COLUMBUS (December 13, 2019) —The
Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies (OACAA)
commends U.S Senator Rob Portman for his efforts to fight evictions for Ohioans and others across the country. The newly introduced legislation,
Eviction Crisis Act
, sponsored by Sen. Portman (R-OH) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), aims to prevent and mitigate evictions for families while also improving data collection to gain a better understanding of the issues leading to eviction.
“This bill could help thousands of struggling families,” said Philip E. Cole, executive director of OACAA. “We strongly agree with Senator Portman that families cannot overcome barriers to poverty without first being stabilized in safe, decent, and affordable housing.”
According to data released by Portman’s office, over the past 60 years, the median rent payment has increased over sixty percent while renter income has increased a mere five percent. In 2016, evictions were filed every four seconds and one in every fifty renters were evicted from their homes. Akron, Dayton, Toledo, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland all fall within the top 100 “Evicting Areas.”
“
Our research
has shown a strong correlation between access to affordable housing, transportation, and income,” said Cole. “For families to overcome poverty and successfully be self-sufficient, these issues have to be addressed. This bill is a good step to making that happen.”
