Breaking Ground - April 1999

"There's No Place Like Home"

COHHIO Statewide Conference a Success

Homelessness and Welfare Reform - National Study Will Document Impact

Study on Homeless Families Goes Beyond Obvious

How Many Ohioans are "Homeless"?

Fifth Third Bank Offers Minority Scholarship Program

HUD Develops Familial Status Policy

Ohio Housing Trust Fund

The Facts: Direct Deposit Saves Time

Welcome! 1999 COHHIO AmeriCorps Members

AmeriCorps Member Spotlight

AmeriCorps*VISTA Position Description

Resources

Important Information About Lobbying From the IRS

 

"There's No Place Like Home"

COHHIO, in conjunction with Housing America, sponsored a press conference on April 7 to kick-off a nationwide campaign to increase federal funding for affordable housing. The kick-off coincided with the release of "THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: How the Housing Crisis Threatens America's Children," which concluded that housing conditions are among the most significant predictors of a child's overall well being and academic success. The report reiterated that an investment in safe, decent, and affordable housing is an investment in our future. According to THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, millions of American children are suffering injury, disease, hunger, and educational failure due to inadequate living conditions.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME pulls together for the first time, the most up-to-date research data from the Centers for Disease Control, the American Lung Association, leading medical and public health journals, and first-hand observations by pediatricians across the country, on the linkage between affordable housing and children’s health. This report also unveils the most recent information from the 1997 American Housing Survey and from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), on the dramatically escalating number of children growing up in housing that is often cockroach infested, overcrowded and dangerous.

According to the 1997 American Housing Survey, the number of households with children with “worst-case housing needs” (paying at least 50 percent of their income for rent and/or living in severely substandard housing) grew by nearly two million from 1995 to 1997. These households comprise some 12.5 million people, of which approximately 4.5 million are children. With less income available for food and other necessities, these families are only an accident, illness, or paycheck away from becoming homeless (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1999).

The lack of affordable housing and poverty are the principal causes of family homelessness in this country (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1999). The gap between the number of affordable housing units and the number of persons needing them is currently the largest ever, estimated at 4.4 million units. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, 40 percent of persons living in poverty today are children.

Homelessness severely impacts the health and overall well-being of all family members, children in particular. Compared with low-income children that are housed, homeless children experience worse health; more developmental delays; more anxiety; depression and behavioral problems; and lower educational achievement (Shinn and Weitzman, 1996).

The impact of this housing crisis on children is clear: An increased likelihood of injury and other home-related health problems: Access to housing rather than poverty, strongly impacts childrens’ health. A 1998 study published in the journal Pediatrics compared 293 homeless children with 223 low-income, housed children who had never been homeless. On average, the homeless children suffered a significant increase in the number of emergency room visits; twice as many hospitalizations; significantly more symptoms (i.e. fever, ear infection, asthma attacks, etc.); and worse overall health.

Children lacking safe, decent, and affordable housing contract contagious infections at five times the rate of low-income children whose families have obtained affordable housing, and comprise the vast majority of the 1.4 million children who suffer injuries from falls, burns, and other home-related accidents each year.

It is estimated that 80 percent of 4.8 million children suffering from asthma come from low-income households, as roughly half of these children live with infestations of cockroaches, rats, and/or mice. These conditions are primary factors associated with the development of asthma. Asthma induced by housing-related causes forces children to miss school. The American Lung Association estimates that children miss nearly 10 million school days annually due to asthma. When children stay home from school, family members (often parents) are required to care for them. As a result, low-income families lose an estimated $673 million in annual income due to missed work caused by childhood asthma.

Increased hunger: Malnutrition among children is often less a function of poverty than of families forced to pay too high a percentage of their income for rent. Research has indicated that children in families on the waiting list for affordable housing are six times more likely to have stunted growth than children in families with the same income but having already obtained safe, decent and affordable housing.

The millions of households forced to pay more than 50 percent of their income for rent often do not have money left to adequately feed their children. As a result, approximately 61 percent of those seeking emergency food assistance are children and their parents. During the past year, the number of families seeking assistance increased by nearly 14 percent. As reported in the 1998 U.S. Conference of Mayors Report, 18 percent of the requests for emergency food assistance from families have gone unmet.

