Breaking Ground - April 2001

Advocacy Paying Off: Victories on Housing within Reach in State Budget

"Don't Bust the Trust" COHHIO's Lego Lobby Day Successful

How to Contact and About COHHIO

COHHIO's 2001 Annual Conference & Lobby Day Attracts Over 500 Participants

COHHIO Membership

Conference Co-Sponsors

A Responsible Budget for America's Priorities of Fuzzy Math?

Highlights of 2000 U.S. Conference of Mayors Homeless Report

The State of the Nation's Housing 2000

Columbus Sets Up New Housing Trust Fund

Capital Access in a Global Era...

Fiscal Management Training

Mark-to-Mark Update: OHFA Steps Down as PAE in Ohio

COHHIO Youth Empowerment Program Begins its Second Year

Federal Funding Available - New Homeless Addiction Services Program

Federal Funding Available for Housing for People with Serious Mental Illness

Housing Crisis Spreads to Middle-Class

National Evaluation of HOPWA

In Honor of Fair Housing Month...Akron's Hans Christian Anderson of Fair Housing

Activist Alert

COHHIO's Board List

Resources

COHHIO News

 

Advocacy Paying Off: Victories on Housing within Reach in State Budget
Due to the hard work of committed advocates from across the state, several housing issues are expected to get addressed when the House budget plan is unveiled by the end of April. Since budget negotiations are ongoing, it is difficult to say with certainty where the housing issues stand, but this is our best projection as of this writing.

1.) Taft Administration’s proposal to gut the mission of the Ohio Housing Trust Fund.
Without prior warning, the Taft Administration proposed numerous changes to the permanent statute which includes cuts in funds for non-profits, increases in income targeting, changes to the definition of rural areas and prioritizes loans which must be repaid instead of grants.

COHHIO has been assured by the House leadership that these changes will be removed from the budget bill. Some additional provisions are to be added which would put more oversight and control regarding how the Department of Development utilizes housing funds.

2.) TANF Housing Package for Low Wage Working Families.
There is strong support by leaders in the House and Senate to use upwards of $50 million of surplus TANF funds for a range of housing initiatives including rental assistance, supportive housing, down payment assistance including mobile homes, and funding for emergency shelter services. All of these funds would be transferred from the Department of Jobs and Family Services to be administered by the Department of Development and granted to local nonprofit housing/homelessness organizations throughout the state.

 

3.) Education of Homeless Children.
COHHIO’s Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) has been working to address education issues of homeless children by adding a statute which would bring Ohio in compliance with federal law requiring school districts to assure access to public education for homeless children. COHHIO has been assured that this statute will be added to the budget bill. The YEP is also pushing for the state to match the current federal funds provided to facilitate the education of homeless children with $1 million of state funds. We are still hopeful that this resource will be added to the bill.

4.) Support increased funding for the Housing Trust Fund.
This issue is probably the most critical housing issue in the budget but has proven to be a huge challenge given the massive cuts being made in this budget to fund education and other priorities. The Taft Administration proposed to reduce the appropriation for the Housing Trust Fund by $7.2 million over the next two years, from $50.9 million in the past two years to $43.6 million in the next two years. COHHIO is requesting at least a $10 million increase. Funds for emergency shelters, supportive housing and CDCs should be increased - not decreased as the administration proposed. Advocates need to continue to push for the increase in Housing Trust Fund and other key housing programs. Some arguments that can be used are as follows:

Why is this increase necessary?
• There is no county in the state where a full time minimum wage job pays enough to afford an average two-bedroom apartment. In fact, Ohio workers must earn at least twice the federal minimum wage, or $10.30 per hour, to afford the rent.
• Last year the Housing Development Assistance program was shut down due to the fact that all funds available for the year had already been committed. An extra appropriation of $9 million to the Trust Fund was needed due to unprecedented demand.
• The Request for Proposals had twice the demand as funds available.
• With the 40 percent increase in Housing Tax Credits approved by Congress last year, demand for development projects will be even higher over the next two years.
• Affordable housing need out paces supply. Housing needs for young potential homeowners, elderly Ohioans, those with special needs and homeless people could be better addressed.
• Funding is also needed to help address the expiring Section 8 contract issue that has placed thousands of elderly, disabled and families at risk of losing their affordable housing units.

By the middle of May, the budget is expected to be acted on by the Ohio Senate. Please make sure to contact your Senator to encourage their support of the Housing Trust Fund and other key issues in the budget bill. For information on how to find your Senator or how to contact him or her, or for more information on the state budget process, visit the COHHIO web page at www.cohhio.org or call COHHIO at 614-280-1984.

 

"Don’t Bust the Trust": COHHIO’s Lego Lobby Day Successful
On April 4th, housing advocates gathered at the Statehouse to push for more resources for a range of housing programs in the state budget. Following a legislative breakfast, where key House members were honored by COHHIO, advocates met all day with various members of the House and Senate. In total, advocates met with 24 of the 33 State Senators and 81 of the 99 House members to push for an increase for the Housing Trust Fund, the TANF Housing Package and to remove damaging language to the Housing Trust Fund statute that was proposed by the Taft Administration.

At the legislative breakfast, COHHIO honored seven members of the Ohio House of Representatives for their special efforts to address the housing needs of Ohioans. The members singled out for their leadership in "Housing Ohio" were:

Nancy Hollister (R-Marietta)
John Carey (R-Wellston)
Anthony Core (R-Rushsylvania)
Catherine Barrett (D-Cincinnati)
Tim Grendell (R-Chesterland)
Jim Hoops (R-Napoleon)
Ray Miller (D-Columbus)

Thanks to our friends in the legislature for all of their help in moving the "Housing Ohio" agenda forward. Also, a special thanks to the powerful push of local advocates who showed up and helped make the case for housing over the past two months.

For more information on our state budget efforts, contact Cathy Johnston at COHHIO at 614-280-1984 or by email at cathyjohnston@cohhio.org.

