Advocate Explains the State Budget

Bill Faith Reports to CAHA

Executive Director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio attended the April Cuyahoga Affordable Housing Alliance to give advocates and housing developers an update on the thinking down around housing and poverty issues in Columbus. Faith is the leading lobbyist for housing programs and maintaining state support for anti-poverty programs in Ohio.

Faith talked a great deal about the change in tone and atmosphere since November and the election of John Kasich as governor. He talked about the strange day two days after the election when the Governor elect gathered 150 lobbyists and told them that they needed to get on the bus or be run over by it. Kasich told those gathered that two presidents (Clinton and Obama) and millions of dollars could not stop him so what makes these lobbyist feel that they could stop him? It seemed as though the new Governor is unwilling to tolerate dissension or differing opinions.

Faith described in detail many of the decisions that were made down in Columbus to generate the new budget. Kasich could have closed $3.7 billion in tax loopholes to close the budget deficit, but decided against this path. Faith specifically mentioned the corporate jet tax break that could have been closed, but was left intact. There were sales tax loopholes that would have closed $4.8 billion, but that was left in place. The promises made to communities when business taxes were changed in 2005 are no longer relevant, which hurts local government. There are many structural problems within the budget that push a huge burden onto the local communities. The new Governor was opposed to any change on the revenue side of the balance sheet, and focused entirely on the expense side.

Faith mentioned the three biggest losers in the upcoming budget:

1. Local and County governments including libraries.
2. K-12 education throughout the state are big losers.
3. And Higher education takes a big hit.

Others that would be hurt by passage of the Kasich budget include the community health centers, the Consumer’s Council, and nursing homes. One of the surprising aspects of Faith’s presentation is that other health and human services programs are not harmed as badly as was anticipated in the budget. Kasich made a commitment not harm the most vulnerable, and so homeless, mentally ill, developmentally disabled are not harmed in the budget anymore than the cuts taken by every organization across the board. How young children and the huge cut to public education are not considered a vulnerable population was not explained.

There was a lot of discussion about the privatizing of the Department of Development. It looks at this point that the economic development activities will be pulled out of the department and transferred to the private JobsOhio agency. The existing agency will then be changed to the Department of Community Development and will continue to administer block grant funds, heating assistance, weatherization, the community action funding, the housing trust fund, and the shelter grant. Faith discussed the threats to the State Housing Trust fund including the unwillingness by some County recorders to send the tax dollars collected onto the state to distribute.

Faith touched briefly on the upcoming HUD budget. Since the 2011 budget had not been finalized and the House had not introduced a budget framework for 2012, there was very little information available. One positive coming out of the federal government was the new funding and attention being paid to housing within the health care community. Faith talked about waivers being sought with the Medicare program to pay for housing. It is increasingly clear that a person’s health care suffers if they do not have a stable place to live, and communities around the country are beginning to factor housing into health care plans.

Brian
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Next CAHA Meeting

Pictured above Phil Star (CAHA chairperson) and Bill Faith (COHHIO Director) speaks in 2009.

Bill Faith "Not Under the Bus Yet" Tour April 4, 2011

The next meeting of the Cuyahoga Affordable Housing Alliance is Monday April 4, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. at the US Bank Building in Playhouse Square. We will have a discussion about the state budget with Bill Faith executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio. There is a great deal of concern over the state budget and especially the impact on low income residents of Cleveland, Bill Faith can separate fact from fiction in the state budget. Faith is on his "not under the bus yet" tour to get information out about the State affordable housing budget and potential cuts that we need to be aware of if we serve a mentally ill, elderly or other fragile population. Faith regularly interacts with state legislators and can give an assessment of how this will all play out over the next three months. We hope that you can attend. The meeting will be in the lower level of the building on East 14th and Euclid Ave. in the lower level (1350 Euclid Ave. ) across from the United Way in downtown Cleveland.

Faith would want us to also remind people that the COHHIO conference is in Columbus on April 11, 12 and then lobby day is April 13. CAHA is a one and a half hour presentation of the issues facing Ohio, while the conference is a two day presentation on all of the issues.

Brian Davis
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Hunger and Homelessness on the Rise in Ohio

The National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Highlights Recent Increase in Demand for Services

PRESS RELEASE: The National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 14-21) highlights the challenges faced by millions of Americans who lack access to basic necessities. The campaign, coordinated by The National Coalition for the Homeless, occurs each year the week before Thanksgiving, and also showcases effective programs in Ohio, such as Cuyahoga County’s Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH).

“Northeast Ohio never recovered from the 2001 downturn, and we are struggling every day find space in church basements to provide a warm space to everyone looking for shelter,” said Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Brian Davis.

