmeriCorps Program Director; Angela Lariviere, AmeriCorps Project Coordinator/Youth Project Coordinator; Kevin Cunningham, Homeless Youth Project AmeriCorps VISTA, and Mary Scott, AmeriCorps Administrative Assistant.
85 E. Gay St., Suite 603, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3118; 614/280-1984; 614/463-1060 (fax); cohhio@aol.com;
index.html.

 

Continuum of Care Program Changes
As reported on the front page of this newsletter, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently released its Fiscal Year 2000 SuperNOFA (Notice of Funding Availability). One of the program areas included in this year’s SuperNOFA is the Continuum of Care. In years past, HUD has taken this opportunity to modify either the Continuum of Care process and/or the application itself. As we go to press with this edition of Breaking Ground, the application kit is not yet available, but we can glean some information from both the Program section of the SuperNOFA and the Federal Register.

Similar to last year’s SuperNOFA, HUD is required through legislation to use not less than 30 percent of the total FY 2000 homeless grant assistance appropriation to fund projects that meet the definition of permanent housing. Projects meeting the definition of permanent housing are: (1) new Shelter Plus Care projects; (2) Shelter Plus Care renewal projects; (3) Section 8 SRO projects; and (4) new and renewal projects designated as permanent housing for homeless persons with disabilities under the Supportive Housing Program. Since the FY 2000 homeless grant assistance appropriation is $1.02 billion, not less than $306 million must be awarded to permanent housing projects. As with last year’s competition, a continuum could be eligible for a $250,000 “bonus,” if the number one priority project qualifies as an eligible, new permanent housing project.

As with last year’s SuperNOFA, applicants must match Supportive Housing Program (SHP) funds provided for acquisition, rehabilitation, and new construction with an equal amount of funds from other sources. In addition, in this year's competition, you must match by 25 percent, all funding for supportive services. The cash source may be your agency, the Federal Government, State and local governments, or private resources. You must match rental assistance provided through the Shelter Plus Care Program in the aggregate with supportive services.

There are, however, a couple of new wrinkles this year that might have an impact on things. HUD anticipates publishing an amendment to SHP program regulations in the near future, which would allow HUD to pay up to 75 percent of the annual operating costs for supportive housing in every year of the grant. The current rule allows HUD to pay up to 75 percent in the first two years of the grant, and up to 50 percent in the remaining year. If the amendment is published with final effect before conditional selection of awards under this SuperNOFA, the amendment will apply to grants awarded in this competition.

There has been some talk over the past couple of years around the whole notion of funding S+C renewals outside of the Continuum of Care. As you may know, President Clinton included such a provision in his Fiscal Year 2001 HUD budget. Should Congress pass and the President sign legislation prior to this year's grant announcement, permitting eligible S+C renewals selected for funding in the 2000 competition to be funded from sources other than the McKinney Act, HUD reserves the right to exercise this authority. Should this authority be exercised, HUD will skip over these selected S+C renewal projects funded from sources other than the McKinney Act in choosing projects from Continuum of Care priority lists for McKinney Act funding in this year's competition. These skipped over S+C renewal projects will not count against your continuum's prorata need amount, thus increasing the funds available for other projects. According to HUD, you should plan for this eventuality when developing your Continuum of Care priority list. All S+C renewals selected for funding, regardless of funding source, will count toward the 30 percent permanent housing requirement.

Following last year’s grant announcements and the subsequent debriefings, HUD offered some clarification regarding two key issues. Please keep in mind that these clarifications were offered within the context of last year’s competition. There were a few supportive services only projects that did not get funded last year, simply because they did not go into enough detail in one area of the application.

Supportive services only projects, and all others for that matter, must show how participants will be helped to access permanent housing and achieve self-sufficiency. In addition, you must describe in detail, what the housing looks like (i.e. number of bedrooms and amenities), where it is located (i.e. proximity to neighborhood services), and who owns, operates, or manages it. This is a threshold criteria. If you do not give them enough information, your project will be skipped over.

The other issue pertained to leveraging. HUD will award up to 10 points based on the extent to which your application demonstrates leveraging of funds requested with other resources including private, other public, and mainstream services and housing programs. To achieve the highest rating for this factor in last year’s competition, continuum’s had to demonstrate the ability to leverage other resources in an amount equal to two times the requested amount. In essence, the collective leveraging ratio had to be 2-to-1, to receive the maximum number of points.

