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2022 AHA Annual Fall Meeting: Funding Truly Affordable Housing

FUNDING TRULY AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Join Affordable Housing Advocates for our Annual Fall Meeting with useful presentations about funding truly affordable housing to meet the needs of our communities.

Oct 25, 2022 at 12:00 noon BY ZOOM

Speakers include Amy Riegel, Executive Director of Coalition of Housing and Homelessness in Ohio (COHHIO) discussing statewide affordable housing funding mechanisms.

Other invited speakers include a speaker from Baltimore, which enacted a local housing trust fund a few years ago, on what progress has been made in Baltimore, as well as local speaker from Over-the-Rhine Community Housing regarding applications of local housing funding opportunities.

This event celebrates 2022 Affordable Housing Advocates of the Year. Awardees:

Josh Spring

Josh Spring (Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition) truly believes everyone deserves a safe place to live and has relentlessly been fighting for affordable housing regardless of opposing forces. His ability to bring everyone to the table (those affected, city officials, organizations, churches, unions, etc) to have the difficult conversations that are needed in order for ALL to benefit and succeed.

Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati

MARCC (Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati) is a coalition of interfaith denominations that was formed over 50 years ago to advocate on social justice issues.  Housing has been a top advocacy priority for most of MARCC’s existence. In 2021 MARCC took an active role in the Cincinnati Action for Housing Now campaign to fund the Affordable Housing Trust Fund with its Executive Director serving as co-chair. MARCC continually educates its faith members on the need for affordable housing and testifies as a faith coalition to the City Council advocating for affordable housing.         

There is no cost or registration required for this event.

JOIN US FOR THIS EVENT!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87682058357

JOIN AHA! (MEMBERSHIP)

Thank you to our Meeting Sponsor:

U.S. Bank

Join the ListServ

To Join the Listserv (open to nonmembers) affordablehousingadvocates@groups.io

All members who provide email addresses will receive an electronic invitation to join the Affordable Housing Advocates e-mail listserv. ListServ is also available to nonmembers who sign up; there is a screening process to detect spammers.

Meeting notices and communications are sent electronically, not through US Mail.

Annual Housing Issues Forum- Recording

Affordable Housing Advocates’ Annual Forum

November 18,2021

Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/VLrq1zwevLqVaO61SFB1a1Rk7q3YOd4AvidS0jEO_6Dd1v0deFXmDy0o5noLdZMz.e6epM_O32y94Awpw

  • Welcome and Introductions: John Schrider, President, Affordable Housing Advocates   
  • Presentation: Development/ Funding Issues: David Thompson, President of Affordable Housing, The Model Group,
    Ashleigh Finke, Director of Real Estate Development, Over-the-Rhine Community Housing
  • Housing Advocate of the Year Award: JOY PIERSON
  • Presentation: Home Ownership/ Black Homeownership Gap: Jeniece Jones, Executive Director, Housing Opportunities Made Equal

Housing Trust Fund Campaign Turned in 9541 Signatures

Feb 16:

https://www.actionforhousingnow.com/

Cincinnati Action for Housing NOW turned in the signatures from 9,541 Cincinnatians who signed their names, calling for funding of the City of Cincinnati Affordable Housing Trust Fund to be on the May 4, 2021 ballot.

Passage of this initiative in May, by Cincinnatians, will ensure that every year, at least $50 million is invested into the construction and preservation of affordable housing in Cincinnati.  Together, as a community, through the use of our own local dollars, we will start down the road of closing our shortage of more than 28,000 affordable homes.

This would create homes affordable to 41% of Cincinnati households, the number of which, currently far outweighs the number of homes affordable to them: cashiers, hairdressers, receptionists, home health aides, restaurant servers, teaching assistants, kitchen workers, nursing assistants, retail sales associates, bank tellers, bartenders, funeral attendants, pharmacy technicians, veterinary assistants, childcare workers, grocery store workers, etc., and their families.  This investment would create new jobs and new opportunities for more Cincinnati neighborhoods.

These signatures were collected by an incredible team of over 200 dedicated volunteers. We are so grateful to be partnered with them and the thousands of Cincinnatians who showed up to sign.  Imagine, 9,541 signatures, collected entirely in a global pandemic. That is more than double the required 4,680 valid signatures we need to get on the ballot. Getting this number of signatures in most likely the worst year to collect signatures in the last 100 years, required resourceful intention on the part of the many volunteers and on the part of the signers and shows how much people believe in our responsibility to end the affordable housing crisis in our city.

After we give them to the City, they will turn over the petitions to the Hamilton County Board of Elections who will verify the signatures.  Once verified, they will go back to the city, and then city council will take the necessary steps to put in on the ballot. Keep an eye out on our social media for more information!