More low-income children experiencing educational failure: When children are forced to move from school to school due to their family’s inability to secure and maintain affordable housing, their education suffers. Studies have indicated that children who change schools repeatedly during the elementary years fall behind “stable” students by a full year of learning by the sixth grade. Without an opportunity to receive an education, homeless children are much less likely to acquire the skills necessary to escape poverty as adults.

In 1987, the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program was established in response to reports that over 50 percent of homeless children were not attending school regularly. Though this program was responsible for giving homeless children and youth access to free and appropriate education, barriers to success persist. These barriers include poor health, lack of food and a lack of affordable housing.

The data tends to indicate that this crisis is increasingly impacting such “heartland” states as Ohio and Missouri. No longer is the shortage of affordable housing confined to “high rent” cities such as New York or San Francisco. In every part of the country, the number of housing units that families with children can afford has steadily declined.

To put that into perspective, HUD estimates that...
• In the greater Columbus metropolitan area, 23,000 households have worst-case housing needs, while another 3,700 remain on the waiting list for HUD subsidized housing;
• In Cincinnati, it is estimated that 24,000 households have worst-case housing needs, and another 4,000 find themselves on a lengthy waiting list for housing assistance; and
• In Cleveland, there are an estimated 45,000 households with worst-case housing needs, with another 11,400 on the waiting list for either public housing or Section 8 rental assistance.

Even with an increase in funding for affordable housing at the federal level, the crisis is likely to continue. To better address the needs of low-income households seeking affordable housing, states and local governments have to play a significant role. The State of Ohio is fortunate, in that it has a program designed to specifically address the housing related needs of its low-income residents. The Ohio Housing Trust Fund was created in 1991, and has been instrumental in providing much-needed housing assistance to more than 64,700 families throughout the state. Though the Ohio Housing Trust Fund has achieved unprecedented levels of success over the past eight years, it continues to operate without a dedicated source of funding. COHHIO continues to work with both the Administration and the General Assembly, in an attempt to secure a dedicated funding source and to increase the overall level of funding to $50 million a year.

The bottom line is this, an investment in safe, decent, and affordable housing is an investment in our children and our future.

COHHIO would like to thank our press conference presenters. The event brought together folks from the business, education, health care and hunger arenas to highlight the linkage between affordable housing and childhood development. Our thanks to our speakers: Eric Schottenstein, Joshua Homes; Mary Jane Gerhardstein, Children's Hospital of Columbus; Bill Dolan, Ohio Hunger Task Force; Linda Neugebauer, Columbus Montessori Education Center and Mariana Geissel, Columbus Public Schools.

 

COHHIO Statewide Conference a Success

On March 8-10, COHHIO hosted a statewide conference entitled, “Housing Ohio: Challenges and Opportunities.” Over 350 people attended, describing the conference as useful and very informative. The conference provided a forum to raise awareness around issues in the state budget most relevant to housing and homelessness, and to explore ways of enhancing project development and service delivery. Key issues on which the conference focused included: homelessness, supportive housing, preservation of Section 8 properties, affordable housing development, welfare reform, mental health housing, community reinvestment, state budget issues and changes in public housing. We are grateful to those who chose to share their expertise with us either as keynote speakers or workshop presenters.

In addition, housing and homeless advocates from across the state participated in COHHIO’s Lobby Day. The goal of Lobby Day was to provide an opportunity for people working in the field to meet with their legislators to discuss line items in the state budget relevant to housing and homelessness, particularly the Ohio Housing Trust Fund. Advocates are encouraged to continue meeting with their legislators and other local elected officials. Arrange a tour showing families and neighborhoods that have benefited from programs like the Ohio Housing Trust Fund.

Special thanks to the Ohio Department of Development, Ohio Department of Mental Health and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for their financial support of the conference. COHHIO would also like to thank the following conference and legislative reception sponsors: Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, The Wallick Company, Charter One, National City Bank, Star Banc Corporation/Firstar, Bank One, National Church Residences, Federal Home Loan Bank, Cleveland Housing Network, Columbus Housing Partnership, Council for Rural Housing and Development of Ohio, Ohio Association of REALTORS, Ohio Community Development Finance Fund, Ohio Home Builders Association, and Roberta F. Garber Consulting.