 

How to Contact & About COHHIO
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 Bush
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 - 35 E Gay St, Ste. 210,
Columbus, OH 43215-3138; 614/280-1984; 614/463-1060 (fax); www.cohhio.org.

 

Newsletter of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) April 2001 • Volume 6 • Issue 4. 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; Rebecca Bartholomew, AmeriCorps Program Coordinator; Kevin Blackledge, Youth Empowerment VISTA, Susan Francis, Communications Coordinator; Janet Holcomb, Administrative Assistant; Cathy Johnston, Advocacy Coordinator; Angela Lariviere, Youth Empowerment Coordinator; Warren Perkins, OTAG VISTA; Jill Russ, Section 8 Project Coordinator; Mary Scott, AmeriCorps Program Support Administrator; Rick Taylor, Housing Policy Director; Ande Ucubagabriel, Fiscal Manager; Kurt Weidner, AmeriCorps Leader and Spencer Wells, Tenant Outreach Coordinator. 35 E. Gay St., Suite 210, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3138; 614/280-1984; 614/463-1060 (fax); cohhio@cohhio.org; http://www.cohhio.org.

 

COHHIO’s 2001 Annual Conference & Lobby Day Attracts Over 500 Participants
COHHIO’s 2001 Annual Conference and Lobby Day, "Housing Ohio," held on April 2-4 at the Radisson Airport Hotel in Columbus, was an astounding success! Over 500 people from across the state, including emergency shelter providers, transitional housing providers, permanent housing providers, not-for-profit and for-profit housing developers, fair housing advocates, homeless service providers, state and local government officials, and financial institutions joined together to learn about housing related issues and to set an aggressive agenda for the future.

The conference was designed around several different tracks, all of which represented current projects being undertaken by COHHIO. These tracks included the preservation of affordable housing, welfare reform and its impact on housing, affordable housing development, community reinvestment and predatory lending, strategies to end homelessness, and capacity building. Of the feedback received to date, participants seemed to appreciate the content of the conference and described it as interesting and thought provoking.

In addition to the conference, this year’s Lobby Day attracted some 200 affordable housing advocates who rallied in the Statehouse Atrium before going off to legislative visits throughout the day. See related article on previous page.

A special thanks to this year’s conference co-sponsors. Without their support and that of the participants, the conference would not have been successful. Please see the list of co-sponsors on the next page.

COHHIO’s 2002 Annual Conference will be held on April 22-24 at the Columbus Marriott North. Don't forget to mark the dates!

 

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 35 E. Gay St, Ste. 210, Columbus, Ohio 43215.
Thank you for your support!

 

Conference Co-Sponsors
COHHIO would like to thank the following organizations
who generously cosponsored COHHIO's 2001 Annual Conference.
We greatly appreciate their support.

Ohio Department of Development
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Ohio Department of Mental Health
Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing
The Wallick Companies
Charter One Bank
Fifth Third Bank
Bank One
National City
Corporation for Supportive Housing
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) - Ohio Programs
Ohio Community Development Finance Fund
National Affordable Housing Trust
KeyBank
National Church Residences
Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati
Building Performance Group
Columbus Housing Partnership
Council for Rural Housing & Development of Ohio
The Enterprise Foundation
Miller Valentine Group
Fannie Mae Foundation
Ohio Home Builders Association
Ohio Association of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health
Services Boards
Association of Ohio Philanthropic Homes
Ohio Association of Realtors
Cleveland Housing Network

 

 

A Responsible Budget for America’s Priorities or Fuzzy Math?
Within the past month or so, the Bush Administration released its budget “blueprint” for funding for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Fiscal Year 2002. According to the Administration, the HUD budget will actually increase by some $1.9 billion, resulting in an increase in the number of community technology centers in high poverty neighborhoods, the provision of 34,000 additional housing vouchers, and the rehabilitation or construction of 100,000 homes through the Renewing the Dream tax credit, among other things.

Those outside of the Administration do not see things quite the same way. In a recent press conference, U.S. Representative John J. LaFalce (D-NY), Ranking Member on the House Financial Services Committee, pointed out the Bush Administration's claim that HUD is receiving a $1.9 billion dollar increase is simply not true, charging that a more accurate look at the numbers reveals that HUD's budget, and key HUD programs, are actually getting a real spending cut of $2.2 billion.

"Factual analysis reveals that the Bush Administration is using 'fuzzy math' to suggest a budget increase that is, quite frankly, not there. The Administration attempts to disguise the fact that it makes deep cuts in core housing programs, and reverses the progress we have made over the last few years. At a time of record surpluses and growing affordable housing needs, we ought to be increasing housing resources - not making deep cuts in public housing, affordable housing, and community development, as the Bush budget blueprint does."

"Reducing funds needed to improve the lives of the poorest children in American - those who live in public housing - is a very odd way to show compassion," said Barney Frank (D-MA), who is Ranking Member of the Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee. "In the face of a growing housing crisis in much of the country, President Bush thinks it is more important to reduce taxes on the wealthiest 1 percent than to respond to this problem."

The HUD budget cuts come at a time when the President is trying to rally support for his tax cut proposal, which would offer the wealthiest one percent forty-three percent of the benefits. The Administration's claim that HUD's budget is being increased is based on a technical $3.63 billion increase in Section 8 budget authority due to expiring contracts that does not produce a penny in additional spending. Instead of using funds set aside in the 1997 bi-partisan budget agreement to offset this phantom increase, the Administration budget makes cuts in housing programs.

Among those programs cut or eliminated are:

Public Housing - The Administration cuts $859 million from public housing funds, including a $700 million cut in funds for repair and maintenance of public housing units, and termination of the Drug Elimination anti-crime program;

Community Development - The Administration cuts $422 million from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program;

HOME Investment Partnership - The Administration budget cuts $200 million or 11 percent from this flexible affordable housing program;

Rural Housing and Development - The Administration budget eliminates the $25 million rural housing and development program; and

Section 8 Rental Assistance - The Administration budget proposes a dangerous reduction in Section 8 reserves, which could jeopardize local agencies' ability to pay rental subsidy checks on time. Its proposal for 34,000 incremental Section 8 vouchers is half the level funded the last three years (and one-third the level proposed by the Clinton Administration).

