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Breaking Ground - May 1999
- Funding
for the Ohio Housing Trust Fund
- Governor's
Budget for Homelessness & Housing Unchanged by House
- National
Summit on Homelessness...Bringing America Home Again
- Next
Step for HR 10 - House Commerce Committee
- AmeriCorps
Celebrates National Volunteer Week
- Proposed
Legislation to Block Grant McKinney Homeless Assistance Funds
- Redistricting
Effort Picking Up Steam Across Ohio
- OCRP
Releases HMDA Results
- Ohio
Department of Development News
- ODOD
Funding
- Friends
of the Homeless Involved in Court Fight
- Choosing
a Financial Institution
- Just
for Fun
- Resources
- Winning
Management Commitment For Safety
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- Funding
for the Ohio Housing Trust Fund
COHHIO has been busy advocating for increased funding for the Ohio Housing
Trust Fund (HTF) through the state budget process over the past several
months. Governor Taft made a clear statement that he supported the Housing
Trust Fund and wanted to ensure that it was funded at least at the same
level, if not increased. In the last budget the General Assembly allocated
$39 million for FY 98 and FY 99 for the HTF. So the Governor proposed
an appropriation level of $41.5 for the next two years.
However, upon closer examination of the Governor’s budget, it only
identifies $29 million in revenues to be committed to the HTF. Obviously,
this leaves a shortfall of $12.5 million in new revenue for the Housing
Trust Fund over the next two years. The sources of revenue for the $29
million are as follows:
• $11.5 million in interest from the Human Services Budget Stabilization
Fund for the next
biennium;
• $15.5 million from the General Revenue Fund and;
• $2 million from interest from the HTF account
The Ohio Department of Development Director (ODOD) Lee Johnson recently
testified in the Senate Finance Committee and agreed that the HTF funding
levels are short of the Governor’s request by about $12 million.
However, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) thinks that the HTF
has sufficient unobligated funds to offset the shortfall. ODOD disagrees
and recently reported that there are more pending requests for HTF funds
than can be met for the remainder of this fiscal year.
Despite lots of communication between ODOD and OMB over the past few
months, the attempts to resolve this issue have not been successful.
As a result of all of this confusion, the state budget left the Ohio
House of Representatives at the beginning of May with the HTF funding
still unresolved.
It is very critical that ALL Housing Trust Fund supporters contact their
Ohio Senators to push for adequate funding by the beginning of June.
The Ohio Senate should first fund the Governor’s request of $41.5
million over the next two years and second push for much needed increases
in funding.
It is important to contact all memof the Ohio Senate, but the following
memof the Senate Finance Committee are especially important. For contact
information, call COHHIO at 614/280-1984.
Roy Ray, Chairman Jay Hottinger
James Carnes Bruce Johnson
Robert Cupp Merle Grace Kearns
Robert Gardner Anthony Latell
Eric Fingerhut C.J. Prentiss
Leigh Herrington Doug White.
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- Governor’s
Budget for Homelessness & Housing Unchanged by House
At the beginning of May the Ohio House passed their version of the budget
proposal for the next two years. As expected primary and secondary education
were the big winners. Most other state programs were flat funded or
received some reductions. Homelessness and Housing programs remained
unchanged from the Governor’s request. The Senate Finance Committee
is now working on their version. The final version will likely be passed
by the end of June (see related Housing Trust article).
Ohio Department of Development
Housing and Homelessness Programs
Program and FundingFY 00/01 FY 00/01 FY 98/99
(In Millions) Gov’s & House COHHIO Approved
Budget Requests Levels
Transitional Housing (406) $2.8/$2.8 $3.7/$3.7 $2.5/$2.8
Emergency Shelters (440) $2.9/$3.0 $3.7/$3.7 $2.9/$2.9
CDC/CDFF (431) $2.5/$2.6 $3.5/$3.5 $2.3/$2.5.
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National
Summit on Homelessness...Bringing America Home Again
Earlier this month, some memof the COHHIO staff were fortunate enough
to attend the National Summit on Homelessness sponsored by the National
Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, D.C. In all, there were more
than 700 people, from 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico
and Ghana in attendance. The Summit provided an opportunity to gather
as a community of people “united in the pursuit of attitudinal and
systemic changes necessary to create a more equitable society,” where
access to housing, health care, and livable incomes is a right not a privilege.
The Summit offered workshops in one of five tracks: Housing; Health Care;
Livable Income; Civil Rights; and Education of Homeless Children and Youth.
Topics included everything from “Finding the Power Within Yourself:
Advocacy Strategies for those who have Experienced Homelessness,”
to “The Continuum of Care Renewal Crisis: Addressing it via National
and Local Strategies.”
Whether it was Dr. Frances Fox-Piven talking about the “society of
inequality” and how the rich keep getting richer, or Dr. Joseph Lowery
encouraging us to create a “coalition of conscience,” one could
not help but be motivated. Motivated to do more. Motivated to make a difference.
Motivated to act. As Mary Ann Gleason, Executive Director of the National
Coalition for the Homeless so aptly described “As a nation, we have
waited too long; too much pain has been suffered; too high a price paid
in human and economic terms. As a nation, we can no longer pretend that
opportunity is equal, or that resources are shared in a way that makes
it possible for all of us to live healthy and productive lives.”
As Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Andrew Cuomo pointed
out, it is up to us. It is up to us to dismantle the “society of
inequality.” It is up to us to create a “coalition of conscience.”
It is up to us to bring the lessons learned home. It is up to us to Bring
America Home Again.
Pending Federal Housing Legislation Pushed
Following the Summit, we had the opportunity to meet with several memof
the Ohio Congressional Delegation regarding several pieces of “housing”
legislation before both the House of Representatives and the Senate. All
tolled, we met with representatives from 11 of the 21 Congressional offices.
