By India Gardener / Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.

Rising housing costs are creating significant challenges for Ohioans seeking affordable homes - especially those with the lowest incomes.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), to afford a two-bedroom home in Ohio without spending more than 30% of your income on rent, you will need an annual household income of $39,702.

Ohio's median household income was $67,520 in 2022, according to U.S. Census data. But even in a relatively affordable state, households whose incomes are at or below the poverty guideline-$15,225 for a single person under 65 or $29,678 for a family of four-face significant challenges in finding housing they can afford.

In Ohio, 67% of extremely low-income residents - those making just 30% of the area median income - are spending more than half of their income on rent, according to NLIHC.

"Over 700,000 renters are spending over half their income on rent, and, when you're spending that much of your income on rent, there's very little left over for the other necessities of life - food, transportation, education, healthcare, childcare - all of those things suffer," said Marcus Roth, communications/development director with the Coalition of Homelessness and Housing. This statewide coalition advocates for affordable housing.

The 2021 Ohio Housing Needs Assessment states there was a shortage of over 256,875 affordable rental units for extremely low-income (ELI) households across the state in 2018. This translated to a meager 44 available units for every 100 of these households.

Considering inflation, the median gross rent in Ohio increased by 9% from $733 to $797 per month from 2012 to 2018. The highest earners' incomes have outpaced this rise in rent since 2006, but those in the lowest 20 percent of income earners since 2008 have not. They are at heightened risk for housing cost burdens and instability.

"The main thing we need to do is increase the supply of affordable housing," Roth said. "We have a huge shortage of affordable housing. It's just grown worse and worse over the last 10 to 15 years."

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency's research highlights a significant decline in authorized new housing units - all housing units, not just affordable ones - for construction since 2000. In 2022, only 30,936 housing units were authorized, down from 49,745 in 2000.

"We have not had enough affordable housing for a very, very long time. But one of the novel things about what we're seeing is that that instability is creeping up the economic ladder," said Carlie Boos, executive director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio. "And it's not just minimum wage earners who are feeling the pinch. It's not just retirees who are feeling the pinch, but now it's folks who are working 40 hours a week in a very respectable profession."

Limited housing availability, combined with rising construction costs, has created a shortage of affordable housing options.

According to the Ohio Finance Housing Agency Fiscal Year

"We're in an atypical moment in history where we are just not building enough homes for all of the people who live here," said Boos. "We're getting more and more and more people, especially in Central Ohio, where we're going to grow by another million people in the coming years."

Boos discussed the housing crisis in Ohio and how it requires a multifaceted approach that includes increasing the supply of affordable housing, providing financial assistance to low-income renters, and regulating the rental market.

"There's a lot of different tools that we can start making work for us. One of the things that I think Central Ohio has really been aggressive on... well, it's housing bonds," Boos said. Housing bonds are issued by governments at the state and local levels to help raise money for new affordable housing projects.

"Last November, the city of Columbus put a ballot measure up for a vote that passed super-majority-style," Boos said. "With $200 million and new resources to support affordable housing and start to bring those rents and those home ownership costs down... We had a $50 million pilot before that was overwhelmingly successful. So we know that this is going to have a huge impact."

Exploring financing methods, such as public-private partnerships and social impact bonds, can further tap into private-sector investments for affordable housing development. These include the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME).

Roth said the most recent Ohio state budget created a state version of the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.

"It is about $100 million of additional state resources that will go toward the development and rehabilitation of affordable housing. So that is a great first step," Roth said. "It'll create 4,000 additional units of affordable housing."


This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


get more stories like this via email

Residents in a South Bend mobile home community oppose a management rule banning standard window air conditioners.

According to the management's website, Countryside Village imposed the policy to "maintain the appearance and standards of the community." The dangerously hot weather can pose health risks but one lawmaker questions if the rule is masking another purpose: to force lower-income dwellers out of the community.

Sen. David Niezgodski, D-South Bend, has asked Attorney General Todd Rokita to step in.