COHHIO's 2000 conference will be held on March 13-15, 2000 at the Marriott North in Columbus.

 

Homelessness and Welfare Reform - National Study Will Document Impact

Do you believe that welfare reform is having an impact on homelessness? Many shelter and transitional housing providers are telling COHHIO staff anecdotal information that points to a clear connection. Here is your chance to document what you’re seeing and be part of a state and national effort to tell the truth behind the unprecedented drop in welfare rolls.

Please use the “Community Monitoring Packet Request Form” which follows to obtain information about participating with COHHIO, the National Coalition for the Homeless, Children’s Defense Fund and many others in documenting the effects of welfare reform on those we serve. Through your participation, you can make a significant difference for those we serve.

Community Monitoring Packet Request Form

Agencies around the country have worked together to develop a Confidential Client Survey, designed to monitor the impact of the 1996 welfare law on family well-being. We are asking interested groups and individuals to join us by collecting data in their communities that will support advocacy efforts at the grassroots and national levels.

If you would like to become involved or expand your involvement, please fill out the following form and return to Mina Kim, Children’s Defense Fund, 25 E Street NW, Washington DC, 20001, or fax back to 202/662-3560. We will send you a packet that includes a Community Monitoring Handbook and a copy of the Confidential Client Survey. Please review the information carefully, as it includes important information on how to use the survey.

After reading the material, if you decide to participate, please fill out and send in the Monitoring Project Registration Form included in the packet. Once we receive the form, we will send you the survey form that can be copied and used in your monitoring project.

Name:
Organization:
Address:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
A Community Monitoring packet will include the following: Community Monitoring Handbook, Project flyer, Membership Form, Survey Instruction Sheet, Cover Sheet for the Confidential Client Survey and the Confidential Client Survey

If you have any questions, please contact Mina Kim at 202/662-3552 or mkim@childrensdefense.org.

 

Study on Homeless Families Goes Beyond Obvious

 

A lack of decent, affordable housing causes homelessness among families, a study has found.

It sounds too simple to be newsworthy, but social-service workers have long suspected other factors, such as drug use or mental illness, as the chief culprits.

"What didn’t make a difference was education, work history, family size, pregnancy and mental illness,” said Beth Shinn, a researcher at New York University in New York City.

Shinn discussed her findings, published in November’s American Journal of Public Health, during a conference at the Hyatt on Capital Square sponsored by the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio.

Shinn tracked 564 poor families in New York City over five years. About half had entered shelters for the first time; the rest of the families, the control group in the study, had housing and were on welfare.

The study examined the personal circumstances of poor people and took into consideration such factors as marriage rate, childhood economic circumstances, drug use, mental illness, work history, level of education, social ties and housing options.

“Overall, none of the behavioral disorders predicted who would be come homeless,” said Shinn, who stressed that New York City’s pricey housing might have yielded results different from what would be found if a study were done in Columbus.

But Barbara Poppe, director of Columbus’ Community Shelter Board, said local findings echo Shinn’s study.

“It really rings true,” Poppe said. “We don’t see families waiting 13 months for housing, but we do see families coming in for these economic reasons.”

A 1998 survey of homeless families in Columbus found the most common reasons for seeking shelter were - in no particular order - eviction, loss of income, relationship problems and problems finding housing when relocating to Columbus. Instances of drug abuse and mental illness among local homeless families mirror the number of such problems in the general population, Poppe said.

Poor people in shelters in Shinn’s study tended to come from a place other than their own home, indicating they had trouble finding or paying for a place to live.

Locally, half of homeless families were living with others in housing not their own before going to shelters, Poppe said.

One reason public perception of the homeless is so different is because homeless people with problems, such as mental illness, can be more visible, Shinn and Poppe said. Often, these are the chronically homeless or the people who use shelters repeatedly. They tend to be outside more, so the public sees them.