For more information, contact Rick Taylor at COHHIO at 614-280-1984 or by email at ricktaylor@cohhio.org.

 

Highlights of 2000 US Conference of Mayors Homelessness Report
Requests for emergency shelter are up an average of 15 percent ... and that's the highest annual increase reported since 1990.

Hunger

- 9 percent of respondents reported increase in food assistance requests.

- Causes of hunger: 14 respondents included cost of housing in list of causes.

Homelessness

- 80 percent of the survey cities report an increase in requests for emergency shelter--average increase was 15 percent (17 percent for families). The 15 percent increase is highest annual increase since 1990.

- 50 percent of the cities reported that the length of time people remain homeless has increased. This is particularly true in cities with tight rental markets.

- Demographics: Mentally ill (22 percent); Substance abusers (37 percent); 26 percent employed in full or part-time jobs (highest percentage ever); 15 percent veterans; 56 percent children (although this number is the same as last year; it is significantly higher than years before 1999, and more than twice what the national survey showed).

- Beds/Units: Emergency shelter beds for families up 26 percent; Transitional housing units up by 58 percent (40 percent for families); SRO units up 11 percent; 23 percent of requests by homeless people for emergency shelter go unmet (slightly down from last three years). In addition, 27 percent of the shelter requests by homeless families go unmet. In 68 percent of the cities, emergency shelters may have to turn away homeless families due to a lack of resources.

- Causes of Homelessness: All but one city included lack of affordable housing on list. Other commonly mentioned issues--mental illness, low paying jobs, substance abuse, domestic abuse.

Housing

- Requests for assisted housing by low-income families increased in 68 percent of the surveyed cities.

- The average wait for public housing was 16 months. Average wait for Section 8 was 23 months. Average wait for vouchers 29 months.

- 29 percent of eligible low-income households currently served by assisted housing in surveyed cities.

- On average, low income households spend 51 percent of income on housing.

Impact of the Economy on Hunger and Homelessness

- Many respondents highlighted increase of housing costs as a result of booming economy.

For additional information or to order a copy of the report, please visit the United States Conference of Mayors website at http://www.usmayors.org/uscm.

 

The State of the Nation’s Housing 2000
Earlier this year, the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University released The State of the Nation's Housing: 2000. The report, which is released annually, paints a pretty realistic picture of nearly all aspects of housing in this country. The news is much the same. In spite of the fact that home sales, homeownership rates, and the value of residential construction all set new records, the homeownership gap between whites and minorities has hardly narrowed and millions of very low-income households still lack adequate, affordable housing at a time when we are losing more subsidized housing units.

Here is an excerpt from the report’s Executive Summary...

Home Building’s Resilience: Housing markets shrugged off a full percentage-point increase in interest rates in 1999, with no year-over-year decline posted in aggregate production or home sales. Although multifamily and manufactured housing production did retreat, the value of new multi- and single-family construction rose and single-family production stood at its highest level in two decades. Housing starts have shown no significant declines for eight years, making this the longest housing expansion in the last half-century. Aided by steady economic growth, production gains have been more gradual than during the last three expansions. Adjustable-rate mortgages have also helped to blunt the impact of rising interest rates, climbing from 12 percent of mortgage loans in 1998 to 21 percent in 1999. With plenty of room for that share to grow, adjustables should again help to stave off a major downturn in housing markets this year.  While production did cool in over one-third of the states in 1999, it was still going strong in the rest–most notably in four of the five states that together account for almost 40 percent of the nation’s residential construction. Housing could thus eke out further gains in 2000, although rising interest rates and moderating stock prices pose threats to growth.    

Concerns Over Sprawl: The fast pace of residential construction has fueled concerns about sprawl. As employment continues to decentralize, households are able to live and work at greater and greater distances from the urban core. As a result, low-density metro counties have witnessed explosive job and housing growth in recent years while activity in high-density counties has been limited. The stock of homes in many metropolitan areas is also expanding at a remarkable rate. Between 1990 and 1998, new construction added 25 percent or more to the housing stocks of 21 metropolitan areas in the South and West. And this figure does not even include manufactured housing placements, which are highly concentrated in these regions. In contrast, no metropolitan area in the Northeast and only two in the Midwest experienced housing stock growth of this magnitude. Meanwhile, the exodus from central cities continues. Although most cities in the South and West registered gains, the movement away from many localities in the Northeast and Midwest pushed national net outmigration from larger cities to 1.2 million households between 1997 and 1999. High-income households are leading the way. While accounting for only one-quarter of all households living in larger cities in 1997, affluent households made up fully 44 percent of net outmigrants in the final two years of the decade.    

Homeownership On the Rise: Powered by strong income and employment growth, the national homeownership rate reached a new annual high of 66.8 percent in 1999 and continues to climb across all geographic regions, age groups, and racial/ethnic groups. Although persistent disparities between whites and minorities narrowed only slightly, minorities still accounted for nearly 40 percent of the net growth in owners in the final half of the 1990's. Rapid household growth, combined with climbing ownership rates, has boosted the minority presence in homebuying markets.  Homeownership has gotten an extra lift from mortgage industry innovation and outreach to low-income borrowers. With the introduction of low-downpayment products, flexible underwriting standards, and improved risk assessment tools, lenders have helped millions of low-income families buy first homes. In fact, loans to low-income buyers in metro areas increased by 55 percent between 1993 and 1998, compared with a 40 percent increase in loans to high-income borrowers.    