Tiering projects within the continuum is an art form. Once the continuum’s prorata need is established, it is applied against the priority project list in the application. Starting from the highest priority project, HUD proceeds down the list to award need points to each project. An eligible project will receive the full 40 points for need if at least one half of its requested amount falls within the pro rata need amount for that continuum.

Probably the single largest change, at least at this point, has to do with application submission requirements. In the past HUD placed a limit on the number of pages for each section of the application. They never really paid much attention to those limits, therefore, it was not an issue. That seems to have changed for this year’s application. The application requires a description of the Continuum of Care system and the proposed project(s). To ensure that no applicant is afforded an advantage in the rating of the Continuum of Care element, HUD is establishing a limitation of 25 pages, excluding required multiple page tables or charts but including any attachments, on the length of Exhibit 1 of any application submitted in response to this SuperNOFA. HUD will not consider the contents of any pages exceeding this limit when rating the Continuum of Care element of any application.

Again, these observations come from the Program section of the SuperNOFA and the Federal Register. If you are interested in applying for funding through the Continuum of Care, please contact HUD directly and request an application kit. You can call the SuperNOFA Information Center at 800/HUD-8929, or visit the HUD website at www.hud.gov. If you have specific questions regarding either applicant or project eligibility, the application process, or would like to know more about the Continuum of Care, please contact Rick Taylor at COHHIO at
614/280-1984 or via e-mail at cohhiort@aol.com.

 

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!

 

B.R.E.A.D. Organization Proposes Housing Trust Fund for Columbus

The B.R.E.A.D. Organization of Columbus is proposing the creation of a local housing trust fund. The Housing Trust Fund would utilize local resources to address the critical low-income housing needs of Columbus and Franklin County. The Trust Fund would not only increase housing choices throughout the County, but also provide needed local funds to access federal and state funds, such as HOME, the Community Development Block Grant Program, and the State Housing Trust Fund. The proposed housing trust fund is part of the Jubilee Plan developed by B.R.E.A.D. The Plan calls for the creation of a housing trust fund, plus adopting an ordinance that would require developers to include affordable and low-income housing in developments and a reinvestment plan for the Center City with a mix of incentives to spur housing development.

B.R.E.A.D. (Building Responsibility, Equality, and Dignity) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to draw together people of faith to act powerfully on local issues of justice and fairness through processes of relationship building, direct action, and negotiation with decision-makers. B.R.E.A.D. is affiliated with the Direct Action Research Training Center (DART). Presently 35 congregations with more than 30,000 memare part of the organization.

The proposed Housing Trust Fund would be administered by an independent nonprofit corporation governed by a Board made up of community representatives appointed by the City and County. Grants and loans will be awarded through a competitive process. Eligible applicants include nonprofit developers and organizations, for-profit entities and public entities.

Projects supported through the proposed trust fund would serve households earning less than 80 percent of the area median income or be located in qualified census tracts. At least 75 percent of available funds would serve those earning less than 60 percent of the area median income.
Projects eligible for funding could include rental and homeownership; new construction and rehabilitation; downpayment and closing cost assistance for homeownership; and capacity development for nonprofit development corporations.

Priority would be given to projects that provide training and skills development in construction and related trades. Projects will also receive priority if they ensure long-term affordability; serve very-low income households; or promote mixed income neighborhoods.

The proposal is recommending two revenue sources. The first would be a $50 million bond issue passed by the Columbus City Council with funds designated for the trust fund. The bond would be repaid from City Income Taxes. The second source would be an increase in the Title Transfer Fee by Franklin County from $1 per $1,000 valuation to $3 per $1,000 valuation. This would generate approximately $8 million each year for the trust fund.

Estimates indicate there is a shortage of 33,000 units in Columbus and that more than 55,000 low-income households in the County pay more than 30 percent of their monthly income for housing. In addition, homeownership rates in Columbus and Franklin County are well below homeownership rates in the region and nationwide. In Franklin County, the rate of homeownership is 56.9 percent, essentially unchanged from 20 years ago. In Columbus, the rate is 48 percent. For Midwestern communities in the United States, it is 72 percent and nationally, it is 68 percent.

A recent study released by Kent State University indicates that between 1979 and 1997, the percentage of workers in Columbus earning $7.90 or less an hour increased from 19.9 percent to 28.6 percent, primarily the result of the rapid growth in service-sector jobs in Central Ohio.

