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Fair Housing: All Are Affected
Fair Housing is celebrated during the month of April because the Fair Housing Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on April 11, 1968. Some say it is the final great legislative achievement of the civil rights era. It protects all of us from discrimination whether renting or buying a home, seeking housing assistance or getting a mortgage. Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority provides affordable housing for all types of families including Veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities. We are working on ways to create more opportunities across Hamilton County. One plan includes the development of housing specifically for single parents who are working on their post-secondary education. The Northside Scholar House will knock down barriers for those parents by providing supportive services like childcare. By developing a variety of housing we are helping further the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. whose fight and death is the major force behind the Fair Housing Act. I always keep his words in mind, ""Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality."
Congress is discussing ways to produce, preserve and retrofit millions of affordable homes across the country. So what could it mean for Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority and the families and businesses we serve? It will not only repair and increase affordable housing it will mean a significant economic impact for our community with job creation. Studies have shown that for every $1M spent on capital investment, $1.89M in economic activity is generated.
If the legislators do not move forward with a plan, please note that Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority will continue to find tools and resources that lead to greater opportunities for families to live a quality life. As you know, CMHA won the Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant to develop a plan that will revitalize Liberty Street Apartments, Stanley Rowe Towers & Rowhouses. The West End Choice Neighborhoods Task Forces kicked into high gear during the month. Residents, CMHA staff and partners held multiple meetings to begin the planning process. HUD's Choice Neighborhoods program promotes equity and social and economic mobility to create communities where families can thrive. They also recreate communities with a focus on promoting diversity and inclusion while providing access to opportunities for self-sufficiency. CMHA is working with a large pool of resources to make a greater impact in the West End where all people will benefit.
Furthermore, CMHA received funds in 2020 to help expand affordable housing options for families all over Hamilton County. Incentives were provided to property owners and I'm thrilled to inform you that nearly 400 families were assisted. Those dollars helped 25 Veterans, 26 seniors, 67 new voucher holders and 121 families with a disabled household member. Thank you to everyone who opened their doors for families in need. If you know a property owner interested in learning about the Housing Choice Voucher Program, invite them to attend a Landlord Orientation.
Kind Regards,
| Gregory D. Johnson, MS, EDEP, PHM
Chief Executive Officer
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 Helping Residents Rise Up |
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Getting Cincinnati area people ready for jobs by identifying strengths, skills and strategies to move forward out of poverty is a major focus of the Cincinnati Works Mission. Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority and Cincinnati Works have worked together on ways to increase self-sufficiency for residents through the community cookouts, job fairs and the job readiness program. The two agencies also collaborate on ways to connect families with new opportunities. Do you know about the Phoenix Program and how it helps people rise above barriers that make it difficult to achieve economic self-sufficiency?
Oftentimes when younger people get a job they do not know how to save money for the future. The Phoenix Program shows them how to budget, it teaches life skills and more. Mr. Mitchell Morris is the program's Outreach and Mentoring Coordinator and he is very passionate about the Phoenix Program and young people of this community. He describes the program as one that is "geared towards people who might have a colorful background. We're trying to stop the shooting and killing in our streets. We reach out to people who have no hope and show them that we want to restore their hope." They do that by getting out in the communities where the people are not from behind a desk or on the phone.
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You have probably seen Mr. Morris and his team of young people passing out fliers or having casual conversations with people at stop lights, many of those events have been featured in local news stories. We caught up with Morris and crew at Millvale where they were handing out masks, bottled water, information about the program and of course friendly conversations. The flier states that the Cincinnati Works Phoenix Program offers one-on-one career coaching, financial coaching, understanding staff, felon-friendly employers and customized job searches. When you talk to Mr. Morris you feel his passion and understand when he says, "We have to get a pipeline to success started. So many of our young people are looking forward to going to the penitentiary like it's a rite of passage. We need to break that cycle, there's nothing slick about that."
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The Cincinnati Works Phoenix Program helps kids and young adults expand their horizons beyond their neighborhood through community outreach. Events include community conversations, resource fairs, Halloween parties and the Ride for Peace. The Phoenix Program strives to point out that success looks different for everyone and the Ride for Peace is the biggest showcase for that. Hundreds of people with different careers, including firefighters and police, get on their motorcycles and ride through communities that are often hotspots for crime with one joint message summed up by Mr. Morris. "We need you to live, enjoy life and grow old. There's something special about you." The next Ride for Peace gets rolling from Avondale on Sunday, May 2nd.
You can contact Cincinnati Works at (513) 744-9675 (WORK) if you know struggling youth or if you want the Phoenix Program to come to your neighborhood.
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Agency Spotlight: Ending Veteran Homelessness
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The HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program is a collaborative effort among HUD, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and local public housing authorities. Under HUD-VASH, eligible low-income Veterans receive a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) plus case management and supportive services from the VA.
Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center work together to break down barriers so Veterans and their families can quickly get housing. The collaboration has worked together to house over 1,000 Veterans and their families since 2008. It also helps to knockdown barriers for Veterans and their families and provides a safety net leading to their success. CMHA has one of the largest VASH programs in the state of Ohio, with the ability to serve 415 Veterans. The VASH program offers a great opportunity for landlords to serve the men and women who served US. You can watch the HUD-VASH video featuring a local Veteran here.
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CMHA, The Council on Aging and The US Reserves partner together to distribute vaccinations at Baldwin Grove and Winton Terrace.
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