The focus of these meetings pertained to the following pieces of legislation:
H.R. 425 Housing Preservation Matching Grant Act of 1999: This legislation
authorizes federal funds to be matched with state and locally controlled
resources, to be used to finance the acquisition, rehabilitation and debt
restructuring of federally assisted rental property so that the properties
can remain as affordable housing. To date, there are four co-sponsors
from the Ohio Delegation on this bill (Tubbs Jones, Kucinich, Ney and
Brown), but we are hopeful that more will sign on in the near future.
H.R. 1336 Emergency Resident Protection Act of 1999: This legislation
would provide “enhanced vouchers” to residents of a property
upon the date of the expiration of a federally-assisted housing contract.
These “enhanced vouchers” will be made available to the elderly
and disabled. The vouchers will allow increased assistance for residents
in cases where rent levels increase as a result of the expiration of the
contract, therefore ensuring that the resident may continue to reside
in the unit. This legislation would also renew expiring Section 8 contracts
at levels comparable to the area market. For properties with rents below
comparable “market” rents, this legislation would renew contracts
at 90 percent of those “market” rents, thereby enticing owners
to keep their housing affordable. It is anticipated that both H.R. 425
and H.R. 1336 will be rolled into one bill and added to the HUD appropriation
bill to be passed later this year.
H.R. 1073 Homeless Housing Programs Consolidation and Flexibility Act:
This legislation would distribute McKinney Homeless Assistance Funds on
a formula basis to states and localities, based not on the merit of what
they would do to prevent and end homelessness, but as an entitlement based
simply on the formula adopted. The legislation also contains a possible
set-aside for permanent housing, in which 30 percent of the annual allocation
would be distributed at the federal level through a competitive process.
This set-aside translates into the potential loss of 30 percent of the
states Continuum of Care funding. For example, in 1998, the State of Ohio
received approximately $28 million in McKinney funds. Under the proposed
legislation, the state would receive an estimated $19.5 million and Mayors
would play the lead role in determining how the funds would be used. Unfortunately,
there is bi-partisan support for this bill, and it is expected to reach
the floor for a full vote in the near future.
H.R. 175 Affordable Housing Opportunity Act of 1999: This legislation
would increase the “cap” on the Low Income Housing Tax Credit
from $1.25 to $1.75 per capita, per state. This cap would also be indexed
for inflation. It is estimated that since its inception in 1986, the tax
credit has lost some 40 percent of its value due to inflation. Increasing
the cap would result in an estimated 27,000 to 30,000 new rental units
annually. This legislation has broad-based support, with over 200 co-sponsors,
including three from the Ohio delegation (Tubbs Jones, LaTourette and
Ney).
H.R. 10 Financial Services Act of 1999: This legislation would eliminate
many of the barriers that for decades have prevented banks, securities
firms, and insurance companies from owning one another. This legislation
would foster enormous concentration of economic power and decision making
in this country, creating huge financial conglomerates with control over
vast economic resources, while at the same time eroding the Community
Reinvestment Act (CRA). Such huge conglomerates are not likely to be responsive
to the needs of low and moderate-income and/or minority populations in
local communities. This legislation would only serve to facilitate a trend
already underway, that has shifted financial assets out of banks and thrifts
and into other types of institutions not covered by the CRA. In 1977,
banks and thrifts controlled approximately 60 percent of this country’s
financial assets. Today, that figure is 25 percent. The Senate version
of the bill, which was more harmful to CRA than H.R. 10, recently passed.
Each piece of legislation described above has the potential to impact
the existing supply and future development of affordable housing throughout
the State of Ohio. Please contact your Representative(s) and Senators
Voinovich and DeWine to examine these bills and their likely impact on
the State of Ohio. For more information, contact COHHIO at 614/280-1984.
- Next
Step for HR 10 - House Commerce Committee -
- Call
and Write Members NOW!!!
Background
On Thursday, May 6, the United States Senate passed a banking bill,
S.900, with anti-CRA provisions that would cripple the Community Reinvestment
Act. S.900 was authored by Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX). If the anti-CRA
provisions of S. 900 were enacted into law, citizens, elected officials,
and religious leaders would not be able to effectively offer comments
to federal banking agencies when banks are merging, which is a key time
for CRA enforcement. Also, more than 3,800 rural banks would be exempt
from CRA, dramatically reducing access to loans for small businesses,
farmers, Native Americans and other populations in rural America
H.R. 10, the financial modernization bill in the House, is now expected
to the Commerce Committee. It is not a direct attack against the CRA
like S. 900, but it indirectly weakens CRA by expanding the powers of
banks without updating CRA adequately. H.R. 10 passed by a huge margin
in the House Banking Committee on a vote of 51 to 8. The House Commerce
Committee is scheduled to mark-up and vote on H.R. 10 the week on June
7. The bill would then go to the Rules Committee to decide which version
of the bill will go to the House Floor. A final vote in the House could
come before the July 4 recess.
Two amendments will be introduced by Representative Luis Gutierrez (R-IL)
that would apply CRA to mortgage companies and other financial firms
that would be allowed to affiliate with banks and that would be making
loans on behalf of the banks. Another amendment sponsored by the Congressman
would require insurance company affiliates of banks to publicly disclose
data on the race, income and neighborhood of their policyholders. COHHIO
has the amendment language available upon request.
If the House approves H.R. 10, a House-Senate conference will be appointed
to reconcile differences between H.R. 10 and S. 900. Either chamber
or both chambers would have to vote again depending on the final shape
of any agreed-upon financial modernization bill.
ACTION NEEDED:
Contact memof the House Commerce Committee, and ask them to support
the Gutierrez amendments. Also, contact your Representative in case
the amendments are not adopted by the Commerce Committee, and the amendments
need to be introduced on the floor of the House. This is the essential
time to contact all memof the House, urging them to vote against any
financial modernization bill that hurts CRA and does not significantly
expand the law.