Focusing attention on hunger and homelessness issues is especially important in Ohio as legislators begin conversations on how to balance a gaping hole in the state budget that’s estimated at $8 billion. The USDA’s recent report on household food security indicated that more than one in seven Ohioans faced a daily risk of hunger. Ohio ranks 9th highest of all states on the measure of food insecurity.

Homelessness is considered a lagging indicator of a troubled economy, meaning that people exhaust all other options before accessing shelters for help, says Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO). “Across the state, the numbers tell the story of increasing hardship among those who’ve lost their jobs, are in foreclosure, or have unexpected medical bills,” says Faith.

In Franklin County, the Community Shelter Board will spend 3000 percent more this year than last on overflow costs for family shelters. In the Miami Valley, the two primary family and single adult shelters saw a 35 percent and 27 percent respective increase in occupancy in the first two months of November 2010, compared to the same period last year. And in Cuyahoga County in September alone, 275 men who had no previous experience with homelessness, entered the county’s largest shelter.

The Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week coincides with the launch of the 20th anniversary of the Ohio Housing Trust Fund, a flexible funding source that responds to growing homeless numbers as well as to the critical housing needs of Ohio’s military veterans, senior citizens, people with disabilities and working families.

“The priority of the OHTF has always been to direct dedicated funds to those most in need,” noted Faith. “This is a unique funding source that becomes even more important when social service safety net programs are cut to the bone.”

The OHTF began in 1990 when voters approved a constitutional amendment making housing a public purpose. Following years of advocacy from COHHIO and member groups, the Ohio legislature approved in 2004-2005 an increase in the recordation fees to create a permanent dedicated funding stream for the Ohio Housing Trust Fund.

Since then the OHTF has distributed more than $369 million to a diverse universe of projects, including adult and youth shelters, affordable housing development projects, home repair, rehab and energy savings projects, Habitat for Humanity of Ohio, funds to enable home ownership, support services to help those in need stay in their homes, and service coordination for seniors, among other projects. “These funds have been the safety net needed for more than a million people in every county in our state, with half or more going to projects in rural counties,” said Faith.

COHHIO/NEOCH Press Release issued November 16
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State Foreclosure Call-In Day

From the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio

Good Afternoon Advocates!

Is a generation of foreclosures long enough?

2009 marks the 15th year of record foreclosure numbers – that’s an entire generation of wealth-stripping that we can to stop through sound legislation!

HB 3, the Foreclosure Prevention Act, has been sitting idle in the Senate for six months. During that time more than 45,000 homeowners have lost their homes. How many more homes do we have to lose before the Senate acts?

We need your help on Wednesday, December 9, when dozens of Ohio housing advocates will meet with their senators at the Statehouse.

Your calls will reinforce their visits. Ask your senator to push for public hearings on the bill before the end of the year. PLEASE MAKE TWO CALLS -- one to your senator, and one to Bill Harris, President of the Ohio Senate (614-466-8086)!

If you do not know your senator, click this link and enter the requested information under Find Your Senator.

After you make the calls on December 9, please let us know the response you received by calling NEOCH 216/432-0540 ext 100 or COHHIO at 614/280-1984 (Cathy Johnston).

Thanks for your support!


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What Can I Do?

FOCUS Your Attention on Foreclosures

The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) is asking Ohioans to join them in Columbus on April 22 for a FOCUS on Foreclosures Lobby Day in support of Ohio House Bills 3 and 9. NEOCH supports the FOCUS group, and have written to support Rep. Mike Foley's HB 9. If you are interested in joining them, please contact cathy johnson at cohhio.org to become a part of their listserv and receive regular updates.

Ohio House Bill 3 is an important bill for homeowners facing foreclosure. Currently, it:

• declares a six month moratorium on foreclosures [even though some banks have stated they are imposing their own foreclosure moratoriums, Cuyahoga County alone is still seeing more than 1,000 foreclosures a month];
• gives courts the power to modify mortgage agreements, allowing not only for homeowners to remain in their homes, but also ensuring mortgage companies get their money;
• allows for a homeowner to remain on the property after foreclosure should the mortgage company not require the property for personal use. Every meeting with large gatherings of homeless people the topic always moves to how can there be so many vacant homes and so many
  
• establishes a Mortgage Services Registration Law which requires mortgage lenders to adhere to business standards (including responsibility to the borrower) and to provide homeowners with information regarding resources and rights before foreclosure; and
• sets up the Foreclosure Prevention Revolving Trust Fund, which provides money for grants for preventing and mitigating foreclosure issues.

Ohio House Bill 9, on the other hand, provides important rights for renters whose landlords are facing foreclosure, including:

• requiring landlords to inform tenants should the property face foreclosure [too many tenants don’t find out about the foreclosure until the sheriff shows up to evict them];
• requiring landlords to inform tenants of date, time, and place of sale at least 21 days before the sale of the property; and
• requiring any rental agreement on a foreclosed property to continue as a month-to-month agreement, thereby making the mortgage company the landlord, because there’s no reason a tenant who always pays rent on time should be punished when the landlord is foreclosed on.