For more information, contact John Aeschbury, B.R.E.A.D. Organization, 1015 East Main Street, Columbus, Ohio 43205, 614/258-8748. Reprinted from News From The Housing Trust Fund Project, Winter 1999/2000.

 

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING
THE RITZ CATERING COMPANY, COLUMBUS
APRIL 19, 2000 - 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
$25

COHHIO, with the support of the Ohio Department of Development, will be sponsoring a Fiscal Management Training on April 19 at the Ritz Catering Company, Columbus. The cost of the training will be $25. In conjunction with the Office of Housing and Community Partnerships, COHHIO is offering a one day training for fiscal managers and administrators of non-profits who receive public funds on the essentials of fiscal accountability strategies. This training will focus on advanced financial management. The training will cover issues related to fund accounting, grant monitoring and reporting, fiscal policies and procedures, updates regarding federal fiscal regulations and other applicable issues. Participants will include staff responsible for the financial management of an agency providing housing or serving homeless people, CPAs knowledgeable with non-profit requirements and state/federal grants and ODOD personnel involved in grant monitoring. The registration fee includes materials, coffee, soda and lunch. A fiscal management manual for non-profits that COHHIO has developed will be distributed at the training. Please complete the registration form and return with a check made out to COHHIO by April 10. For more information, call COHHIO at 614/280-1984. Directions will be sent once you have registered for the conference. COHHIO has submitted training materials to the Accountancy Board of Ohio and has received a sponsorship number so those attending this training will be eligible for approximately 6.5 hours of CPE's. A training certificate will be sent to anyone signing up for CPE's at the training.


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 = $25

____ 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 index.html.

Mortgage Credit Partnership

The Mortgage Credit Partnership (MCP) project seeks to broaden home ownership opportunities by examining the entire home-buying process, as well as the industries involved, with the intended focus on assuring fair and consistent treatment regardless of race, gender or ethnicity.

How Does the MCP Work?
There are at least 18 steps- or pieces- involved in the typical home-buying puzzle. With each step, a prospective home-buyer may face barriers that can impede the purchase of a home. The MCP model brings together pieces of the home-buyer puzzle - bankers, appraisers, real estate professionals, insurers, housing developers and advocates, and government agencies - to identify potential barriers in the home-buying and mortgage-lending processes. Its goal is to recommend changes in current policies or practices within those 18 steps that could lead to unfair or disparate treatment.

In a collaborative nature, this partnership becomes a positive force for potential change, rather than an agent that assesses blame on any particular industry group, company or individual for any past or current practices. MCP initiatives around the country have had compelling results.

The 18 identified critical points in the home-buying process are: search process, independent of real estate industry; real estate agent involved in the search process; initial provision of information by real estate agent; initial lender inquiry; initial loan application; truth in lending issues; credit application; qualifying the property (appraisal); verification of financial information; credit/employment evaluation; evaluation of appraisal report; loan approval process; private mortgage insurance; change in terms or conditions; homeowners’ insurance; title search and escrow; retention of loan; and sale of the loan on the secondary market.

Leading an MCP Project
Communities in several parts of the United States have conducted or are launching MCP projects to help ensure equal access to home ownership. Leading such an effort can be both a challenging and rewarding opportunity. It requires a level of commitment reserved for true community leaders. You are invited to assume that leadership role by initiating a MCP project and bringing together the pieces of the home-buying process in your community.
Key Steps of an MCP Project

Getting Started
- Developing a project plan
- Identifying and recruiting co-sponsors
- Obtaining support of other community leaders
- Developing a cross-industry list of professionals as potential participants

Kicking off the Project
- Sponsoring an orientation session to introduce the project to industry professionals
- Identifying and prioritizing specific areas of decision points of the home-buying process
- Recruiting task group participants to address targeted issues

Forming Task Groups
- Developing an understanding of the issues related to industry practices
- Identifying barriers to equal access within specific industry segments
- Developing recommendations to eliminate identified barriers

Implementing Recommendations
- Establishing mechanisms for effective and timely implementation of recommendations
- Recruiting task group participants and/or key organizations to carry out recommendations
- Meeting with industry leaders, trade organizations, government representatives and others to recruit support for industry-specific recommendations
- Providing ongoing support and follow-up of implementation accomplishments.