Ohio Members of the House Commerce Committee
Republicans
Paul Gillmor(Bowling Green), 1203 Longworth House Office Building, 202-225-6405,
fax-202-225-1985
Michael Oxley (Mansfield), 2233 Rayburn House Office Building, 202-225-2676,
fax- 202-226-0577
Democrats
Sherrod Brown (Lorain), 201 Cannon House Office Building, 202-225-3401,
fax- 202-225-2266
Tom Sawyer (Akron), 1414 Longworth House Office Building, 202-225-5231,
fax- 202-225-5278
Ted Strickland (Portsmouth, 336 Cannon House Office Building, 202-225-5705,
fax- 202-225-5907
All letters should go to the desginated House Office Building, Washington
DC 20515
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear Representative:
Affordable housing, community economic development and small business
lending and investing will decline not only in Ohio, but throughout
the nation if Congress enacts financial modernization legislation as
it is currently stands.
As a memof the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, I am very
concerned about some of the provisions of HR 10, Financal Modernization
legislation. We need your help in defeating this destructive bill. I
encourage you to work with your colleagues on the House Commerce Committee
to remove the provisions of the bill that will cripple Ohio communities.
In (name your community), I work for (state your organization, what
you do and who you serve). (State community again) has benefited from
the Community Reinvestment in the following ways: (State any specific
CRA or projects or investments in your community HERE). These partnerships
would have never been developed without CRA legislation.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter. If I can be of
further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at .
Sincerely,
Deadline: JUNE 7
Letters from the district make all the difference in the world. If you
would like more details about the legislation or would like assistance
drafting your letter, please call Dawn Tyler at COHHIO at 614/280-1984.
AmeriCorps
Celebrates National Volunteer Week
AmeriCorps
Houses the Homeless celebrated National Volunteer Week in a big way. Across
the state of Ohio, our memdid 624 hours of community service. Our AmeriCorps
memworked in community gardens, painted and cleaned facilities, and more.
National Volunteer Week was truly a week of getting things done. Go AmeriCorps!
Proposed
Legislation to Block Grant McKinney Homeless Assistance Funds
Representative Rick Lazio (R-NY) has recently introduced the Homeless
Housing Programs Consolidation and Flexibility Act (H.R. 1073), which
would distribute McKinney funds on a formula basis to states and localities,
based not on the merit of what they would do to prevent and end homelessness,
but as an entitlement based simply on the formula adopted. The legislation
also contains a possible set-aside for permanent housing, that would be
distributed at the federal level through a competitive process. The current
Continuum of Care planning process stimulates integration, collaboration
and effective outcomes. It gives states and localities full decision making
authority over how federal funds for the homeless will be spent. These
local collaborations successfully plan, implement and evaluate the housing
and supportive service programs for their communities, which is the primary
motivation for block granting these funds. If decisions about how to use
McKinney funds are already being made at the local level, and if 30 percent
of the funds must be used for permanent housing, does this legislation
make sense? Over the past two years, the State of Ohio has received in
excess of $55 million to help combat homelessness. These funds have been
distributed at the local level, where they can be used to address local
needs.
In 1997, the State of Ohio received $28,018,139 in McKinney Homeless Assistance
Funds, of which:
Cincinnati/Hamilton County received: $3,338,013
Greater Toledo received: $2,245,583
Cleveland/Lakewood/Cuyahoga County received: $6,077,764
Columbus/Franklin County received: $3,861,617
Akron/Summit County received: $1,460,140
Dayton/Montgomery County received: $2,527,953
Canton/Stark County received: $1,084,320
Youngstown/Mahoning County received: $1,043,752
Balance of State received: $6,378,997
(The Balance of State application included projects from the following
counties: Lorain, Columbiana, Portage, Warren, Miami, Lake, Union, Wood,
Sandusky, Ottawa, Seneca, Fayette, Greene, Erie, Fairfield, Washington,
Butler and Richland)
In 1998, the State of Ohio received $27,936,880 in McKinney Homeless Assistance
Funds, of which:
Cincinnati/Hamilton County received: $5,277,384
Greater Toledo received: $2,141,941
Cleveland/Lakewood/Cuyahoga County received: $7,914,836
Columbus/Franklin County received: $3,144,514
Canton/Stark County received: $1,269,588
Youngstown/Mahoning County received: $1,854,402
Balance of State received: $6,334,215
(The Balance of State application included projects from the following
counties: Fayette, Licking, Portage, Greene, Clinton, Butler, Miami, Lawrence,
Huron, Richland, Erie, Ashtabula and Columbiana.)
The bottom line is block granting McKinney Homeless Assistance Funds would
translate into a potential loss of millions of dollars, and would seriously
jeopardize Ohio’s ability to effectively combat homelessness. The
Homeless Housing Programs Consolidation and Flexibility Act should be
opposed for the following reasons:
The “modified block grant” process known as the Continuum of
Care works. It encourages communities to develop a comprehensive and coordinated
approach in the planning and implementation of homeless housing and service
programs. The Continuum of Care process rewards communities with sound
approaches. Earmarking funds to states and localities, based on a formula
rather than merit, circumvents this process and makes possible the use
of homeless block grant funds to further their anti-homeless regulatory
and NIMBY intentions.
The proposed legislation calls for 30 percent of the funds to be set-aside
for permanent housing and distributed through a national competition.
To put that into perspective, the Fiscal Year 1999 allocation for the
McKinney Homeless Assistance Programs was $925 million. After the set-aside,
only $682.5 million would have been made available to states and localities.