“Those are the ones that leave the memory,” Poppe said. “But there’s all those other families who just have economic problems.”

The New York study also found that subsidized housing was effective in preventing families from becoming homeless again.

“When we looked at long-term stability, subsidized housing was the only thing that really mattered,” Shinn said.

Of 114 families who went to subsidized housing from a homeless shelter, 83 had remained there for a year or more when researchers caught up with them five years later. The housing stability rate was comparable to people in the middle class, Shinn said.

Reprinted, With Permission, From the Columbus Dispatch.

 

How Many Ohioans are "Homeless"?

Each and every week we receive countless calls from individuals and organizations, requesting information on the number of homeless individuals and families in the State of Ohio. For many, this information is crucial in terms of funding for not only housing, but for much needed supportive services as well. The information currently at our disposal is somewhat outdated.

As many of you know, we have been working on a survey that will give us an accurate picture of not only the sheer number of homeless individuals and families, but will provide demographic characteristics as well. The information collected through this survey will be used in two significant manners. First, it will allow us to provide individuals and organizations with reliable data regarding the magnitude and severity of homelessness throughout the state. Secondly, the information will allow us to respond to inquiries in a more timely and accurate fashion.

By working together on this, we can ensure that the information collected is both accurate and up-to-date. Once the information has been collected, a final report will be compiled and distributed.

 

Fifth Third Bank Offers Minority Scholarship Program

This new program is designed to bring the best and brightest minority university students and offer them the opportunity to explore careers within the industry. Candidates for this $5,000 scholarship must meet the following criteria: have financial need based on the FAFSA, maintain a minimum of a 3.2 GPA, major in a business related field, be a Sophomore, Junior or Senior, attend a public or private, college or university in Ohio and commit to spend one term at the Bank for a paid internship.

This scholarship is a collaborative effort between Fifth Third Bank and the Ohio Funds for Independent Colleges (OFIC), who will administer the program. All questions and completed applications should be directed to: Kate Hoffman, OFIC, 21 East State Street, Columbus, OH 43215-4202, 800/888-1950 or 614/469-1950, Fax: 614/469-4733, or email at khoffman@ofic.org.

 

HUD Develops Familial Status Policy

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in any aspect of the sale, rental, financing or advertising of dwellings on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or familial status (the presence of children in the family). The Fair Housing Act also provides that nothing in the Act, “limits the applicability of any reasonable local, State or Federal restrictions regarding the maximum number of occupants permitted to occupy a dwelling.”

The Fair Housing Act gave HUD responsibility for implementation and enforcement of the Act’s requirements. The Fair Housing Act authorizes HUD to receive complaints alleging discrimination in violation of the Act, to investigate these complaints and to engage in efforts to resolve informally matters raised in the complaint. In cases where the complaint is not resolved, the Fair Housing Act authorizes HUD to make a determination of whether or not there is reasonable cause to believe that discrimination has occurred.

HUD recently adopted an occupancy policy as developed by General Counsel Frank Keating. The new occupancy standards will be used by HUD to evaluate familial status discrimination complaints. Specifically, the Department believes that an occupancy policy of two persons in a bedroom, as a general rule, is reasonable under the Fair Housing Act. However, the reasonableness of any occupancy policy is rebuttable and the Department will not determine compliance with the Fair Housing Act based solely on the number of people permitted in each bedroom.

The Department’s position, is as follows:

There is nothing in the legislative history which indicates any intent on the part of Congress to provide for the development of a national occupancy code. On the other hand there is no basis to conclude that Congress intended that an owner or manager of dwellings would be unable to restrict the number of occupants who could reside in a dwelling. Thus, the Department believes that in appropriate circumstances, owners and managers may develop and implement reasonable occupancy requirements based on factors such as the number and size of the dwelling unit. In this regard, it must be noted that, in connection with a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of familial status, the Department will carefully examine any such nongovernmental restriction to determine whether it operates unreasonable to limit or exclude families with children. 24 C.F.R., Chapter I, Subchapter A. Appendix I at 566-67 (1990).