Resources for MCP Leaders
MCP projects have already created success stories in seven areas of the country: Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, New York, San Francisco and St. Louis. And now, their experiences are packaged together in a free, step-by-step guide that will help you form and host a similar collaboration. The MCP Resource Guide is an excellent tool for pulling together many “how-to’s,” complete with checklists, sample letters, meeting formats and invitations - all for your community to use in leading your own MCP project. To order the MCP Resource Guide, please contact the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis at 314/444-8761.

A Success Story: The Cleveland Project
The first Mortgage Credit Partnership was formed in Cleveland in 1993. Named the Cleveland Residential Housing and Mortgage Credit Project, it was sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Department of Development, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the Greater Cleveland Roundtable (a coalition of business, government and civic leaders) and the Ohio Civil Right Commission. It has involved more than 140 representatives of the home-buying and lending industries, including lenders, appraisals, real estate agents, credit bureaus, property and mortgage insurance companies, secondary-market companies, as well as housing advocacy groups.

What began as a two-day conference spawned task groups to evaluate and propose changes in industry practices and standards that contribute to barriers at different points during the home-buying process.

The Cleveland project opened up communication among representatives of various industries and between industry representatives and housing advocates. It has promoted candid discussion on the existence of discriminatory practices and barriers to equal access and has elicited the commitment of industry representatives to hammer out steps to address such policies and practices.

In all, task groups generate 29 recommendations for reducing discrimination in the housing market. To date, more than half of the recommendations have been implemented, including:
- the elimination of stated preference for conventional financing when listing a house for sale.
- a requirement that appraisers bidding on inner-city jobs submit to the lender a recent sample appraisal conducted in the neighborhoods served by the lender.
- the elimination of minimum insurance amounts, as well as age and location requirements for property insurance contracts.

Implementation of the Cleveland project is a work in progress. But its success can already by measured. And, while acknowledging the project’s tangible accomplishments, many participants say that the project’s most significant benefit was the actual process of learning and communicating across the various home-buying industries.

For more information about leading or participating in a Mortgage Credit Partnership in your community, please contact the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland at 216/579-2903.

 

COHHIO Receives Technical Assistance Grant from HUD
Late last month, COHHIO was awarded $203,000 to carry out technical assistance activities as part of both the Supportive Housing Program (SHP) Technical Assistance Program and the HOME Technical Assistance Program.

The technical assistance activities carried out with this grant are designed to provide support and assistance under both program areas, with the SHP technical assistance geared towards prospective applicants, recipients, or other providers of supportive housing or SHP funded services for homeless individuals and/or families, and the HOME technical assistance focusing on participating jurisdictions within the state, in an attempt to facilitate the development and implementation of affordable housing strategies designed around preserving their existing stock of affordable housing.

If you would like to find out how to take advantage of this technical assistance, please contact Rick Taylor at COHHIO at 614/280-1984 or via e-mail at cohhiort@aol.com.

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:
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.

Check out the COHHIO Web Page - Your One Stop Shop for Information

index.html (soon to be http://www.cohhio.org)

Here’s a list of some of the information you can find on our web page:
• Directory of Services - a listing of organizations by county that provide services to homeless persons and/or work on housing development
• Legislative Directory - a listing by county of Ohio House, Ohio Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and other government/legislative contacts.
• Links. Many links for local, state and national organizations and agencies.
• Trainings information, including conference brochure and program, fiscal management training registration form and directions.
• Action alerts, including federal budget updates.
• COHHIO project information including the Ohio Community Reinvestment Project, AmeriCorps and the OTAG project which includes a regularly updated listing of Ohio Mark to Market projects and Ohio Project-based Section 8 properties.
• What’s New section that includes HUD’s Continuum of Care announcements, the recent Housing Trust Fund RFP announcements, the Homeless Attitudes survey, and the Out of Reach report.
• COHHIO newsletters from January 1999 through the present.
• Homeless factsheets.
• State budget process information
• Funding Updates

This is a just a sampling of some of the information that is available to you on our web page. Please visit the site and see how it can help you. If you have suggestions for additional information that would be helpful for you please let us know.

For any questions, comments, suggestions, etc., please contact Susan Francis at COHHIO at 85 East Gay Street, Suite 603, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3118; 614/280-1984; 614/463-1060 (fax); cohhiosf@aol.com or directly on the website at
index.html.

Please be sure to check us out:

index.html (soon to be http://cohhio.org.)