If you have the time and the means, please contact COHHIO and join them on their lobby day. Speak with your representatives and let them know that these bills are vital in protecting Ohio’s citizens and keeping Ohio’s families in homes. Again, if you are interested, contact cathyjohnson at cohhio.org or call them at 614-280-1984.

Brian

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Brunner Speaks (a lot)

Secretary of State Attends Housing Conference

I was able to attend the Coalition on Housing and Homelessness Conference in Columbus last week. I presented a workshop on homeless people participating in the democratic process from registration to voting on election day along with a representative of the Secretary of State's office. Jennifer Brunner, current Secretary of State, gave a keynote address during the conference. She also was on WCPN on May 1.

At the conference, Brunner was described as the new sheriff in town. She brought a message to housing and homeless advocates that her goal is to make sure that if you want to vote and are eligible, her office will help facilitate that activity. She talked briefly about the NEOCH lawsuit and said that she opposed the identification requirements before it was passed, but now she is an elected official and must enforce the law. Brunner said that the state legislature, controlled by Republicans, is not willing to back down on the ID requirements. She said that there is very little evidence of voter fraud in which people attempt to vote more than one time, but the legislature will not back down on the ID law.

Brunner said that she will enforce current law, but with the goal of enfranchising every eligible citizen. To this end she issued a directive which we talked about in this space in early April. The directive provides some clarity for local Boards of Elections and it expands the number of documents that can be used for ID. It also allows students with ID from another state to vote. There are a few holes still, but it is a start. Our case with the State of Ohio and Brunner continues. We are looking for some compromise and settlement but we are not there yet. By the way, Secretary Brunner misidentified COHHIO as the plaintiff in the ID lawsuit and not NEOCH.

Brunner spent a good deal of time talking about the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and their Board issues. She said that voting is important and the nation pays attention to Ohio. She stated that her election in November had donations from around the country and military service men and women from around the world who voted for her in order to see the election process cleaned up. She repeated the common refrain, "As Ohio goes, so goes the nation." She was critical of Ken Blackwell and his inability to provide direction or oversight of the election process. She repeatedly stressed accountability. Brunner talked a great deal about the fight with Bob Bennett, and the messed up Cuyahoga Board.

Having worked closely on the elections in the past, I was so glad to hear of the firing of the Board and the clean up of the elections. There are so many problems with our elections, I am not sure that she will be able to clean them all up during the next eight years before her term is expired. As Brunner said on WCPN this morning, I think the voters were looking for a change from the Blackwell era.

Brian
Posts by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless staff and Board.

Upcoming Events in Community

Mark Your Calendars

Bill Faith of COHHIO on Monday
The Cuyahoga Affordable Housing Alliance meeting on Monday April 2, 2007 at 1:30 p.m will feature Bill Faith of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing Ohio. Bill is the state director and chief lobbyist for housing and homeless issues. He will talk about issues related to state and federal budget issues. He will also talk about the possibilities of funding a federal housing trust fund and increasing the revenue going to the state housing trust. The meeting takes place in the U.S. Bank building at East 14th and Euclid Ave. in the lower level. All are welcome to attend and there will be time for questions.

COHHIO Conference April 23 and 24
If you would like to know more about housing and homeless issues in Ohio, COHHIO sponsors an annual conference and lobby day. The conference is Monday April 23 and April 24 in Columbus. To register or for more details go to the COHHIO website at www.cohhio.org. On Wednesday April 25, housing advocates will descend on the state capital to push for the state to get back to serving poor people. The state has not had a housing agenda for years and has turned its back on poverty issues. The April 25 lobby day attempts to remind state legislators that three cities in Ohio are high on the list of the poorest cities in America.

ABLE Also Going Down to Columbus
The Advocates for Budget Legislation Equality has organized in Northeast Ohio to push for fairness in education, human services, health care and housing issues with the State budget. They are taking a bus down to Columbus to lobby for equity in the budget on April 26, 2007. If you would like to go down with the bus please call Tim at May Dugan at 631-5800.

NEOCH Annual Fund Raiser
Mark your calendars for May 4, 2007 and join us for the NEOCH Annual fund raiser. We will have special keynote speaker Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and the announcement of the award winner of the Ione Biggs Social Justice advocate of the year. The fund raiser is at Massimo da Milano at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from the NEOCH website or through the NEOCH office. The invitations will be mailed next week and you can sign up online beginning on Monday. If you have questions about any of these activities feel free to call NEOCH at 216/432-0540.

Also next week we will post the important legislative issues that the Coalition is following in the federal, state and local legislative and executive branches of government.

Brian
Posts by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless staff and Board.