The proposed legislation does not take into account the “renewal
burden.” Historically, McKinney funds have been distributed in multi-year
grants, with some projects coming up for renewal each year. It is estimated
that renewals could take up 28 percent of this year’s funds. This
number is likely to increase in the coming years. This legislation does
nothing to address this issue, therefore calling into question the ability
of viable projects to attract renewal funding.
Please contact your United States Representative and voice concern regarding
HR 1073. You may do so by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202/224-3121
and asking for the appropriate office.
Redistricting
Effort Picking Up Steam Across Ohio
The League of Women Voters of Ohio is moving ahead with its initiative
petition drive to have a constitutional amendment placed on the November
1999 ballot that would take the partisan politics out of redistricting.
Currently, the State Apportionment Board, comprised of the Governor, State
Auditor, Secretary of State and two memof the General Assembly, draws
the legislative district lines with population equity as their only guide.
The LWVO initiative would take this discretionary power out of the hands
of this partisan board and return it to the voters. Under the new law,
citizens of Ohio, using U.S. census data, would be able to submit district
plans to the Secretary of State. Using a series of stringent mathematical
guidelines, the plan that best meets the criteria of population equity,
non-fragmentation of legal entities, and compactness would be selected
and implemented as the new districts.
To have an initiative placed on the ballot, LWVO must collect about 353,000
valid signatures of registered voters from half the counties in Ohio.
To help with this monumental task, LWVO has asked several statewide organizations
to endorse this plan and collect signatures. The following organizations
have committed to help at this time: Ohio Council of Churches, Libertarian
Party of Ohio, Council of Ohio YWCAs, American Association of University
Women, National Organization for Women - Ohio and the Ohio Farmers Union.
“This is an issue that impacts all of us in Ohio, and right now,
we have an important window of opportunity in which we must act,”
said Anne Smead, President of LWVO. The district lines will be redrawn
after the census regardless, but by having this issue on the November
1999 ballot, citizens will be able to choose how the next districts are
drawn. History has shown that, no matter which party is in power, partisan
politics color the redistricting process, and the result is long, expensive
court battles which cost the state, and therefore the taxpayers, millions
of dollars." According to Smead, “This is not good government,
not a government run for the people, by the people.”
While addressing League memin Cuyahoga County in December 1998, Robert
Ritchie, executive director of the Center for Voting and Democracy, pointed
out, “Leaving the decennial redistricting process in the hands of
politicians intent upon creating ‘safe’ districts for themselves
allows the politicians to choose their voters, rather than the voters
to choose their representatives.”
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, political action organization
that has long been an advocate of removing partisan politics from the
redistricting process. If you would like further information about this
initiative or would like to become involved with this effort, please contact
the League office at 614/469-1505.
OCRP
Releases HMDA Results
The Ohio Community Reinvestment Project (OCRP) has produced reports for
each of Ohio’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas analyzing Home Mortgage
Disclosure Act (HMDA) Data. The primary focus of the reports is on conventional
home purchase mortgage activity within four main categories: applicant
race and income and census tract race and income.
Here are some of the reports findings:
Akron: Of the 11,560 applications accepted for conventional home purchase,
only 287 (2.5 percent) were from census tracts with 50 percent or greater
minority population. Akron has 17 census tracts that have a 50 percent
or greater minority population.
Cleveland: One of Cleveland’s largest lenders only took 60 home purchase
applications from African-Americans.
Cincinnati: Three of the nine largest lenders took less than one percent
of their conventional home purchase applications from Black applicants.
In some instances, that only meant 12 applications from Blacks for the
entire Cincinnati MSA.
Dayton: Four of the eight largest lenders had denial rates exceeding 67
percent for low-moderate income applicants.
Columbus: The eight largest lenders only took 0.5 percent of the conventional
home purchase applications from black applicants. Furthermore, four of
the eight largest lenders had over 10 times more White applications than
Black.
These are just some of the startling statistics the reports uncovered.
Reports are available for Akron, Belmont County, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland-Lorain-Elyria,
Columbus, Dayton-Springfield, Jefferson County, Lawrence County, Lima,
Mansfield, Toledo, Washington County and Youngstown-Warren.
Reports are available for $10 each or receive the entire set for $100.
If you have not done so already, call Dawn Tyler at COHHIO at 614/280-1984
to purchase these reports.
- Ohio
Department of Development News
1999 Governor’s Awards for Excellence Nominations Accepted
The Office of Housing and Community Partnerships (OHCP) is accepting
nominations for the “1999 Governor’s Awards for Excellence
in Housing and Community Development.” The nomination deadline
is June 4. OHCP presents the awards to acknowledge innovative programs,
projects and policies implemented using Ohio Small Cities Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and HOME Investment Partnerships
Program funds administered by the state.
The 1999 award categories are: Creative HOME Homeownership Projects;
Exemplary HOME Low-Income Rental Projects; Innovative Public/Private
Partnerships; and Outstanding Program Implementation (including Minority
and/or Women’s Enterprises). The nominations will be reviewed by
OHCP staff membased on: newness and importance of the project’s
purpose and consequence; evidence of project success; extraordinary
benefit to the community; noteworthy demonstration of the community
spirit; and significant improvement in local capacity to administer
housing and community development programs as a result of the project.
For more information, contact Rick Knapp at ODOD at 614/466-2285.
Update Your Address with OHCP
The Office of Housing and Community Partnerships (OHCP) is in the process
of updating its mailing list. Therefore, OHCP is requesting that OHCP-administered
program grant recipients and their affiliates provide any revised mailing
addresses, telephone numbers or fax numbers to the office immediately.
Mailing address, telephone number and fax number updates should be sent
to: Wendy Van Over, Grants Coordinator, Ohio Department of Development,
Office of Housing and Community Partnerships, P.O. Box 1001, Columbus,
Ohio 43216-1001 or fax to 614/752-4575.