 

AMERICORPS HOUSES THE HOMELESS YEAR END SUMMARY - 1999
COHHIO's AmeriCorps Houses the Homeless successfully met all program objectives for 1999. AC Houses the Homeless memcontributed over 63,000 community service hours to homeless Ohioans while generating over 40,000 volunteer hours in communities in which we served. Our memassisted 1,383 households move from homelessness to permanent housing. Members also assisted 4,514 households with supportive services to maintaining their housing. AmeriCorps mem made repairs to 734 housing units, some of these repairs were for low income elderly homeowners who had no other means to make essential repairs.

Members took advantage of many training opportunities offered by both COHHIO/AmeriCorps and the Partner Agencies. Members received over 7,000 training hours during their term. Members also attended statewide trainings and service project such as the annual COHHIO Conference in March, the Salvation Army Camp training in May, all Member Gathering in July and the Cincinnati training at RESTOC in September. Members also benefited from many training opportunities at their service sites throughout the year.

In addition to accomplishing our housing and training objectives , AmeriCorps Houses the Homeless contributed to building stronger communities by forging new community collaborations. During the 1999 program year, AHH memformed 171 new collaboratives in developing housing resources and 148 in the supportive services category. The importance of these efforts was summed up by Lynn Goza, AmeriCorps supervisor with WSOS, "every new collaborative partnership developed has provided additional connections to various social service or community wide agencies. These connections help tremendously as it allows us to pull resources together which in turn builds a stronger community."

AmeriCorps Houses the Homeless was also a vehicle for personal growth among the memip. Deborah Brown from Portage Area Transitional Housing put it this way, "I have learned more in the past 12 months than I have learned in the last ten years. The combination of working with PATH, being any active AmeriCorps memand earning my degree has filled my mind with many, many memries, as well as ideas, empathy, knowledge, understanding and excitement about what lies before me as I continue my journey in life."

Another integral part of our programming this year was providing a leadership development opportunity for the AmeriCorps Leader, Mary Brubaker. Mary spent much of her time working with the regional groups and assisting in devising and implementing the 2000 recruitment strategy. Mary said this about her AmeriCorps Leader experience, "The Administrative team for AmeriCorps Houses the Homeless is devoted to embracing diversity for mem promoting and investing in mem professional and personal growth and empowering mem to broaden their knowledge. Thank you for this year. It will be a great foundation for the upcoming years."

As exemplified in this year's closing heart felt closing ceremony in December, memwere proud of their AmeriCorps experience as They Got Things Done for Ohio.

Any questions regarding COHHIO's AmeriCorps program should go to Cathy Johnston at COHHIO at 614/280-1984.

Welcome! 2000 COHHIO AmeriCorps Members

CENTRAL
Central City Development Corp.: Charles Petty, Ozzie Boone
National Church Residences: Virginia Goggins, Petrel Lollar, Susan Day, Pam Hatch
MAP: Llyod Nelson
Friends of the Homeless: Kevin Smith, Arlene Vance
Lutheran Social Services: Owen Bair, Gail Marcum
Licking CCH: Sharon Burgess
The Shelter: Cheri Norris, Megan Mathis
Safe Havens: Rachel Gorsuch, Aundria Miller
YWCA - Columbus: Bobbie Fankell, Sherry Franklin, Melissa Davis

NORTHEAST
Access: Emily Duhaime, Toby Sinkinson, Kurt Weider
Bishop Cosgrov Center: Coletha Brown, Carlotta Rhym
Cleveland Mediation Center: Carmen Gray
Community Aids Network: Clythie Sharp
Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless: Patricia Clifton, Victoria Lipscomb
Portage Area Transitional Housing: Deborah Brown, Karen Karrick
YWCA - Youngstown: Jennifer O’Neill, Valerie Revere


NORTHWEST
Focus: LaTeasa Allen-Hicks, Titus Daniels, Belinda Delgado, Stan Montgomery
Ottawa County Transitional Housing: Pat Bowling
WSOS, CAC Seneca County: Sue Madden
WSOS, CAC Ottawa County: Melinda Stephenson
WSOS, CAC Wood County: Kimberly Williams-Jones


SOUTHWEST
Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless: Melissa Sanham
Rural Action Development Corp: Scott Baker, Mike Makosky, Ed Matteson, Richard Stump
RESTOC: Tyrone Hardy, Darryl Hogan
CAC of Fayette County: Doug Mead, Tim Williams

 

 

Ohio Safety Councils: Bringing Safety Home
Ohio employers can get involved with safety on a local level by joining a safety council. Any number of representatives from a company may participate in the program. Safety councils, co-sponsored by BWC's Division of Safety & Hygiene, provide employers with a forum to share occupational safety information with industry colleagues, while obtaining information on maintaining a safe and profitable work environment. By spending an hour or two a month at a safety council meeting, you may obtain the information you need to maintain a safe and profitable work environment.