The Role Of Subprime Lending: Subprime lenders–who specialize in loans to borrowers with blemished credit histories–also played a role in this growth. Between 1993 and 1998, these lending specialists increased their share of home purchase loans in metro areas from one percent to five percent, helping nearly a half-million families buy homes. Much of this activity centered in low-income and minority areas. In neighborhoods that are both low-income and minority, subprime lenders’ share of loans to homebuyers soared from just 2 percent to 15 percent in only five years.  Growth in the subprime lender share of refinance loans in metro areas has been even more dramatic. In 1998, subprime specialists captured 46 percent of the refinance market in low-income minority areas and 30 percent in high-income minority areas, but only 18 percent in low-income predominantly white areas and 6 percent in high-income white areas.   While reaching traditionally underserved markets, the subprime lending boom in low-income minority areas is noteworthy because of the higher rates and fees these lenders charge. According to a 1996 Freddie Mac study, between 10 percent and 35 percent of subprime borrowers could have qualified for lower-cost prime loans. The lack of access to prime lenders for such borrowers is thus a source of growing concern. Even more troubling are reports of predatory lending practices that target vulnerable borrowers, charge excessive fees and interest rates, and even defraud families of their home equity.    

Losses of Affordable Housing: Despite the strong economy, record numbers of very low-income households are devoting more than half their incomes for housing–and working is no panacea for these high housing cost burdens. About half a million very low-income renters and nearly as many very low-income owners earning at least the equivalent of the full-time minimum wage spend this much for housing.   In light of these affordability problems, preserving the limited supply of federally subsidized housing is increasingly urgent. Already, 90,000 units have been lost as private owners have opted out of programs or prepaid their subsidized mortgages–usually in order to capitalize on higher prevailing rents. Extensions to expiring 15- and 20-year contracts are now subject to annual budget appropriations. If history is any guide, 10-15 percent of the remaining project-based assisted units with contracts expiring in coming years will be at risk of loss.  For current tenants of properties whose owners opt out or prepay their mortgages, HUD has been offering vouchers to make up for the shortfall between new, higher rents and 30 percent of tenant incomes. Recipients who move, however, have no guarantee of finding alternative affordable housing. As of 1994, the last year in which reliable data are available, over one in eight recipients in studied areas returned their vouchers because they could not find suitable accommodations and/or a landlord willing to accept this form of payment.  Meanwhile, demolition of public housing units is eliminating many badly deteriorated units, but without providing one-for-one replacement. And construction of affordable units financed through tax credits has slowed steadily, primarily because funding is not adjusted for inflation.    

Demand in the Next Decade: Although household growth may slow slightly over the coming decade, home building will likely rival the 1990's in terms of number of units built and value of construction. As the aging baby boomers boost the number of 45-54 and especially 55-64 year-olds, the demand for amenity-rich homes and second homes will continue to rise. At the same time, the echo boomers–the children of the baby boomers–will start to replace the smaller baby-bust generation in the young adult age groups, giving the markets for manufactured housing, starter homes, and rental apartments a modest lift.  Thanks to longer life expectancies and past patterns of births in the U.S., the number of households over age 65 will also be on the rise. Today’s seniors are wealthier than their predecessors, and tomorrow’s will be even wealthier than today’s. Better health and greater wealth will enable more seniors to act on their housing preferences, whether that means remodeling their current homes to accommodate growing frailties, purchasing a second home, or moving to either an active retirement community or one that provides health care.  But not all seniors will have the resources to exercise the same options. Sharp disparities in wealth exist between senior owners and renters, as well as across races and ethnic groups. As a result, many older Americans will be left without affordable housing that meets their particular needs.  

For additional information or to obtain a copy of the report, please visit the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University web page at: http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/jcenter and follow the links near the bottom of the page to The State of the Nation's Housing: 2000.

 

Columbus Sets Up New Housing Trust Fund
Earlier this year, Columbus City Council approved Mayor Michael Coleman’s plan for establishing the first ever Columbus Housing Trust Fund (CHTF). This action followed a strong advocacy campaign by the grassroots B.R.E.A.D. organization, which is a coalition of area religious groups working on a range of social justice issues.

The CHTF will be funded this year from several sources and more may be on the way. The primary funding source is a dedicated portion (.43%) of the City’s Hotel/Motel Tax which will generate $1 million this year and is likely to grow in the future. Other initial funding came from $2 million of UDAG repayments and a special grant of more than $400,000 from HUD. The city hopes to leverage these sources through bond financing and other means to grow the resources to $20 million over the next few years.

The CHTF will be administered by the newly created Columbus Housing Trust Corporation which is a non-profit which will work in partnership with the City’s housing programs but will have greater flexibility. The Board of the Columbus Housing Trust Corporation will consist of nine professional stakeholders to be appointed by the Mayor, with the consent of Council. The Board will hire an Executive Director and a small staff to oversee the operations.

The CHTF will be used to make loans and grants for various affordable housing projects. At least half of the funds will be used to support housing options for households at 60% of the area median income or below, which is about $31,000 for a family of three. Funds will also be used to support homeownership expansion and housing efforts to help revitalize central city neighborhoods.

The Mayor will be pursuing other housing goals in the coming months, including streamlining building regulations, using property tax exemptions for certain types of housing development, and expanding the City’s landbank program.

B.R.E.A.D. and other advocates are now turning their attention to the Franklin County Commissioners to push for further action on the affordable housing issue.

 

Capital Access in a Global Era...
Recently, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) held its 2001 Annual Conference entitled "Capital Access in a Global Era". One of the “hot” topics at this year’s conference was subprime lending and the impact it is having on America’s communities. Conference attendees had the opportunity to hear from leading thinkers, advocates, and industry representatives, as they attempted to make sense of the exploding subprime market share in this country over the past five years and the corresponding increase in predatory lending practices.

One thing seems clear...the leading thinkers, advocates, and industry representatives tend to disagree on two fundamental issues; 1) the seriousness of the problem, and 2) the possible solutions. While industry representatives tend to rely on better education for borrowers and tend to oppose new legislation and/or regulation, advocates tend to see education of borrowers in conjunction with new legislation and/or regulation as part of the solution. Given these two, often times, diametrically opposed views, the future is uncertain. To further complicate the matter, the legislative environment at the federal level is not exactly conducive to well thought out and comprehensive solutions on this issue.

