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By: Giani Williams and Ja’Zonna Bouie

OVERVIEW

Affordable housing remains one of the main challenges for low-income Ohioans. The shortage of affordable housing continues to grow, while homelessness in Ohio increased in 2025. Expanding access to safe, affordable public and low-income housing is a step to improving economic stability and reducing homelessness across the state.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Access to affordable housing continues to be a major challenge for many individuals and families in Cleveland and throughout Ohio. Nearly 45% of households spend more on housing than they can afford, while Cleveland is often recognized for having relatively low housing costs, many residents still cannot afford stable housing due to limited incomes and rising living expenses. The statewide shortage of affordable rental units has increased housing insecurity and contributed to a rise in homelessness. Expanding the availability of affordable housing is essential to helping residents achieve stable living conditions and improving overall community well-being.

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OBJECTIVES

  • Increase the availability of affordable housing for low-income Ohio residents and families.
  • Strengthen long-term housing security through policies that support affordable housing development, rental assistance, and homelessness prevention.
  • Reduce homelessness across Ohio by investing in permanent housing solutions and early intervention programs that help families remain safely housed.
  • Improve housing affordability so that all Ohioans have access to safe, stable, and affordable homes.

WHAT WE LEARNED

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PROPOSED SOLUTION

  • Prevent evictions and homelessness by creating permanent tools,such as emergency rental assistance, to help stabilize families in crisis.
  • Make many more affordable housing for the lower income people and the less fortunate.
  • Come together as a community [vote for rights on things like this].

SPECIAL THANKS

  • Nearly half (45%) of Ohio’s 1.58 million renters spend more than they can afford on housing
  • State data indicates that over 1 million Ohioans roughly 9% of the state's population live in households that spend at least half their income on housing
  • The statewide shortage of affordable rental units has increased housing insecurity and contributed to a rise in homelessness.

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SOURCES

https://nlihc.org/explore-issues/why-we-care/problem

ttps://www.clevelandcitycouncil.gov/second-most-affordable-label-doesnt-mean-cleveland-housing-affordable-a

https://endhomelessness.org/a-shortage-of-affordable-housing/

https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/06/23/people-experiencing-homelessness-in-ohio-went-up-3-in-2025-according-to-federal-report/

https://cohhio.org/the-gap-report-2

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