Each of the 53 safety councils, most of which are organized out of local chambers of commerce offices, is charged with providing programs and coordinating projects appropriate for the businesses in its community. For that reason, each safety council is unique in its programming and organization.

Safety councils host monthly meetings that cover a variety of topics, including occupational safety and health, risk management and workers' compensation. Subjects include handling infectious waste materials, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) initiatives, building an effective safety program and more. In addition to the monthly meetings, safety councils memparticipate in a campaign to recognize excellence in safety in Ohio workplaces.

Company participation in safety councils is increasing throughout the state. "Each year, more companies participate and more importantly, accident records (statistics) are improving," says Nancy Morcher, executive director of the London Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Newark/Licking County Safety Council is an example of a program that provides a variety of services to its memin addition to sponsoring monthly meetings. In the last year, the council has created a monthly newsletter, Safety in Action, sponsored a BWC panel luncheon, conducted an OSHA 10-hour certification training seminar and honored companies with near-perfect meetings attendance at a Participation Awards luncheon. For more information about a safety council in your area, call Michelle Francisco at 614/644-7042 or 800/OHIOBWC and press 22, or visit the employer section of BWC Online at www.ohiobwc.com.

Safety Paycheck Stuffers
To reinforce the importance of safety and your commitment to safety in the workplace, BWC created a free paycheck stuffer you can order for your employees' payroll checks. The stuff comes in two sizes: 81/2" x 3 2/3" (#10 envelope) and 7 1/2" x 3 2/3" (warrant envelope). To order, call 800/OHIOBWC, press 32 and specify the quantity and size you need.

Ohio Safety Congress
The 70th Annual All-Ohio Safety & Health Congress & Exhibit will be held on April 3-6 at the Columbus Convention Center. This multi-day training will include general sessions, over 150 educational sessions, and over 200 safety product displays and hands-on demonstrations. Admission to the Ohio Safety Congress is FREE! To receive a program and registration materials, call 800/644-6292, press 22 option 1, or fax to 614/728-3260 or visit their website at www.ohiobwc.com. The Ohio Safety Congress is sponsored by the BWC Division of Safety & Hygiene.

Resources

TRAININGS
The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) is offering two trainings - 2000 Housing Development Finance Professional Certification Program and 2000 Lead Abatement Licensure Training.

 

• Housing Development Finance Professional Certification Program - this three week program, being held in Columbus, will focus on the financing of affordable housing projects, including single family home ownership finance (April 3-6), multi-family housing development finance (June 12-16) and housing development finance: problem solving and deal structuring (September 25-29). The April 3-6 training, Single Family Home Ownership Finance, explores the skills required to successfully develop affordable, owner-occupied, single-family housing. The session focuses on the role of financing in affecting affordability - both of the unit's sale price and they buyer's monthly mortgage payment. The registration fee is $350 for each training and those completing the course and passing the exam will be certified as development finance professionals. The registration deadline for the April training is February 28. For more information, call Mary Dupler at ODOD at 614/466-2285.

 

• Lead Abatement Licensure Trainings. Lead Inspector Training - April 17-18, Akron. The purpose of the course is to equip inspectors with the specialized skills necessary to conduct accurate and defensible building/housing inspections for lead-based paint. The course follows Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of HUD guidelines. Lead Risk Assessor Training, April 19-21, Akron. This course consists of classroom lectures and hands-on activities conducted in order to 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 Hazard Abatement For Supervisors/Contractors, May 1-5, Findlay. This course uses the EPA model abatement supervisor curriculum and augments it with a number of additional topics. The focus in on the identification of proper work practices and job specifications for a variety of abatement techniques for paint, dust and soil, and will help in choosing the most cost-effective abatement methods. The registration fee is $100 for each training. For more information, call Tom Sherman at ODOD at 614/466-2285.

May 17-19 - Building Successful Communities Conference, Ohio Historic Preservation Office, Columbus. Focus on historic preservation and economic development. Hands-on workshops on wood, paint, plaster, masonry, slate roofs, wood windows, box gutters. Over 30 sessions featuring experts on preservation and revitalization, financing, design and building code issues, new construction in historic areas, business recruitment, and community and nonprofit leadership. For a brochure, call 800/854-2371.