"I asked for his assistance to try to put, if nothing else, a stay with the owners of Countryside Village from requesting that tenants there that have window air conditioners to not have those removed in the dead heat of the summer," Niezgodski explained.

The 2024 State of Fair Housing Indiana Report said state health department records show there were almost 1,100 registered mobile home communities across Indiana as of 2023, with an estimated 89,000 total housing lots. Of those homes, 69% are owner-occupied and 31% are renter-occupied mobile manufactured home units.

The report also showed in land-leased communities, resident homeowners are subjected to the rules and regulations of the park owner and their designated property managers. The air conditioning ban points to a larger argument of landlord and tenant rights under Indiana housing law.

Niezgodski acknowledged legislation in 2020 supported the ban, despite a gubernatorial veto removing local government intervention in cases which would increase tenant rights and protections. He has spoken with two other legislators about changes to the measure.

"The legislation that was passed was never intended for these types of things to happen," Niezgodski stressed. "What I hope is that we can collectively come together and figure out a way that brings attention to this and helps to alleviate something from happening in this matter again."

Niezgodski applauded community support through several donations of internal air conditioning units without visible outside parts to the residents but he remains concerned the potential existed for people to lose their homes or be placed, in his words, "in an untenable situation" due to the extreme heat because of a lack of cool air.


get more stories like this via email

Minimum wage workers in Colorado have to work two full-time jobs, or 82 hours per week, to afford a one-bedroom apartment, according to a new report from the National Low-Income Housing Coalition.

There are just 26 affordable housing units in Colorado for every 100 low-income households but almost all new housing comes with price tags only top earners and investors can pay.

Cathy Alderman, chief communications and public policy officer at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, said the report underscored the need to build more low- and middle-income housing.

"And not just building housing that is luxury, or market rate, and oftentimes out of reach even for households that are receiving more than the minimum wage," Alderman stressed.

The report cited decades of disinvestment in public-housing initiatives as the primary driver of the nation's current shortage of more than 7 million affordable housing units. There is not a single state or major metropolitan area with enough housing for its lowest-income workers. Colorado's most expensive areas include Summit, Eagle and Pitkin counties, and Metro Denver. But moderate- to low-income tenants still cannot afford the rent in the state's least expensive areas.

Alderman noted the Trump administration is pushing to cut the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's overall budget by 44%, including programs developing affordable housing.

"And a cut to programs that provide rental-assistance funding for lower-income households, which is oftentimes the only way that low-wage earners can make up the difference between their wages and the cost of housing," Alderman added.

Colorado's minimum wage is $14.81 per hour, and it's $18.81 in Denver but the report calculated full-time workers need to earn at least $36.79 per hour to afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment. Alderman argued to prevent more people from entering the cycle of homelessness, the state needs to find ways to double down on its affordable housing investments.

"Even in an environment like Colorado where the minimum wage is far outpacing the federal minimum wage, and we know that wages continue to rise, they simply can't keep up with the cost of housing," Alderman stated.

By Marilyn Odendahl for The Indiana Citizen.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the Indiana Citizen-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration.

Just as a new report is highlighting that two-thirds of Indiana's largest occupations are paying less than what workers need to cover rent, Gov. Mike Braun has indicated he sees housing as key to the state's economic health.

Braun spoke with reporters on Thursday at Huntington University following the ceremonial signing of Senate Enrolled Act 306, which allows taxpayers to transfer film and media production tax credits. The Republican governor was asked about the recent call by housing advocates to create a commission to examine and propose solutions to address the state's housing affordability crisis.

"Housing has been a chronic issue," Braun said. "We're not going to get economic development if we don't have enough housing as we build the workforce."

The "Out of Reach - Indiana 2025" report, published by Prosperity Indiana and the National Low Income Housing Coalition, found Hoosier workers need to earn $22.18 per hour to afford a "modest two-bedroom apartment" at the fair market rental rate of $1,153 per month in Indiana. That "housing wage" enables renters to spend no more than 30% of their household income on housing and utilities and avoid having to make the difficult choices to forego basic needs like food and medical care in order to afford a place to live, according to the report.

