OHFA Annual Plan - Ohio Housing Finance Agency

pipeline of PSH projects in communities around Ohio that will meet the needs of more than1,000 long-term homeless individuals and families over the next three years. However,waiting lists demonstrate additional gaps in funding. For example, housing data for mentalhealth consumers showed increased demand and less access; for supported housing, thenumber of consumers waiting increased from 2,372 to 3,387, and the number waiting morethan a year increased from 17 percent to 21 percent between 2004 and 2008.” 12The Ohio Department of Mental Health, local mental health boards, nonprofit housingdevelopers, and other organizations and state agencies efforts has focused on the needfor permanent supportive housing in the State of Ohio. The Corporation for SupportiveHousing (CSH) for example, has been working to provide advocacy, leadership and financialresources for the creation of permanent, supportive housing for seventeen years. CSH hasidentified six building blocks 13 that have been present in successful permanent, supportivehousing nationwide. The six key indicators that should be present to develop an adequatesupply of successful permanent, supportive housing are: leadership, collaborative planning,financial leverage, provider infrastructure, credible data, and networks of allies. Othernotable efforts include the Columbus Housing Network’s tenant education training, NationalChurch Residences’ contract between housing management staff and case managers, andJobs First service model that seeks to engage tenants in employment when they sign-up forhousing.Ohio has recognized homelessness issues and the need for permanent supportivehousing as homelessness is an ongoing problem in the State of Ohio. People experiencinghomelessness are among the most vulnerable people in society. If society is judged by howit treats the least of its citizens, those in homelessness are among the most deserving ofattention. In order to provide the necessary attention to permanent supportive housingadditional resources and efforts are required.RecommendationsMultiple recommendations were developed as a means to further address the need forpermanent supportive housing in Ohio, recommendations are as follows:1. Better coordinate existing state resources with Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) tocapture more FHLB money in Ohio for PSH development.Rationale: The FHLB of Cincinnati has invested in PSH extensively in Ohio. Unfortunately,the percentage of their funds for special needs housing (of which PSH is one type) isdisproportionately going to projects in two other states in their footprint. Based uponpopulation census, Ohio represents 53 percent of FHLB of Cincinnati’s footprint but is onlycapturing approximately 36.5 percent of FHLB resources. 142. The State should facilitate an easier, coordinated process for access to multiple stateresources that fosters partnership with local organizations for PSH development andoperations.Rationale: Providers and local community leaders must apply to multiple state agenciesto access limited PSH resources. These applications are commonly on differing applicationdeadlines, requiring differing supporting materials. Monitoring and compliance follows suitwith one PSH provider in Columbus reporting three separate monitoring visits by threeagencies in one month to review the same project. ODOD and ODMH have a workablemodel for shared investment. This concept should be examined further for applicationand extension.12Ohio Department of Mental Health, 2009 Community Plan Report System Performance Indicators3313Corporation for Supportive Housing, Toolkit for Advancing Systems Change, Available Internet: http://intranet.csh.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=4028&stopRedirect=114Corporation for Supportive Housing, Ohio office analysis completed on FHLB of Cincinnati’s 2005-2008 awards. Contact CSH at614.228.6263.