The Ohio Historic Preservation Office (OHPO) is offering free Building Doctor Clinics. The clinics in 2000 are: Columbus (April 13-14); Youngstown (May 4-5); Hamilton area (June 1-2); Westerville (June 22-23); East Cleveland (July 13-14); Aurora (August 17-18); Fremont (September 14-15) and Grandview Heights (October 12-13). Designed to help solve common, old-building problems and help owners make informed repair and improvement decisions. Plus they will visit older buildings in or near the communities where a clinic is being held to examine problems and prescribe cures. The clinics and consultations are free; however, interested participants must register to attend. For more information, call OHPO at 800/499-2470.

PUBLICATIONS
HUD USER. Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve and Practical Lessons: The 1998 National Symposium on Homelessness Research. Homelessness details the findings of the National Survey on Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients. Practical Lessons draws materials from studies and research conducted over the past decade on homeless issues. It resulted from the National Symposium on Homelessness Research, which was convened in October 1998. Homelessness (ACCN-HUD8774) and Practical Lessons (ACCN-HUD8779) are both available for free. What We Know About Mortgage Lending Discrimination in America is a study that provides a comprehensive review and reanalysis of the best available evidence on possible discrimination by mortgage lenders and assesses evidence of discrimination at each stage in the mortgage lending process. What We Know (ACCN-HUD8765-2) is available for $5. American Housing Survey for the United States, 1997 presents a wide range of data including more than 400 pages of tables, including data on apartments; single family homes; mobile homes; income; housing and neighborhood quality; housing costs; equipment and fuels; and size of the housing unit. The book also presents data on mortgages, rent control, rent subsidies, previous unit of recent movers, and reasons for moving. American Housing Survey (ACCN-HUD8778) is available for $5. The Rehab Guide: Exterior Walls contains an overview of exterior wall framing styles, and includes drawing and photographs to supplement written description of exterior walls, including design and engineering, masonry/brick veneer, sheathing, vapor retarders, insulation, exterior trim, sealants and caulks, and paints. Exterior Walls (ACCN-HUD8751) is available for $5. To order any of these publications, call HUD USER at 800/245-2691 or visit their website at http://www.huduser.org.

AWARDS
Nominations are being accepted through July 1 for the Ohio Historic Preservation Office Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements in preservation, rehabilitation or adaptive use of historic properties. Activities eligible include longtime care of a historic property, preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, or adaptive use of an important building or site. For a nomination form, contact the Ohio Historic Preservation Office at 614/297-2470.

Aurora Project, Inc. Seeks Executive Director
Aurora Project, Inc., a not-for-profit transitional housing program in Toledo, Ohio is seeking new leadership to continue its mission of providing excellent programs and services to homeless women and their children. Interested candidates should submit a resume, references, and a cover letter with salary history to: Board Chair, Aurora Project, Inc., 1035 North Superior Street, Toledo, Ohio 43604. No phone calls please.

New Poverty Guidelines Released
The Department of Health and Human Services has released the new poverty guidelines. These new guidelines account for the last calendar year's increase in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

2000 Poverty Guidelines for the 48 Continguous State and the District of Columbia

Size of Family Poverty Guideline
1 $8,350
2 $11,250
3 $14,150
4 $17,050
5 $19,950
6 $22,850
7 $25,750
8 $28,650

 

For family units with more than 8 mem add $2,900 for each additional mem (The same increment applies to smaller family sizes also, as can be seen in the figures above.)

 

• For general information about the poverty guidelines, contact Gordon Fisher, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation, Room 404E, Humphrey Building, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC 20201, 202/690-5880 or you can visit the poverty guidelines internet site at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/poverty.htm.
• For information about the Department of Labor's Lower Living Standard Income Level (a self-sufficiency criterion with the poverty guidelines for certain Workforce Investment Act employment and training programs), contact Ronald E.Putz, U.S. Department of Labor, 202/219-7694, ext. 142 or email at rputz@doleta.gov.
• For information about the number of people in poverty (since 1959) or about the Census Bureau (statistical) poverty thresholds, contact the HHES Division, Room 1472, Federal Office Building #3, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC 20233, 301/457-3242 or email at hhes-info@census.gov or visit the web site at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty.html.

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cohhio@cohhio.org