Thus, in reviewing occupancy cases, HUD will consider the size and number of bedrooms and other special circumstances. Other special circumstances HUD may also consider include bedroom size, age of children, configuration of the unit, other physical limitations of the housing and any requirements of state or local law in determining whether the occupancy policy is reasonable. Other factors supporting a conclusion that occupancy standards discriminate against families with children would include evidence that the housing provider made discriminatory statements, adopted discriminatory rules for common facilities, or taken steps to discourage families with children.

Information for this article was extracted from a memo from the Ohio Department of Development’s Office of Community and Housing Partnerships and the December 18, 1998 edition of the Federal Register (Volume 63, Number 243). Please consult the Federal Register for more specific information about HUD’S decision.

 

Ohio Housing Trust Fund

Here are some of the accomplishments the Ohio Housing Trust Fund since its inception. This fact sheet is an updated version of the fact sheet featured in COHHIO’s February 1999 newsletter. If you would like a specific listing of Housing Trust Fund projects by county or would like assistance in coordinating a legislative tour of HTF projects, please contact Dawn Tyler at COHHIO at 614/280-1984.

Affordable Housing in Ohio: The Unmet Need
• Nearly one in every four Ohioans - almost 1 million families
- lacks safe, decent, affordable housing
• Home ownership rates have fallen for young Ohio families in the past decade
• 25 percent of elderly Ohioans are inadequately housed

Background
After the voters approved the Constitutional Amendment for Housing in 1990, the Ohio General Assembly created the Housing Trust Fund in 1991. Two committees, one created by the General Assembly and one created by Governor Voinovich, recommended a funding level of $50 million a year from various sources such as an increase in the Recordation Fees and General Revenue Funds. While this funding level has yet to be achieved, the General Assembly has approved a total of $76 million, $39 million in the last biennium.

The Housing Trust Fund has proven to be a practical, cost effective and flexible way to help meet Ohioans’ affordable housing needs. The Ohio Department of Development has distributed the funds to:
• help young families with a down payment to buy their first home
• build and rehabilitate apartments for working families
• modify homes for accessibility for handicapped or elderly Ohioans
• prevent homelessness through short term rent and mortgage assistance
• provide housing counseling and other services to help Ohioans maintain housing or achieve home ownership

Funding - Past and Future
In the last biennium the General Assembly approved $39 million for FY 98 ($18.5 million) and FY 99 ($20.5). The sources of funds was $13 million in interest from the Human Services Budget Stabilization Fund from the prior biennium, $13 million from the same source from the FY 98/FY99 biennium and $13 million from the General Revenue Fund. Since it has been difficult to reach consensus in the General Assembly around increasing the Recordation Fee for the Housing Trust Fund, we are recommending a funding level of $50 million a year from the General Revenue Fund and any other sources.

A Record of Achievement
Over 64,700 Ohio families have received critical housing assistance through the programs of the Housing Trust Fund. The successes of the Trust Fund investment are plain to see:
2,938 new affordable apartments constructed
1,273 rental units rehabilitated
5,162 homes repaired or rehabilitated
6,831 households received short term rental assistance
3,048 homeowners received down payments and new housing opportunities
3,171 individuals and families received housing related services
28,815 households received homelessness prevention assistance
13,464 households received supportive housing services

The Trust Leverages More Investments
For every dollar provided by the Housing Trust Fund - FIVE dollars is leveraged from private investments and federal resources. The Housing Trust Fund helps to create jobs - 15 percent of Ohio’s work force is employed in housing related work.

The Facts: Direct Deposit Saves Time

What is Direct Deposit?
Direct Deposit is the electronic transfer of your paycheck, benefit check or other payment into your checking, share draft or savings account. Instead of receiving a check in the mail and taking it to your financial institution, you can rest assured that your money is in your account. The money is available to you the morning of the payment date.

Direct Deposit offers these benefits:
• Convenience. No more special trips to your institution to deposit your check - a nice feature if you are busy, ill, away from home, located far from a branch or in a place where parking is hard to find.
Reliability. You no longer need to wait for your check to arrive in the mail. Your money will always be in your account on time. If you move without changing financial institutions, you will not have to wait for your check to catch up with you.
• Security. You do not have to worry about lost, stolen or misplaced checks.
• Flexibility. If you decide to switch accounts or institutions, it is easy to change your Direct Deposit arrangements. Simply contact your institution and the agency or organization that issues your payment. Both will have forms for you to fill out to make it easy.