Conference attendees also had the chance to hear from the Minority staff of both the Senate Banking Committee and the “new” House Financial Services Committee. As if we needed any affirmation of this fact, Congress is just as deeply divided as are the industry representatives and the advocates. The prospects for a comprehensive and thoughtful legislative remedy at the federal level are slim at best. Bottom line, Republicans are simply not interested in doing anything...let alone anything that could be construed as harmful to the financial services industry.

In spite of these insurmountable odds, Democratic members of both the House and the Senate will be introducing several pieces of legislation within the next couple of months that are likely to be of interest to those of you concerned about community reinvestment, consumer protection, and predatory lending. As it stands right now, there are three bills slated to be “dropped” in the House by the end of March.

Community Reinvestment Act of 2001: In addition to applying CRA to all lending affiliates of financial holding companies authorized by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act, the bill would apply CRA-like requirements to securities firms and insurance companies. Also, the bill would make insurance more affordable and accessible; improve data collection for small business and farm loans so we have better information about lending activity in these areas; require a notice and public comment period for mergers between banks, insurance and securities firms; prohibit insurance companies that violate fair housing court consent decrees from affiliating with banks; and, penalize institutions that engage in predatory lending practices through reduced CRA ratings.

Equal Credit Enhancement and Neighborhood Preservation Act: The Act amends the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and the 1975 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) to add new protections against reverse redlining and discriminatory market segmentation, to expand credit data reporting requirements, to extend fair lending protections to credit pre-approvals and to strengthen consumer rights and remedies.

Predatory Lending Consumer Protection Act of 2001: The Act amends the 1994 Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA) amendments to the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to expand HOEPA’s protections to greater numbers of high cost mortgage transactions, to restrict additional abusive practices and to strengthen consumer rights and remedies.

For additional information regarding any of the aforementioned bills, please contact Rick Taylor at COHHIO at 614-280-1984 or by e-mail at ricktaylor@cohhio.org.

 

FISCAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING
TRAINING LOCATION: CATERING BY DESIGN, COLUMBUS
JUNE 6, 2001 - 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
$25

With assistance from the Ohio Department of Development, COHHIO is sponsoring a Fiscal Management Training. The training will focus on issues related to fund accounting, grant monitoring and reporting, fiscal policies and procedures, updates regarding federal fiscal regulations and other applicable issues. A special focus, which will be presented by the Ohio Department of Development's Audit Chief, will be on correctly accounting for grant funds, so that your organization doesn't end up having to return money because it was accounted for incorrectly. This training will present the essentials of fiscal accountability strategies and is intended for fiscal managers and administrators of non-profits who receive public funds. Registration is $25 and includes materials, continental breakfast, lunch and a soda break. Approximately 6.5 hours of CPE's will be available. If you'd like additional information or get directions, call COHHIO at 614-280-1984 or visit our web page at www.cohhio.org. Please complete the registration form and return with a check made out to COHHIO by June 1.


REGISTRATION
(one form per person, form can be copied, print clearly and complete the entire form)

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, 35 East Gay Street, Suite 210, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3138 by June 1. Questions? Call COHHIO at 614-280-1984.

 

Mark-to-Mark Update: OHFA Steps Down as PAE in Ohio
The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) is no longer serving as a Participating Administrative Entity (PAE) in Ohio under HUD’s Mark-to-Market program. The OHFA board voted in February to terminate its contract with HUD to participate in the development of restructuring plans for project-based Section 8 properties in the state. OHFA served as Ohio’s only public PAE.

There are currently five private PAEs working in the state: ONTRA (Texas), RER (Virginia), CreditVest (Pennsylvania), Heskin Signet (Colorado) and NW Financial (New Jersey). In addition, the Office of Multifamily Housing Assistance Restructuring (OMHAR), the independent agency under HUD which was created to oversee the Mark-to-Market program, is serving as the PAE for some projects in Ohio.

To date, 220 Ohio projects have gone through OMHAR - as either a comp review, lite or full restructure. COHHIO’s Preserving Ohio’s Affordable Project (the OTAG Project) provides outreach and assistance to tenants residing in properties going through the Mark-to-Market process as either a lite or full restructure. Eighty-five properties in Ohio have been assigned through OMHAR as full restructurings, including four that have been restructured. Forty-nine of the 70 Ohio properties assigned by OMHAR as lites have been completed.

For more information on the Preserving Ohio’s Affordable Project or project-based Section 8 properties in Ohio, contact Jill Russ or Spencer Wells at COHHIO at 614-280-1984 or check out www.cohhio.org/projects.html.

COHHIO Youth Empowerment Program Begins its Second Year
The COHHIO Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) is a homelessness prevention initiative. This initiative responds to the alarming increase in youth caught in the cycle of poverty and homelessness in Ohio. YEP assists the estimated 35,000 homeless youth in Ohio become active by organizing to increase stable housing, expand educational opportunities and remove barriers to services.

During the first year of the Youth Empowerment Program (YEP), Program Coordinator Angela Lariviere and four Vista Volunteers conducted a statewide needs assessment of homeless children and youth aged 10 to 21. These youth provided information that enabled YEP to identify causes of homelessness among youth. In addition to identifying causes, COHHIO has begun the process of addressing issues like the stabilization of homeless children and other key components of breaking the cycle of homelessness.

YEP created youth advisory councils in three local areas as well as statewide. These councils provide feedback to COHHIO on homeless issues. COHHIO's youth council members have participated in trainings, including leadership, diversity, and advocacy. They have also provided volunteer hours to local communities, given public presentations on TV and radio programs, and presented at several local, state, and national conferences.

As we begin our second year the YEP program is focusing on two issues that youth have continually identified as most important: Permanent Housing with Supportive Services and Education.

Without the help of three VISTA volunteers, COHHIO would not be able to maintain our youth councils and expand programs to other areas of the state. COHHIO is grateful for all of their hard work and dedication to the YEP program. Much appreciation and thanks to Kevin Blackledge, Christi Keaveny, and Toby Sinkenson.

