COHHIO Projects

OhioVOTES is a new year-round, statewide, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) voter mobilization initiative. It galvanizes nonprofits based in low income Ohio communities to increase voter participation and join efforts for fair elections. It builds on the relationships these nonprofits already have with their base of clients and residents. Unlike other groups who show up only during the election season, our network of housing providers, nonprofit health centers, multi-service centers, food pantries, community action, and homeless programs are well placed and trusted; they can help the people they regularly serve exercise their right to vote and stay engaged in the civic debate.
Key Features:

  • On-site customized voter participation training;
  • Website resource center for voting guidelines and fact sheets (www.ohvotes.org);
  • Distribution of GOTV and voter education materials,
  • Immediate, personalized telephone response to voter-related questions.

Visit OhioVOTES website to learn how you can strengthen your community by increasing civic participation. Or call 614-280-1984 (ext. 23) and talk to Jocelyn Travis, OhioVOTES director (jocelyntravis@cohhio.org).

The COHHIO Youth Empowerment Program (YEP)
Meeting the Needs of Homeless Children and Youth

Our Mission: YEP will empower youth by increasing opportunities for them to take control of their situations while building self-esteem and improving their quality of life through advocacy, leadership and education. There are more than 60,000 children and youth that will experience homelessness in Ohio this year. YEP is a statewide council of homeless youth (12- 21) that have joined together to improve the lives of these children. Through YEP, homeless youth become active community members and productive citizens by participating in community service, leadership training, and advocacy activities. These youth put their own ideas into action and are able to make significant changes to local state and national policies. Recent successes include: Changing policies in family shelters to admit teenagers, assisting a local shelter to build a safer building with improved services for children and teens, partnering with national organizations to increase homeless education funding, and participating in over 1,000 community services hours this year alone. Over the past three years, 11 YEP state council members have graduated from High School, and 4 have gotten their GED’s. Of those, 6 have gone on to attend college. Two YEP youth have received National Awards for their individual contributions to the needs of homeless children. If you would like more information on YEP or to order a YEP VIDEO, please email Angela Lariviere at angelalariviere@cohhio.org.

Ohio Community Reinvestment Project. The Ohio Community Reinvestment Project (OCRP) focuses on issues related to fair housing and fair lending. More specifically, the project works to address barriers to fair housing choice such as mortgage lending discrimination and abusive or predatory mortgage lending practices. The project also encourages financial institutions to reinvest in low-income and minority communities and to build stronger relationships with the non-profit housing sector. To date, OCRP has received funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program to conduct education and outreach activities related to fair housing choice. OCRP has also entered into cooperative agreements with some of Ohio's largest financial institutions, such as Charter One Bank, Fifth Third Bank, and Firstar Bank which include more than $2 billion in commitments for lending, investments and services for low and moderate-income Ohioans and people of color. For more information on the OCRP Project, click here.

Section 8 Preservation. There are about 1,300 properties with 83,000 units providing affordable housing for some of Ohio's lowest income households. The 20 year Section 8 contracts on these properties have begun to expire or will expire over the next few years. Most of these properties are owned by for-profit businesses who have fewer incentives to renew the Section 8 contracts and may opt-out of the program and rent the units at market rates or may choose to sell the properties. COHHIO is educating diverse populations including tenants, community groups, financial institutions, state and local government officials, and property owners about this issue. The OTAG Program provides for outreach and training around those properties with expiring Section 8 contracts in which rents are above the Fair Market Rent (FMR) and therefore eligible for the Mark-to-Market Program.To obtain a list of Section 8 Properties in your contact or for more information on the OTAG project, please email Spencer Wells. To see a copy of the report, "Empowering Tenants with OTAG-ITAG- VISTA: Accomplishments and Recommendations Report - 2002," click here.


Mission Statement

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

Contact Us

COHHIO
175 S. Third Street,
Suite 250
Columbus, Ohio 43215

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

cohhio@cohhio.org


 

   
 
 
 

Last Modified: 8/5/04

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Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio
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