What types of payments can be made by Direct Deposit?
• Benefit checks from the federal government, such as Social Security, Supplemental Security
Income (SSI), Railroad Retirement, Veterans Benefits and Civil Service Retirement
• Benefit checks issued by state governments, including retirement and unemployment
• Paychecks from your employer
• Pension payments
• Income from investments

Will my money be safe?
Your money is protected. Government agencies have rules to protect you in case of an error. The Social Security Administration has used Direct Deposit since 1976 and has never lost a payment. Plus, your money is protected up to $100,000 per depositor if it is deposited in a federally insured institution.

Direct Deposit is more confidential than getting a check because fewer people are involved in the process.

How can I avoid problems?
Keep track of deposits and withdrawals. Compare them with your statement. Immediately contact your institution if you find an error. For an error involving Direct Deposit, an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) deposit or withdrawal, you have 60 days from the date your statement was mailed to contact your institution. If you miss the deadline, your institution does not have to investigate the problem.

Once you contact the institution, it has: ten business days to investigate the problem, one business day to correct the error after finding it, and three business days to tell you the results of the investigation.

There is an exception:
If the money in question is returned to your account within 10 business days of when you notified the institution of the error, the institution can take up to 45 days to investigate. If no error is found, the institution may take back the money in question if it sends you a written explanation.

Developed by the Financial Services Education Coalition.


WELCOME! 1999 COHHIO AmeriCorps Members

Northeast:

University Settlement Tamera Collins, Jermaine Jackson
Bishop Cosgrove Center Coletha Brown, Carlotta Rhym
HM Life Opportunity Clythie Sharp, Chris Bachmann
Access Amy Canadee, Denise Peters
YWCA-Youngstown Valerie Revere , Jennifer O’Neill
Portage Area Transitional Housing Deborah Brown, Karen Karrick

North Central:

Central City EDC James Rowe
The Shelter Leslie Benedict, Val Evans
Wooster Interfaith Housing Corp. Malcome Meyer, Rose Feagin
I CAN Peg Barker

Central:

Friends of the Homeless/Safe Havens Rachael Gorsuch, Yvette Ramos
Volunteers of America Jeana Patterson, Glory Connally, Nichole Cooley

Friends of the Homeless Tammy Henry , Gwendolyn Lewis, Joanne Woods
Licking CCH Bryan DeMicheal
Rural Action Dev. Corp. Ed Matteson, Mike Makosky

Lutheran Social Service Owen Bair

 

Southwest:

Cincinnati Coalition/ Homeless Gina Miller RESTOC Emmanuel Green, George Niles
The Family Shelter Carol Arnold
CAC of Fayette County Bob White
The Other Place Beth McClimens, Lena Strange

Northwest:

WSOS, CAC Sue Madden
WSOS, CAC Ottawa County Alicia Stefano
WSOS, CAC Sandusky County Katrina Holmes
WSOS, CAC Wood County Marcy Bradley

Ottawa Transitional Housing Deborah Kennedy
FOCUS John Swaile, Sheronda McCallough, Stan Montgomery.

 

AmeriCorps Member Spotlight

We are featuring a new section in our newsletter which highlights our AmeriCorps members. COHHIO's AmeriCorps Houses the Homeless Program has members all across the state working on homelessness and housing issues.

Deborah Brown: I am a first year AmeriCorps member placed at the Portage Area Transitional Housing located in Ravenna, Ohio. I am also a single mom and attend weekend college. I knew before I joined AmeriCorps where I wanted my life to go, now I have the tools to get there. I will never tell anyone that the road to self sufficiency is easy, but I will tell them that between PATH and AmeriCorps, my journey has become a lot smoother. I am truly proud to be a member of AmeriCorps and a working at the PATH program.