If you would like to learn more about past and future activities, please contact us: Angela Lariviere, Statewide Program Coordinator, 614-280-1984; Kevin Blackledge, VISTA, Central Region, 614-280-1984; Christi Keaveny, VISTA, Southwest Region, 513-357-5720; Toby Sinkenson, VISTA, Northeast Region, 330-5352999; or visit our website at: http://Hmembers.tripod.com/yep2001.

 

Federal Funding Available - New Homeless Addiction Services Program
Background: After several years of determined advocacy, the National Coalition for the Homeless, National Health Care for the Homeless Council and other advocacy organizations secured from Congress an FY 2001 appropriation of $10 million for a new targeted homeless addiction services program. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an operating division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is the lead agency for administering the funds.

Status: SAMHSA announced its Guidance for Applicants (GFA) for the Cooperative Agreements for the Development of Comprehensive Drug and Alcohol Treatment Systems for Homeless Persons program in the March 14, 2001 Federal Register (66 FR 14919). The GFA number is TI 01-006. At the same time, SAMHSA issued GFAs for a number of other addiction and mental health services competitive grant programs that will be of interest to organizations that wish to meet the addiction and mental health services needs of homeless people in their communities. A list of all SAMHSA FY 2001 current and prospective funding opportunities is available at www.samhsa.gov/grants.

Prospective applicants need to examine the various GFAs themselves for complete application requirements and grant conditions. The application deadline is May 10, 2001. Information on obtaining the GFAs and application kits follows.

GFA Information:
• Check the SAMHSA Website at www.samhsa.gov/grants. This web site includes the homeless addiction services GFA (No. TI 01-006) and other GFAs in downloadable format.
• Call the SAMHSA Hotline at 301/984-1471, ext. 377.

How to Obtain Application Kits
• Addiction Services - To obtain application kits for the homeless addiction services GFA (No. TI 01-006) and other addiction services GFAs, contact the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) at 800-729-6686.
• Mental Health Services - To obtain application kits for mental health services GFAs, contact the Knowledge Exchange Network at 800-789-2647.


Federal Funding Available for Housing for People with Serious Mental Illness
New funding opportunities are available for housing for people with serious mental illness. These present a significant opportunity to provide people with the decent, stable affordable housing that is often the cornerstone of recovery. Because of the critical role that housing plays, the Ohio Department of Mental Health's Housing and Homeless Prevention Strategies include:
- Use HAP & PATH as bridge funding to mainstream supports enabling recipients to achieve decent, stable and affordable housing.
- Move towards investing in and supporting local housing and homeless prevention strategies and away from funding state “programs”.
- Invest in housing and homeless prevention strategies which leverage alternative funding.

An available matrix summarizes how recent HUD announcements present excellent opportunities to move us toward these goals. It provides valuable information on the types of programs, application due dates, eligible applicants, and where to go for technical assistance.
- The SuperNOFA provides the opportunity for several types of funding. Please note that the different types of funding may have different application due dates. As of last year, non-profit disability organizations are now eligible applicants for Mainstream Housing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities which provides five-year funding for Section 8 Rental Vouchers.
- There are approximately $20 million in vouchers for project based housing for non-elderly disabled persons. Last year only $8 million nationally was applied for and received. One half of the vouchers applied for went to Ohio. Housing authorities can receive up to two hundred vouchers.
- Selected portions of the identified Section 811 application are due to ODMH by May 1, 2001, as identified in the available matrix.

For a copy of the housing matrix, please contact Roma Barickman at ODMH at 614-466-5157.

 

Housing Crisis Spreads to Middle-Class
A front-page article in the February 6th Wall Street Journal makes clear what many of us have long suspected: the affordable housing crisis no longer affects only low-income families; it now affects middle-income families as well.

The article ("Affordable Housing Supply Dwindles, with renters bearing brunt of problem") summarizes the finds of a study by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and the National Housing Conference, a nonprofit affordable housing advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

According to the study, the number of families that make between 80 percent and 120 percent of their area median income and also suffer from "critical housing needs" rose 74 percent to 691,000 between 1997 and 1999. Families with "critical housing needs" are those who pay more than half their household income for housing or live in "severely inadequate housing," as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Of these families, about 437,000 own their homes, while about 254,000 are renters. The problem seems to be growing more quickly for renters, the study says.

"We've long known that the low-income side of the market has a critical need for affordable housing," said MBA president Andrew Woodward. "But what's shocking to us is the speed at which we're finding middle-income families facing a critical housing crisis."

The study cites two reasons for the crisis: rents that are rising faster than inflation and insufficient construction of affordable units. Only six percent of all new, two-bedroom, unfurnished, private-market apartments completed in 1998 had rents under $450--the rent considered affordable by someone earning $9 an hour. Less than 20 percent had rents under $550.

At the same time that the housing crisis has spread to the middle class, it has also spread to the suburbs. The study found that about 1.3 million suburban families suffer from a lack of affordable housing, compared to 1.2 million in cities. For more information, visit the National Housing Conference website at www.nahc.org.

 

National Evaluation of HOPWA
“National Evaluation of the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA),” recently released by HUD and available from HUD USER, is the first national evaluation of the HOPWA program. HOPWA provides housing assistance and supportive services for low-income persons with HIV/AIDS and their families. This assistance is designed to help eligible persons retain or gain access to appropriate housing where they can maintain complex medication regimens and address HIV/AIDS-related problems.

Among the major findings of the report:
- The HOPWA program predominantly serves extremely low-income and very low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS, including many people with additional burdens.
- Program flexibility helps meet clients’ housing needs and preferences.
- HOPWA appears to enhance clients’ housing stability.
- Clients report a high level of satisfaction with the housing they receive.
- Most grantees and housing assistance providers report some degree of coordination with Ryan White CARE Act and Continuum of Care systems.
- Most HOPWA housing assistance providers develop local partnerships to provide a broad range of supportive services.
- On average, each dollar used for HOPWA housing assistance is combined with a dollar for housing assistance from other government and private.
- Collaboration is a key component to successful project implementation.

