FROM THE DIRECTOR
Rosalyn Clemens
"Despite the challenges of COVID-19 we have been hard at work. We have deployed $6.6 million of federal CARES Act funding to assist residents and businesses, completed the development of the 2020-2025 Consolidated Plan and 2020 Action Plan, and launched the Home at Last program to assist 50 first-time home buyers."
$158,514
Expended for home repair and lead remediation on 15 properties.
$101,360
Rental assistance payments for 73 households impacted by COVID-19.
$100,000
Invested in new construction of multifamily affordable housing.
43,000
Number of masks and gloves distributed to neighborhood groups.
4,000
Number of blight related work orders completed by 42 field contractors.

Good News!
Homeowner Insurance Waived for Housing Repair Programs

The inability to secure property insurance is caused by several reasons including redlining, condition of homeowner's property, condition of properties in the neighborhood, poor credit, and lack of discretionary funds to maintain monthly premiums. The City's programs have historically required home insurance as a condition for eligibility and access to home repair assistance. This requirement has increasingly negatively impacted the number of residents that are able to get home repair funding and as result, has limited housing preservation in underserved neighborhoods of the City of Toledo.

"Many homes needing rehab grants are located in older urban neighborhoods. In some cases a Catch-22 situation exists in which a home has a significant need for repair such as a new roof. However, in order to qualify for the grant, the home must be insured and the insurance company will not provide coverage until the roof as been replaced," according to a Toledo resident during the the City's 2020-2025 Consolidated Plan development process.

Considering the high number of denied lead grant assistance due to lack of insurance, the Department of Neighborhoods has implemented a policy change, waiving pre-repair home insurance as a condition for accessing housing repair programs.

If you or someone you know has been denied, we encourage you to reapply.

New Programs
The Home at Last Program provides down payment assistance to first-time home buyers.
Rental Assistance is available for Toledo residents who were impacted by COVID-19.
SPOTLIGHT
Landlords Working Toward Lead Compliance

Founder and President of Toledo Transformation, LLC, Jeff Savage has been purchasing, rehabilitating, renting, and selling homes in Toledo for many years. Toledo Transformation LLC is locally owned and funded. All contractors are local residents and all building materials and supplies are purchased locally. Currently, Jeff has 21 properties enrolled in the Lead Remediation Grant Program.

"Protecting tenants from lead is the right thing to do."
~ Jeff Savage
Department of Neighborhoods Names Historic South Initiative as Community Housing Development Organization
A Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) is a private nonprofit, community-based, service organization that has the capacity to develop affordable housing for the community it serves. CHDO's can access 15 percent of the city's annual HOME funding for affordable housing work and can also receive operating assistance. For the past four years, Historic South Initiative (HSI) has been diligently working to acquire and rehabilitate properties for resale to owner-occupants in the Historic Old South End of Toledo.

HSI has invested more than $700,000 on housing restoration in the Old South End. Most recently, HSI received a firm purchase offer of $62,000 on a substantially rehabed residential property at 316 Crittenden Ave. and $103,000 for a duplex located at 311-315 Western Ave. These purchase offers are well over comparable property values. Congratulations Historic South Initiative on a job well done!
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Wendy Pacer
Wendy Pacer , Clerk Specialist I, has been working in the Housing Division for more than two years. For three months, Wendy volunteered to assist with the Isolation and Quarantine Housing Program, designed to assist unhoused individuals with housing, meals, rides, and mental health resources during COVID-19. Thank you, Wendy!

"Volunteering has taught me the importance of teamwork and why focusing on the mission is so critical. By doing so, we were able to provide much needed assistance to some of Toledo's most vulnerable residents, during such an unprecedented time."
OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY PARTNER
Connecting Kids to Meals
Connecting Kids to Meals , in partnership with United Way, Lott Industries, and Mobile Meals, has served nearly 350,000 meals at 35 locations. Since the beginning of COVID-19, they have increased from 1,500 meals to more than 4,200 meals served daily. Thank you, CKM!

Community meal service will continue through late August. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please call United Way at 2-1-1.
2020 Census is Happening Now!

The results of the 2020 Census will help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities every year for the next decade. Congressional representation, highway construction, education, school lunches, Medicaid, Head Start, block grants for community mental health services, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are just a few of the programs affected by the census.

More than 70 million households across the United States have already completed the 2020 Census. That represents almost half of all households in America. As of today, 62.4 percent of Lucas County residents and 55.8 percent of Toledo residents have completed the 2020 Census.

Upcoming Events

July 18, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

July 25, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Continues through August 14

Free daily fitness activities
ENGAGE WITH US
Creating Healthy Neighborhoods
Our vision is to have an engaged, connected city based on trust with safe, diverse communities that have a voice and feel empowered to address their concerns in a meaningful way. We can't do this without you.

Tell us what you love
What do you think makes Toledo great? Have an accomplishment to share? We're always looking for neighborhood highlights and initiatives to share in this newsletter. Send us a message with your story!

Find your community
Neighborhood associations are a vital part of the fabric of our community, and the ongoing efforts to make Toledo a great place to live. Find a neighborhood association, register an existing organization, or get support creating one! Learn more about neighborhood organizations .

Ask for help
We're here to provide resources to you and your neighborhood. No matter the issue, we can help connect you to the right services! Give us a call at 419-245-1400.

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Rosalyn Clemens , Director
Monica L. Smith , Neighborhood Navigator