Stan Montgomery:
I am a first term AmeriCorps Member. My site is FOCUS in Toledo. I first became interested in AmeriCorps after having been a recipient of the program. Prior to joining AmeriCorps, I was a homeless Veteran. I have the unique experience to serve my country twice, once in the Army and now in AmeriCorps. I am glad to have this opportunity to help others and lend support to those who have helped me.

Yvette Ramos:
I am a second year AmeriCorps Member. I am 28 years old and came to Columbus from Salem, Mass. I served my first term with Youth Build, Boston and am currently serving at Safe Havens in Columbus. In June I will start working toward my CCDC certificate. The opportunity to assist homeless individuals will help me to understand the causes of homelessness and provide me with experience for future endeavors.

Chris Bachmann:
I volunteered at HM Life Opportunities in Akron for a year prior to becoming a Member. I decided to join AmeriCorps so that I could continue to work with the children. I currently plan and facilitate educational and sporting activities for the children at HM Life. I am honored to have the opportunity to provide a positive male role model to these children. I am the youngest of twelve children and I truly understand the importance and benefits of the family.

Glory Connally:
I am a 46 year old, second term AmeriCorps Member. I first started as a Member at Faith Mission in Columbus as a Housing Resource specialist and later transferred to Volunteers of America where I am serving as an After Care Case Manager. I have helped many families to become stable and self-sufficient after leaving emergency or transitional housing. Having been homeless and raising two teenage children alone I have a personal understanding of the fears, frustration and struggles these families face. AmeriCorps has given me the opportunity, honor and privilege of being a positive force for these families. I am proud to say I am an AmeriCorps Member and I do Get Things Done!

 

AmeriCorps*VISTA Position Description

Background:
AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program assigns individuals 18 years and older, on a full-time, year-long basis, to public and private non-profit organizations. The project on which the VISTA will be assigned must focus on the mobilization of community resources and the expansion of the capacity of community-based organizations to solve local problems. Programing should encourage permanent, long-term solutions to problems confronting low-income communities.

The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio is looking for an AmeriCorps*VISTA member to help carry out the activities of the Ohio Community Reinvestment Project (OCRP). The mission of OCRP is to promote the investment in Ohio’s low-income communities and communities of color through six main areas:
• Increased access to affordable financial services
• Housing credit to facilitate maintenance and production of low-income housing
• Housing credit to low-income individuals
• Credit for community economic development
• Small business lending
• Direct investments in and partnerships with organizations addressing the survival and community development needs of low-income and minority Ohioans

Duties/Responsibilities:
• Assist with developing and maintaining partnerships with Ohio’s financial institutions
• Develop and implement reinvestment strategies which will bring additional resources to low-income and minority communities that will address the long term needs of the community (i.e., home purchase loans, small business development...)
• Create links between communities and resources available through financial institutions
• Find opportunities for organizations to promote innovative programs to financial institutions, especially those programs that will result in job creation for low-income people
• Promote and increase OCRP membership
• Research thriving small business, micro-enterprise and Individual Account programs around the country
• Assist in the preparation of OCRP publications
• Assist in planning community reinvestment relevant workshops at COHHIO’s 2000 Annual Conference
• Maintain communication with the 16-member OCRP Steering Committee

Qualifications:
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Familiarity with issues related to housing, community and economic development, and community reinvestment helpful but not essential
• Ability to work well both independently and with others

Living Allowance: $716 per month. Benefits: Health coverage and optional life insurance coverage for VISTA member only; relocation allowance if you must relocate. Educational Award: $4725 (or stipend accrued at $100 per month). Commitment: One year, beginning June 1999. The AmeriCorps*VISTA member will work closely with and report directly to the Housing Policy Director

Please send a resume and cover letter to: Dawn Tyler, COHHIO, 85 East Gay Street, Suite 603, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3118, Fax: 614/463-1060. Deadline: April 30, 1999.

 

Resources

Job Opening. Manager of Development, Neighborhood Properties, Inc. Will run real estate development. Applicant must come prepared to put projects in the ground. Qualifications: five years of affordable housing development experience. Advanced degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Planning or Law preferred. Strong analytical skills in order to collect and assess data and make required programmatic changes. Send a resume, salary requirements and three professional references via email to jhoover@toast.net or NPI, 4217 Talmadge Road, Toledo, Ohio 43623. The position should be filled by July 1.