OHPO Award Nominations Accepted
Nominations are being accepted for the Ohio Historic Preservation Office
(OHPO) Awards, which recognize 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 nomination submission deadline is July 1. To receive a
nomination form, write to OHPO, 567 East Hudson Street, Columbus, Ohio
43211-2487 or call 614/297-2470.
The awards are presented in the following two categories:
Preservation Merit: Activities eligible for the Preservation Merit Award
include longtime care of a historic property; preservation, rehabilitation,
restoration or adaptive use of an important building or site; and leadership,
support or service to historic preservation.
Public Education and Awareness: This award recognizes advocacy, education
programs, publications, film and video, special events and similar efforts
which have helped to increase understanding and awareness of historic
preservation at the local, regional or state level.
ODOD Funding
The Ohio Department of Development announced funding for the Housing
Opportunities for Persons With AIDS Program, the Training and Technical
Assistance Grant Program and the Supportive Housing for the Homeless
Program.
Training and Technical Assistance Grant Program
The Training and Technical Assistance Grant Program provides funds to
statewide and regional non-profit organizations that will assist local
governments and other organizations improve their capacity to apply
for and administer various state and federal funds by providing training
and technical assistance. In January, awards totalling $617,900 were
announced.
Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio $120,000
Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development 67,900
Downtown Ohio, Inc. 100,000
National Development Council 120,000
Ohio Community Development Corporations Association 120,000
Ohio Conference of Community Development 15,000
Ohio State Legal Services Association 75,000
$617,900 - TOTAL
Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS Program
Through the federal HOPWA Program, the Office of Housing and Community
Partnerships provides eligible non-profit organizations and units of
local government with funds to devise long-term comprehensive strategies
for meeting the housing and supportive service needs for persons with
AIDS. In December, awards totalling $847,100 were announced.
AIDS Foundation of Miami Valley Miami $150,000
Athens AIDS Task Force Athens 87,100
Catholic Community Services Stark 38,000
Center for Pastoral Care Richland 124,400
Community AIDS Network Stark 182,800
David's House of Compassion Lucas 150,000
Mahoning County Chemical Dependency Programs Mahoning 114,800
$847,100 - TOTAL
Supportive Housing for the Homeless Program
The SHH Program provides funding for operations and supportive services
for housing designed for homeless persons. The transitional housing
projects are funded to provide housing and supportive services to homeless
persons to empower them with the skills necessary to obtain and maintain
independent living arrangements. The permanent housing projects provide
community-based, long-term housing and supportive services for handicapped
homeless persons to enable them to achieve maximum independence. In
March, awards totaling $2,614,400 were granted.
Grantee County Award
Access, Inc. Summit $21,200
Amethyst, Inc. Franklin 146,400
Ashtabula County CHDO Ashtabula 8,300
Aurora Project, Inc. Lucas 59,100
Beautitude House Mahoning 44,100
Bethany House Services Hamilton 40,200
Caracole, Inc. Hamilton 33,600
Catholic Community Services Stark 2,800
Catholic Social Services, Inc. Franklin 35,700
Center for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Cuyahoga 26,100
Clermont Counseling Center Clermont 32,700
Cleveland Housing Network Cuyahoga 70,800
Coleman Professional Services Portage 57,900
Community Action Commission - Fayette Fayette 37,300
Community Housing, Inc. Miami 36,500
David’s House Compassion, Inc. Lucas 14,000
Daybreak Montgomery 16,200
Drop Inn Center Hamilton 54,200
East Side Catholic Shelter, Inc. Cuyahoga 35,000
Faith Housing Franklin 118,600
Family and Cmty Services of Catholic Charities Portage 20,500
Family Outreach Community United Services Lucas 31,900
Family Transitional Housing, Inc. Cuyahoga 101,800
Findlay Hope House for the Homeless, Inc. Hancock 35,500
First Step Home, Inc. Hamilton 22,700
Friends of the Homeless, Inc. Franklin 152,000
Harbor House/300 Beds, Inc. Lucas 24,000
H.M. Life Opportunities Services, Inc. Summit 88,800
Humility of Mary Housing, Inc. Trumbull 14,800
Licking County Coalition for Housing Licking 46,400
Lighthouse Youth Services Hamilton 91,500
Lima’s Samaritan House Allen 10,400
Lutheran Social Services Fairfield 96,400
Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio Franklin 94,200
Mahoning Cty Chemical Dependency Programs Mahoning 16,700
Neighborhood Properties, Inc. Lucas 27,400
Ottawa County Transitional Housing, Inc. Ottawa 18,300
St. Vincent Hotel, Inc. Montgomery 41,800
Stark County Community Support Consortium Stark 38,300
Tom Geiger Guest House Hamilton 19,500
Transitional Housing, Inc. Cuyahoga 99,700
University Settlement, Inc. Cuyahoga 97,300
Volunteers of America Firelands of Ohio, Inc. Erie 40,100
Volunteers of America of Central Ohio, Inc. Franklin 13,400
Warren Metropolitan Housing Authority Warren 118,400
Wooster Interfaith Housing Corporation Wayne 47,400
Working Against Illness thru Treatment Franklin 59,700
YWCA of Canton Stark 84,800
YWCA of Cincinnati Hamilton 30,600
YWCA of Columbus Franklin 48,400
YWCA of Dayton Montgomery 34,600
YWCA of Licking County Licking 15,400
YWCA of Youngstown Mahoning 41,000
$2,614,400 - TOTAL
-
Friends
of the Homeless Involved in Court Fight
In January, Friends of the Homeless (FOH) opened the Recovery Enrichment
program, a program designed to provide permanent housing and comprehensive
services, including chemical dependency treatment, medical care, employment
services and case management, to men in recovery from drug and alcohol
addiction. The project is in partnership with the Columbus Neighborhood
Health Center, the Columbus Health Department and Community Housing Network.
