Goal 1:
The State of Ohio should improve the recently enacted state housing development programs, and establish new programs which will make it easier for communities to develop a range of housing options across the state.
Increase the number of credits available through the Ohio Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program (OLIHTC).
The state established the OLIHTC program in 2023 with a set-aside of $100 million per year. Already, this program is having a positive impact in the development of affordable housing throughout Ohio. However, requests for credits exceeded the number of credits available by nearly 2.5 to 1. Lawmakers should increase the OLIHTC program with as much as $500 million in tax credits available for housing developers each year and extend the program through FY2031.
Improve the Welcome Home Ohio Program. The state created the Welcome Home Ohio (WHO) program in 2023.
The program assists County Land Banks to develop affordable housing in communities throughout the state. However, there are changes that can be made to improve the program and ensure that the program is used to develop residential property, and to make units available to as many qualified buyers as possible.
Improve the Single-Family Housing Tax Credit Program.
The state enacted Ohio’s Single-Family Housing Tax Credit Program (SFHTC) in 2023 to support the development of more single-family housing in the state. While the program is in its infancy, there have been technical changes identified by housing advocates. There are changes that can be made to the SFHTC to improve the program and ensure that it is having the most impact.
Safeguard the Future of the Ohio Housing Trust Fund.
The Ohio Housing Trust Fund (OHTF) is the primary source of state funding for affordable housing opportunities and improves housing conditions for low-income families throughout Ohio. Created in 1991, the OHTF is currently limited to providing up to $65 million each year to support local housing activities including gap funding and financing for construction, rental assistance, emergency home repair for seniors and vulnerable populations, accessibility modifications and homeless prevention programs. The OHTF fee mirrors county recording fees. However, the shift to digital and online documents recording systems and the variability in the real estate and banking markets, creates uncertainty for future OHTF revenues. Providing greater stability for funding the OHTF is necessary to ensure Ohio has the ability to address housing instability for its most vulnerable citizens.
Enact a Housing Infrastructure Program.
A number of states provide funding for the development of supportive infrastructure associated with housing, similar to Ohio’s programs for economic development sites. This could include the design, construction, building, rehabilitating, repair, or improvement to publicly-owned infrastructure including but not limited to sewers, utility extensions, streets, roads, curb-cuts, water treatment systems, transit improvements, and pedestrian and bicycle ways to advance projects that support housing development, preservation, or rehabilitation, as well as the building or rehabilitation of transit-oriented housing. Ohio should enact a similar program or consider an expansion of the existing All Ohio Future Fund to include projects that support housing infrastructure development in communities throughout Ohio.
Establish a Home Improvement/Workforce Development Program.
While programs like the OHTF support projects that assist with emergency home repair or accessibility modification, a new program that can support measures to address habitability, safety, improved water efficiency, and other modifications (including supporting small landlords to support upkeep and weatherization, keeping units affordable) could have a wide-ranging impact across Ohio. A similar program in Pennsylvania (the Whole Home Repairs Program) provides funding through the program to counties for construction-related workforce development training, enabling the development of new construction trades jobs while also implementing important housing improvements needed in communities throughout the state.