Position Available. Organizer, Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio, a grassroots organization which promotes health care justice. Involves organizing community members and organizations to protect and expand access to care and increase public participation in health care decision making, particularly when health care entities change hands. Please send resume to Cathy Levine, UHCAN Ohio, 1015 East Main Street, Room 302, Columbus, Ohio 43205.

Award. Each year, the Do Something BRICK Award for Community Leadership honors and financially supports ten outstanding leaders under the age of 30 who are taking action to measurable strengthen their local communities. The grand prize winner receives $100,000 and the other winners receive a grant of $10,000 each. The deadline for applying is May 5, 1999. For more information, call 212/523-1175 or e-mail brick@dosomething.org.

Directory. FIRSTLINK has released its 1999 Directory, which is a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of nearly 4,000 services provided to the Central Ohio area. The cost is $40. Call 614/221-6766 for more information.

TRAININGS
April 28 - The Impact of Fair Housing Regulations On Housing Administrations and Community Development, Ohio Conference on Community Development, Columbus. The target audience is assisted housing providers, community development corporations, legal aid organizations and resident council members. The training will be conducted by Merilyn Brown, HUD Attorney Advisor, Chicago Regional Office. Discussion will include recent Ohio discrimination case law. For more information, call 330/923-0265.

FIRSTLINK Trainings, Columbus. May 4 - Board Basics, $50; May 18 - Community Resource Training - $30; Volunteer Series (each session is $40): May 7 - Use Your Ruler - The 3 R's of Volunteer Management - Recruitment, Retention, Recognition; May 21 - Fill Your Tool Box; and June 4 - Re-draft the Plans - Review and Renew. For more information, call 614/221-6766.

May 11 & 12 - Taking Time For Tomorrow: Today's Strategies - Tomorrow's Realities, Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Columbus. The conference will focus on helping nonprofit leaders and managers develop new skills needed for nonprofit leadership and will include nationally-known speakers and Ohio leaders addressing pressing issues facing nonprofits today and tomorrow. For more information, call 614/280-0233.

Crisis Intervention; May 17 - Cincinnati, May 18 - Dayton, and May 19 - Columbus. Participants will be introduced to fundamental and practical assessment and intervention strategies. This seminar should provide a useful and pragmatic knowledge base for individuals in the human service occupations who encounter clients in crisis. Cost is $60. For more information, call 705/476-1164.

Ohio CDC Association Trainings. CHDO Board Training Workshops - May 1, Columbus and May 22, Cincinnati. Basic Skills In Affordable Housing Development Workshop Series - First Session: Introduction to Affordable Housing Development - May 10-12. Basic Microlending - May 21. Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) and Housing - May 26. For more information, call 614/461-6392.

Important Information About Lobbying From the IRS

The IRS has made crystal clear the fact that charities electing to come under the provisions of the 1976 lobby law, sometimes called the (h) rules, do not risk an IRS audit as a result of that action,

Marcus S. Owens, Director, Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS, in a February 12, 1999 letter to Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest, stated, “Some concern has been expressed that making the election under section 501 (h) will increase the possibility that a charitable organization will be examined by the IRS, I can state emphatically that is not the case.” This statement confirms the position taken by IRS in an earlier letter to INDEPENDENT SECTOR that stated ... “our intent has been, and continues to be, one of encouragement (of charities) to make the election ... Experience also shows that organizations that have made the election usually are in compliance with the restrictions on lobbying activities.”

The 1976 law provides liberal lobbying expenditure limits and clear definitions regarding what constitutes lobbying. Charities that have not elected remain subject to the ambiguous “insubstantial” test, which leaves uncertain which activities related to legislation constitute lobbying and how much lobbying is permitted. It follows that it makes good sense for charities that lobby to consider electing to come under the 1976 lobby law. For additional information, contact Alliance for Justice 202/822-6070, Fax: 202/822-6068, or e-mail: advocacy@afj.org.

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

cohhio@cohhio.org