FOH, in collaboration with its partner agencies, selected a 12-unit apartment
building located in Bexley, Ohio (an urban suburb of Columbus) to serve
as the permanent housing component. No services are provided at the site
in Bexley.
The city of Bexley challenged FOH and its collaborators in regard to the
project by filing a law suit claiming that under the city’s zoning
code that the building had lost its legal noncomforming status as a 12-unit
building and was in fact usable only as a 4-unit building. The city was
seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction to stop the building from
being used for the project. On March 11, 1999 Judge Richard Pfeiffer granted
the city a permanent injunction based upon the court’s finding that
the use of the building for the project constituted a “quasipublic
use” as defined in the Bexley Zoning Code. The court ruled that to
use the property for the project, FOH must first obtain a conditional
use variance from the city of Bexley. FOH had 30 days to receive the variance
or move out of the building.
FOH and its partner agencies requested a clarification from the court
and made a motion for reconsideration relative to the permanent injunction.
The court did not reconsider its granting of the injunction, and gave
FOH an additional 30 days to either get a variance from Bexley or discontinue
the use of the property.
On April 20, Judge Pfeiffer denied a request for stay of his order while
FOH was appealing the ruling. However, on May 4, the appellate court did
issue a stay of Judge Pfeiffer’s order, so that the FOH tenants participating
in the project do not have to relocate while the appeal is being considered
as long as the building is used only as a residence.
FOH and its collaborating agencies recognize the competing legitimate
issues surrounding the Recovery Enrichment Project. On one hand, the neighborhood
has concerns about safety and property values. However, FOH has a legitimate
interest in providing much needed services to its clients.
Those opposed to projects such as the Recovery Enrichment Project often
take actions such as providing misinformation to the press or utilizing
strict enforcement of zoning and building codes (such as in this case,
where Bexley also utilized building code issues). FOH attempted to resolve
the situation in an assertive manner, by bringing in neighbors for a tour
of the building, performing literature drops, and involving interested
and supportive neighbors to gather petitions, call on neighbors to educate
them about the project, and educate the religious community to rally support
for the project.
More importantly, both sides must be able to compromise. FOH changed the
design of the program (changed from 24-hour staffing with an office to
a resident manager to meet Bexley’s code), had the owner address
the building code issues and is continuing to work with the city to resolve
issues on both sides.
On March 27, supporters of the project (mostly Bexley residents) appeared
at the Bexley City Council meeting to present council with petitions signed
by 400 Bexley residents in support of the Recovery Enrichment Project.
The residents are calling on the Bexley City Council and Mayor to work
out a resolution that would allow the project to stay in Bexley. The Interfaith
Housing Network, the religious community and Bexley residents have been
working together to bring about such a resolution.
At press time, the city and FOH have been meeting to discuss the issue.
Both the city and FOH have filed an appeal of Judge Pfeiffer’s ruling,
and are awaiting a ruling from the appellate court.
Choosing
a Financial Institution
What are financial institutions? Financial institutions are businesses
that offer services such as checking and savings accounts, car loans,
home mortgages, credit cards, and retirement and investment services.
There are several types of financial institutions: banks, savings and
loan associations and credit unions. Many of these institutions offer
the same services.
Banks and savings and loan associations (S&Ls) are businesses that
operate under federal and state laws. They are closely regulated so your
money is safe. They offer loans, credit cards, safe deposit boxes, investment
services, and checking and savings accounts that are insured by the federal
government.
Credit unions are not-for-profit, memowned cooperatives that operate under
federal or state laws. They serve memwho have something in common, such
as working for the same employer, belonging to the same group or living
in the same community. They are closely regulated so your money is safe.
Most credit unions offer loans, credit cards, and checking (share draft)
and savings (share) accounts that are insured by the federal government.
Many other businesses, including post offices, grocery stores, wire services,
finance companies, pawn shops and check cashing outlets sell money orders
and cash checks. Check cashing may be free or for a fee. A few states
regulate fees charged by check cashing outlets and wire services. There
are no regulations for check cashing fees charged by other businesses.
Why should I keep my money in a financial institution? Safety. The money
you deposit in an institution is safe from theft, loss and fire. Keeping
your money in an account is safer than keeping cash at home or carrying
cash with you. In most cases, money in your account is protected by federal
insurance.
Convenience. You can get your money quickly and easily. Institutions provide
different ways for you to get your money. You can withdraw cash at a teller’s
window, a drive-up window, an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) or by cashing
a personal check.
Cost. Keeping your money in a financial institution and using the services
it provides is often cheaper than using other businesses to cash checks
or buy money orders. Check cashing for account holders is usually free.
Using a checking account can cost less than buying a lot of money orders.
Compare what it costs you to cash checks and buy money orders for a typical
month to the monthly cost of accounts offered in your area.
Security. In a federally insured institution, your money is generally
protected by federal insurance up to $100,000 for each depositor. Most
banks and savings and loans are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC). Credit unions are usually insured through the National
Credit Union Administration.
Other Financial Industry Products. In addition to checking and savings
accounts, most financial institutions offer a variety of other products
and services that you may want or need. For example, a car dealer or your
landlord might want a check that guarantees payment. For a fee, a certified
check is written on your account and then is “guaranteed” by
the institution. If you do not have an account, for a fee, you can get
a cashiers check or teller’s check that serves the same purpose.
You can borrow money from your financial institution if you have a good
credit history. Financial institutions offer a wide variety of loans and
other forms of credit. Use credit wisely. Avoid getting into too much
debt.
Financial institutions may offer investment products and services. You
do not need to have an account with the institution to get many of these
services. The people selling investments (stocks, bonds and mutual funds)
may not be employees of the institution. They must tell you if an investment
is not insured. The right investment for you depends on your needs, goals
and how much risk you are willing to take. Never invest in something that
you do not understand.