However in Indiana, the current average renter wage is $18.05 an hour, which, as the report notes, is $4.13 less than the state's housing wage for an apartment with two bedrooms. The disparity between paychecks and rent is especially acute since the state's median renter household income of $43,672 is the lowest in the Midwest, but its housing costs are "typical for the region."

Moreover, the report found that 76% of Hoosiers working in the top 20 occupations in Indiana - 810,610 employees - are making a median hourly wage that is less than the wage needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment. These workers include waiters and waitresses, nursing assistants, child-care workers, stockers and order fillers, and customer service representatives.

That gap appears to be getting wider. According to the report, 14 of Indiana's "top 20 most common occupations" pay median wages below the state's 2025 housing wage. This is an increase from nine occupations in 2022.

The state's affordability crisis is even worse for workers making the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. The report noted that Hoosiers working at minimum wage must have 3.1 full-time jobs, the equivalent of working 122 hours per week, to afford a two-bedroom apartment.

Andrew Bradley, senior director of policy and strategy for Prosperity Indiana, said the report underscores the need for federal, state and local policymakers to be "laser-focused" on making housing more affordable across Indiana. Also, he renewed the call for Braun to convene a housing commission to help address these issues.

"Given Indiana's growing housing crisis, Prosperity Indiana and the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition strongly urge Gov. Braun to use his leadership and entrepreneurial know-how to create and convene a Commission on Housing Safety, Stability, and Affordability, and by doing so, cement himself as Indiana's first Housing Governor," Bradley told The Indiana Citizen. "While there are resources available to increase the supply and affordability of housing in Indiana, they are currently scattered through public agencies and segments of the private sector that don't often coordinate. Only a governor has the bully pulpit and convening power to bring together the right stakeholders to align existing resources, eliminate barriers, and drive the improved housing outcomes that Hoosiers and their communities need to thrive."

The idea for the governor to appoint a housing commission was first presented to Braun's predecessor, Gov. Eric Holcomb. Although Holcomb did not assemble such a group, housing advocates have not given up on their proposal. They are trying to convince Braun to take action.

In June, Prosperity Indiana and the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition delivered a letter to the current governor urging him to create a Commission on Housing Safety, Stability and Affordability to address the state's "shortage of safe, healthy, and affordable homes accessible to the most vulnerable Hoosiers." The letter was signed by 665 organizations and individuals, including housing providers and developers, homeless prevention specialists, community service agencies and faith-based groups, from around Indiana.

Asked on Thursday about the advocates' call for a housing commission, Braun did not dismiss the idea.

"I will always seek advice, whether it's through a commission or just gathering the input like I've done in government and in the business world," Braun said. "That's what makes you successful."

In the letter, the organizations and individuals said a commission was needed because the "incremental steps" taken by policymakers have not been enough to address the state's housing affordability crisis. A commission, they said, could foster cooperation between government agencies, courts and nonprofits to help bolster housing resources, clean up the "patchwork of codes for health and safety standards," coordinate administrative and court rules, and recommend new legislation.

The letter did note the positive impact on Indiana's housing supply through the funding of the Residential Housing Infrastructure Assistance Program (RIF) and the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI).

However, the advocates said, Indiana still has a housing crisis. For every 100 "extreme low-income Hoosier households," the state only has 38 affordable rental homes available, the second-lowest rate in the Midwest. Also, the advocates said, 74% of these households spend more than half of their income on housing expenses, the highest rate in the Midwest.

Lauren Murfree, policy analyst for the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute, said the lack of affordable housing is detrimental to Hoosiers' economic viability. Without stable housing, she said, working Hoosiers are having trouble obtaining and retaining employment.

"If our goal is to provide an economically stable and sustainable state, housing solutions are key, and the creation of a housing commission would provide the governor with the ability to gather experts together to help ground solutions in evidenced-based approaches," Murfree said. "We are excited that the governor has recently expressed openness and willingness to engage with the topic of housing and look forward to outreach and engagement from his staff on this topic so that we can work together toward addressing our housing crisis."


Marilyn Odendahl wrote this article for The Indiana Citizen.


get more stories like this via email