To order a copy of the report, visit HUD USER’s online store at: www.huduser.org/order/pdrorder.html.

 

In Honor of Fair Housing Month...
Akron’s Hans Christian Anderson of Fair Housing
Two years ago, in the spirit of Hans Christian Anderson and Aseop’s fables, Vincent Curry, executive director of the Fair Housing Advocates Association, a private nonprofit, established the Brightening Our Future program for grade and middle school students in Akron. Why, you may ask, would a fair housing program be directed at students? “It hit me," said Curry “that if we are going to change the future, why not affect those who are our future?”

Virtually all fair housing programs and initiatives in Akron, and elsewhere are directed toward adults - realtors, lenders, lawyers, renters, and buyers. As Curry stated, “We need to plant the seeds in young people that discrimination is wrong.” Unfortunately, once people have reached adulthood, the destructive seeds of discrimination have not only been planted, but they have sprung deep roots and blossomed into housing discrimination.

With the assistance of a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Building Development Grant, the Fair Housing Advocates Association developed a variety of storybooks and activities that help students understand the consequences of discrimination and the importance of fair housing. An association representative travels to public and private schools throughout Akron, and in a group setting presents fair housing terminology and situations to the students using a fun, educational approach for third to middle school grades.

The repercussions of fair housing discrimination are illustrated through fables like The Wolf Family, in which Tyrone the wolf and his siblings lose their home when a lake floods. By reading about and acting out Tyrone’s adventures, the students learn that because of one individual’s prejudice, the Wolfs may never find a new home.

After the students and presenter read the story, the presenter engages the young audience in a question-and-answer session. At the end, prizes are awarded, including pizza vouchers, candy and tickets to the Akron Aeros - AA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

Occasionally, to emphasize the pain caused by discrimination, Curry or another staff member of the association uses a more direct method: the presenter calls on the girls only and ignores the boys. Once the boys realize that only the girls have a chance to win the “cool stuff,” they raise their hands and protest. The staff member takes advantage of the boys’ anger and frustration to explore the emotions the students just experienced, afterwards relating that to the emotions caused by housing discrimination.

This interactive method is the core of Brightening Our Future and has achieved a great deal of success in a relatively short time. In addition to interest expressed by local schools, the program has been featured in The Akron Beacon Journal and has been replicated in three states (California, Virginia and Pennsylvania).

However, the most important result has been the program’s impact on the students. Curry and others at the Fair Housing Advocates Association have received stacks of letters from students thanking the association and telling the staff how much they have learned.

Reprinted from Best Practices 2000, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Midwest Edition, November 2000.

 

Activist Alert
COHHIO has 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, 35 East Gay Street, Suite 210, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3138 or fax to 614/463-1060. For questions, call Janet Holcomb at COHHIO at 614/280-1984. If you have already completed this form, you do not need to fill out another form.

 

COHHIO Board List
COHHIO would like to thank our 2001 Board of Directors, for their dedication to COHHIO:

Tom Albanese, Family and Community Services, Kent - President
Ruth Arden, St Paul's Community Center, Toledo
Bambi Baughn, Community Action Commission of Fayette County - Secretary
Alicia Beck, Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless
Phyllis Beyers, City of Alliance, Planning & Development
Rose Ann Braniff, Jefferson Behavioral Health System, Steubenville
Chip Bromley, Metropolitan Strategy Group, Cleveland Heights
Mary Burke, Over the Rhine Housing Network, Cincinnati
Brian Davis, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Cleveland
Carol Duncan, ICAN, Canton
Cynthia Flaherty, Fannie Mae, Columbus
Melinda Holsopple, MCCDP, Inc., Youngstown
Jim Klein, Ohio Community Development Finance Fund, Columbus
John Laverty, Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development, Athens
Roy Lowenstein, Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, Columbus - Treasurer
Joseph Maskovyak, Legal Aid Society of Columbus
Don Mitchell, City of Mansfield
Kate Monter Durban, Enterprise Foundation, Cleveland
Cheryl Moreno-Denny, WSOS Community Action Commission, Fremont
Beth Morrow Lonn, YWCA, Columbus
Virginia O'Keeffe, Amethyst, Inc., Columbus
Sharon Parries, Transitional Housing, Cleveland
Tina Patterson, The Other Place, Dayton
Anthony Penn, Community Housing Network, Columbus - Vice President
Cheryl Penn, Ohio CDC Association, Columbus
Sr Loretta Rafter, HM Life Opportunity Services, Akron
Karen Rainey, League of Women Voters of Ohio, Columbus
Barbara Reiter, ACCESS, Akron
Sammie Rhoades, Findlay Hope House for the Homeless
Rachel Robinson, Ohio State Legal Services Association, Columbus
Rod Siddons, Frontier Community Services, Chillicothe
Linda Stallworth, Columbus Urban League
Daniel Swan, Miami Valley Housing Opportunities, Dayton

4/01/01.

 

Resources
TRAININGS
CDC Trainings - Micro-Enterprise Development: Introduction to Micro-enterprise Development - May 2-3; Affordable Housing Development: Basic Skills in Affordable Housing Development Workshop Series: Affordable Single-family Housing Development - May 15-18. For more information, contact the Ohio CDC Association at 614-461-6392 or ohiocdc@ohiocdc.org.

May 17-18 - Defining and Achieving Excellence, Ohio Association of Non-profit Organizations, Columbus. Includes tracks on leadership, public policy, technology and fundraising. The keynote speaker will be Paul Light, of the Brookings Institute and author of Sustaining Innovation and Making Nonprofits Work. For more information, call OANO at 888-480-6266 or visit their web site at www.ohiononprofits.org.