You can also buy and redeem United States Savings Bonds at many financial
institutions (commercial banks and credit unions). For further information
about U.S. Savings Bonds, contact the Bureau of Public Debt, Savings Bond
Operation Office, Parkersburg, WV 26106-1328 or on the internet at www.publicdebt.
treas.gov/sav/sav.htm.
How do I choose an institution? Shop and compare. This checklist may help
you decide which institution is right for you. Does it offer services
I need? Is it close to home? Does it have reasonable hours? Does it have
ATMs? If so, are they located near where I live, work or shop? Am I eligible
to join a credit union? Do any employees speak my language? What kind
of identification is required to open an account? What, if any, fees will
I be charged?
Developed by the Financial Services Education Coalition.
JUST
FOR FUN
How to Keep a Healthy Level of Insanity in the Workplace
• Page yourself over the intercom. (Don’t disguise your voice.)
• Find out where your boss shops and buy exactly the same outfits.
Always wear them one day after your boss does.
• Make up nicknames for all of your coworkers and refer to them only
by these names.
• While sitting at you desk, soak your fingers in “Palmolive.”
• Put up mosquito netting around your cubicle.
• Put a chair facing a printer, sit there all day and tell people
you’re waiting for your document.
• Arrive at a meeting late, say you’re sorry, but you didn’t
have time for lunch, and during the meeting eat 5 entire raw potatoes.
• Insist that you’re e-mail address be “zena goddess of
fire@ company name.com”
• Every time someone asks you to do something, ask them if they want
fries with that.
• Send e-mail to yourself engaging yourself in an intelligent debate
about the direction of one of your company’s products. Forward the
mail to a co-worker and ask her to settle the disagreement.
• Encourage your colleagues to join you in a little synchronized
chair dancing.
• Put your garbage can on your desk. Label it “IN.”
• Determine how many cups of coffee is “too many.”
• Develop an unnatural fear of staplers.
• Decorate your office with pictures of Cindy Brady and Danny Partridge.
Try to pass them off as your children.
Resources
TRAININGS
CDC Trainings. June 5 (Akron), June 26 (Toledo) and July 10 (Athens) -
CHDO Board Training Workshop. Designed to increase the capacity of organizations
to utilize state resources by giving participants an overview of the affordable
housing development process. $20. June 14-17 - Basic Skills in Affordable
Housing Development Series: Affordable Single-Family Housing Development,
Columbus. An entry-level, intensive training program for housing development
staff in how to plan and implement affordable housing projects. $120.
June 15 - Microenterprise Workshop - New Areas of Growth, Columbus. Will
focus on delivery systems for business assistance to microentrepreneurs,
including incubators and sectoral strategies and an introduction on developing
an Individual Development Account program. $50. For information on any
of these trainings, call 614/461-6392.
June 22 - Cleveland, June 23 - Columbus, June 24 - Cincinnati, Personality
Disorders in Social Work and Health Care, cosponsored by National Association
of Social Workers, Ohio Chapter. Topics: Identification and assessment
of personality disorders; Understanding their causes and effects; Effective
management and treatment strategies; and Personality disorders in youth,
marriage and families. $139. For more information, call 800/397-0180.
June 24-25, Better Ways to Develop Ohio, Ohio State University Extension’s
Annual Conference, Columbus. Will focus on local growth issues, including
zoning and planning; engineering design; public policy; transportation;
the environment; and industrial, agricultural, residential and community
development. $85. For more information call Molly Bean at 614/292-6962.
The Ohio Historic Preservation Office (OHPO) is offering free Building
Doctor Clinics. The remaining clinics are: Kelleys Island (July 29-30);
Salem (August 19-20); Peninsula (September 16-17); Defiance (September
30-October 1) and Milford (October 21-22). Designed to help solve common,
old-building problems and help owners make informed repair and improvement
decisions. Plus they will visit older buildings in or near the communities
where a clinic is being held to examine problems and prescribe cures.
The clinics and consultations are free; however, interested participants
must register to attend. For more information, call OHPO at 800/499-2470.
PUBLICATIONS
The Natural Disaster Preparedness Guidebook for Community Development,
published by the National Community Development Association, is a reference
manual and consists of three case studies from communities that have experienced
a flood, a hurricane and an earthquake. It also contains helpful hints
and pointers to make community development professionals more effective
in both preparing for and dealing with these crises. The guidebook can
be downloaded from www.ncdaonline.org/disaster.htm.
Directory of Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management Programs, Ohio
Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management. Designed to
assist Ohioans find dispute resolution and conflict management programs
and services. To receive a free copy of the directory, call 614/752-9595.
CDBG: An Action Guide to the Community Development Block Grant Program
is a 56-page action guide that is written in a straightforward, non-technical
style to assist busy leaders and advocates understand the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development’s CDBG Program. The author, Ed Gramlich,
has helped low-income, community based groups learn about CDBG for the
past 23 years. Copies are available for $15. To order, call the Center
for Community Change at 202/342-0567.
HUD Publications. Environmental Insurance for Brownfields Redevelopment:
A Feasibility Study (ACCN-HUD8664) $5. Building Concrete Masonry Homes:
Design and Construction (ACCN-HUD8663) $5. 1999 Estimated Income Limits
for "Low Income" and "Very Low Income Families" and
Estimated Median Family Incomes for Fiscal Year 1999 by Decile Distribution.
Available for $25 each for national data and $5 each for state data. These
two reports can also be accessed for free online at www.huduser.org/data/asthse/fmr/fmr99/index.html.
To order any of these reports, call 800/245-2691.
Fair Housing, the Zoning Process, and Land Use Politics and Fair Housing
Violation Cases in Nonmetro and Metro Counties, Housing Assistance Council,
$5.50 and $5. Call 202/842-8600.