Building Doctors, Ohio Historical Society. Will teach old-building owners how to recognize and solve some of the most common sources of problems in maintaining older buildings. Also will make rounds of ailing buildings within five miles of the host community to examine problems and prescribe cures. The clinics and consultations are free. Clinics will be held in Medina on May 17 &18; Zanesville on May 31 & June 1; London/Plain City on June 14 & 15; Chardon on July 19 & 20; Bellevue on August 16 & 17; Tiffin on September 13 & 14 and Chagrin Falls on October 11 & 12. To register, call 800-499-2470.

May 20 - 6th Annual Columbus Musicians’ Homeless Awareness Concert, Goodale Park, Columbus, 12:00 noon - 7:00 pm. Free event with food, beverages and live music. For more information, please contact Gail Meyers at 614-224-6617, ext. 194 or by email at gmeyers@lssco.org or Jeff Russell at 800-850-0335 or by email at jeff@spinlife.com.

ODOD Trainings.
2001 Lead Abatement Training. Residential Lead Abatement for Supervisors/Contractors Refresher Course - May 8 (Columbus); Residential Lead Hazard Abatement for Workers - May 15-18 (Akron); Lead-Based Paint Maintenance Worker Training - May 30 (Columbus). Questions - Tom Sherman, OHCP, 614/466-2285 or Mike Keyes, COAD, 740/594-8499.
Residential Rehabilitation Standards Trainings. Plumbing Systems Training - May 1-2 (New Philadelphia), May 16-17 (Findlay); Energy Efficiency and Environmental Basics - May 2-3 (Findlay), May 23-24 (Xenia); Structural Requirements Training - May 9-10 (Xenia). Questions - Les Warner, OHCP Assistant Manager, 614/466-2285.

PUBLICATIONS
HUD News
- U.S. Housing Market Conditions, 4th Quarter 2000. This issue of U.S. Housing Market Conditions contains a newly released update of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Database that includes LIHTC-financed projects placed in service between 1995 and 1998. The LIHTC Database is the only comprehensive source of information on the Federal Government’s largest subsidy program for the construction and rehabilitation of low-income rental housing. To download “U.S. Housing Market Conditions, 4th Quarter 2000,” visit HUD USER’s Web site at: www.huduser.org/periodicals/ushmc/winter2000/index.html.
- American Housing Survey. National data is collected that provides data on apartments, single-family homes, mobile homes, vacant homes, family composition, income, housing quality, neighborhood quality, housing costs, equipment, fuels, housing unit size and recent movers. Available is the American Housing Survey 1998 Metropolitan Microdata and the 1999 American Housing Survey Data Chart. To order either, visit the HUD USER at www.huduser.org/order/pdrorder.html.
- Outcomes of Tenant-Based Housing Mobility Programs is in the latest issue of the Urban Research Monitor. To get the latest issue go to the HUD USER website at www.huduser.org/periodicals/urm/urm_04_2001/urm.html.
- FieldWorks is a HUD publication designed for housing and community development professionals and provides information about the people and programs that are building stronger communities through the Nation. Visit the HUD USER website at www.huduser.org/periodicals.fieldworks.html.
- Housing Today, a HUD publication, has become a web-only newsletter. To subscribe, go to the HUD web site at www.hud.gov, click on the link provided under Contact Housingtoday, then simply add your name and email address where indicated.

FOUNDATIONS & AWARDS
Public Welfare Foundation. Funds organizations that provide services to disadvantaged populations and work for lasting improvements in the delivery of services that meet basic human needs. The Foundation is the most interested in organizations that take a particular interest in efforts that combine elements of service, advocacy and empowerment in their approach. Some of the program areas that the Foundation funds include: disadvantaged elderly, disadvantaged youth and community economic development and participation. Initial requests should be made in the form of a letter of inquiry. For a list of information to provide in your request, visit www.publicwelfare.org.

• Bollinger Foundation offers financial assistance for children who have lost a parent who worked in the field of community development, economic development or public housing. Eligible individuals will receive funding for scholarships to help pay for education and counseling costs. Application forms are available on the Bollinger website at http://cued.org/bollinger. The submission deadline is May 28.
• Ohio Historic Preservation Office Awards. Recognizes outstanding achievements in preservation, rehabilitation and adaptive use of historic properties, as well as publications and educational programs that promote the preservation of historic places in Ohio. The awards are presented in two categories: Preservation Merit and Public Education and Awareness. For a nomination form with full details, contact that Ohio Historic Preservation Office at 614-297-2000 or visit www.ohiohistory.org/resource/histpres/programs/awardscoverpage.html.
• Governor’s Awards for Excellence. OHCP is accepting nominations for the 2001 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Housing and Community Development. The nomination deadline is June 1. The awards acknowledge innovative programs, projects and policies implemented using OHCP-awarded funds. The 2001 award categories are: Creative Homeownership Projects; Exemplary Low-Income Rental Projects; Innovative Public/Private Partnerships; and Outstanding Program Implementation (including minority and/or women’s enterprises). For more information, contact Betsy Giffin, OHCP, at 614-466-2285.
• Community Development Awards. The Ohio Conference of Community Development (OCCD) is requesting self nomination for the OCCD President’s Awards for excellence and innovation in the delivery of housing and community development services. The nomination deadline is May 11. For more information, contact OCCD at 330-923-0265.
• Maxwell Awards of Excellence for the Production of Affordable Housing, Fannie Mae Foundation. Six awards will be given in four different housing areas: homeownership, rental, special needs and affordable housing design. Application deadline is May 1. For program guidelines and an application, visit www.fanniemaefoundation.org/grants/maxwell_awards.shtml or send an email to maxwell@fanniemaefoundation.org.

COHHIO News
Visit the COHHIO web site - www.cohhio.org - to find out what’s happening at the statehouse. The COHHIO web site contains factsheets on the issues that COHHIO is working on, as well as, suggested action steps you can take to help housing issues. Take a minute to visit the page and see what you can do to help further these critical housing issues.

COHHIO is requesting donations of usable computer equipment (computers, printers, scanners, etc.) for use by tenants groups in HUD subsidized buildings. Please contact Spencer Wells at 614-280-1984 or spencerwells@cohhio.org.

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

cohhio@cohhio.org