An Examination of the Role of Nonprofits in Tribal Communities and The
Impact of Welfare Reform on Tribally Designated Housing Entities, Native
American Indian Housing Council, $3 each. 800/284-9165.
FUNDING
HUD has issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for $22.15 million
for three programs designed to help colleges and universities expand their
community building role in local communities. Applications are due June
9. To obtain an application kit, call 800/245-2691.
Over $9 million is available to increase and promote access to technology
in education through the Community Technology Centers Program. Applicants
must demonstrate the educational effectiveness of technology in urban
and rural areas and economically distressed communities. State and local
educational agencies, institutions of higher education, nonprofit and
for-profit agencies and organizations are eligible to apply. For complete
application package, contact Norris Dickard at 202/205-9873. The deadline
for applications is June 14.
JOB OPENINGS
Executive Director. Canton, Ohio based non-profit psychosocial rehabilitation
agency seeks executive director. Application deadline is May 31, with
anticipated selection in August and start date of appointment of November
1. Excellent salary and benefits. Information and application at www.icancantonoh.org.
Research Analyst. Good Jobs First is a national clearinghouse for grassroots
organizations, promoting corporate accountability for family-wage jobs
when companies seek or have gotten economic development incentives. Send
resume to GJF at 1311 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20005, or fax to 202/638-3486.
Economic Development Specialist. Plan and implement economic development
projects. Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, Urban
Planning or other related fields. Experience in business plans, grant
writing, marketing, job creation. Computer skills and knowledge of CDCs
preferred. Send cover letter, resume and salary requirements by June 15
to ONYX, Inc. 525 Hamilton Street, Suite 302B, Toledo, Ohio 43602 or fax
to 419/244-3955.
Grassroots groups can apply for grants of a hundred to a thousand seed
packets for community groups. Recipients pay for shipping and handling.
For an application form, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: America
the Beautiful Fund, 1730 K Street NW, Suite 1002, Washington, DC 20006.
For more information, call Katie Rehwaldt at 202/683-1649.
Winning Management Commitment For Safety
Talk
to any safety professional, and he or she will tell you that the key to
any effective safety process begins with management commitment. Yet, these
plans and programs don’t tell you what management commitment is or
how to get it.
We might even know management commitment when we see it, but how would
we describe it? Is it a signed policy statement? Is it a written program?
Is it a healthy budget and training schedule for everyone? And how can
I get my company leader to pay attention?
What is management commitment?
The traditional symbol of top management commitment for the safety program
is the signed policy statement. However, Dan Petersen, a nationally recognized
safety management consultant, suggests that “a written safety policy
signed by the top corporate officer is no longer enough to demonstrate
top management’s safety priorities. To sign the safety policy is
too vague.” Management commitment needs to be defined in terms of
what we need from the boss to succeed. Management commitment may differ
for different leaders. Commitment is a pledge or a promise to do something.
The leader lays down the behavioral tracks. He or she is the model of
what excellence looks like. True commitment will help remove obstacles,
tend credibility, establish priority and give power to get things done.
What should management commitment look like? Demonstrable management involvement
that communicates what specific actions you need this leader to perform;
a written policy that expresses the value and priority of safety compared
to production, quality and customer; assigned responsibilities - clearly
define safety responsibilities and performance expectations for every
level of the organization; accountability at each level (without accountability
there is no assigned responsibility. Leadership must be measured and rewarded
on this basis to affect performance); resources and authority - obstacles
come in many forms, including: time, money, people and rules; steps to
accountability (define expectations and rationale); provide skills and
tools to do the job; measure team and individual performance; and reward
progress. Management should be willing to provide the key people necessary
to solve problems, implement solutions and overcome obstacles.
How do I get management commitment?
Many times great ideas drop to the floor because we can’t effectively
sell them to management. Is top management simply inattentive, uncaring
and incompetent? Or could it be that the way we propose our ideas fails
to get leadership’s attention? Could it be that leaders often don’t
understand the true impact of the idea or are overwhelmed by the amount
of work, or cost they perceive it may mean to them personally or organizationally?
There are several keys to selling your proposal: make it impossible to
say no, be specific about the benefits and learn to manage the boss.
Impossible to say no
First find out what organizational goals and objectives does your work
support? What do you really want? Commitment - a pledge or promise to
do a thing; Support - to maintain or provide with money or substance;
Involvement - to solicit participation, to draw in, to include; Enlistment
- to get the help or services; Permission - authorization or approval
to do a thing; and Empowerment - authority or power to act with little
supervision.
Second, work to understand the boss and package your product so it’s
appealing. Third, add value. Objectively demonstrate how the benefits
outweigh the costs.
Be
specific about the benefits
Demonstrate how safety adds value. How much will this save us? How does
it link with the overall business’ objectives? Talk about improvements
in production, cycle time, quality and downtime.
Empower yourself.
• Identify problems - solve real business problems rather than pet
projects;
• Brainstorm solutions - involve the experts who work in the environment
on a daily basis;
• Evaluate alternatives - be sensitive to cost, impact and customers;
• Prepare and anticipate - anticipate any questions ahead of time
and prepare responses and variations of your proposal;
• Propose and justify a course of action - use objective decision
criteria to explain why this alternative is better than the rest.
Top Ten Questions for Winning Management Commitment:
What are the organization's mission, vision and core values?
What are the strategic goals and objectives for the company this year?
How is the boss' success measured?
What is the cost of doing nothing?
What will the new approach cost to implement?
Is this boss more a driver, expressive, analytical or amiable personality?
What questions will he or she ask?
What are his or her likely objections?
Why is this plan better than other alternatives to solve the same problem?
What exactly do I need this person to do?
Excerpted from the BWC Focus Magazine, Spring 1999
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