Last week, more than 80 people filled a large, glass room for the opportunity to speak in front of the Ohio Senate about barriers to housing in Northeast Ohio.
The hearing, held at the Cleveland Foundation’s headquarters on Euclid Avenue, was one of many held around the Buckeye state by the newly formed Senate Select Committee on Housing. Elected officials and nonprofit leaders packed the room to raise concerns about access for seniors, the city’s unhoused people and how stable housing is key for health and addiction recovery.
But one set of stakeholders was largely missing: the residents themselves.
“We are eager to hear from you today as we know that you are the subject matter experts of your city or your region,” said Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester).
Most of the speakers were housing and policy experts. Only a couple of people from Cleveland shared first-hand experiences of being unhoused and struggling to find affordable housing.
Audrianna Rodriguez, co-chair for the Cleveland Police Commission and first-generation home owner, talked about experiencing homelessness in Cleveland until she was 12 years old. She bought her home through Habitat for Humanity.
Housing vouchers do not guarantee housing
Mayor Justin Bibb’s Senior Advisor Emily Collins, Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin, City Council Member Jenny Spencer, City Council Member Stephanie Howse-Jones and City Council Member Kris Harsh outlined some of the city’s ongoing challenges.
“What we know is this: It is not an urban problem. It is not a suburban or rural problem. It’s an Ohio problem – one that you will find in your own districts and in every corner of our state.”
Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin
They spoke about how tax abatements, tax increment financing (TIFs) and pre-housing zoning have failed to ease the severity of the housing situation in Cleveland.
“But none of those tools support longtime, low-income homeowners whose monthly housing costs are increasing because of rising property taxes,” said Griffin.
Council members, including Spencer and Howse-Jones, spoke passionately about how a lack of affordable housing affects vulnerable residents. Spencer brought along Phyllis Bambeck, an 83-year-old retired teacher, who almost lost her home due to rising property taxes.
“Phyllis prevailed, for now. But why should she have to fight so hard, so late in life, just to stay in her home?” asked Spencer. Bambeck’s story is one of many, she said.
Howse-Jones delivered an emotional and people-centered speech on the rising number of unhoused people in her ward and throughout Cleveland. She invited the committee to go down to Superior Avenue to visit the encampments and speak to the people living on the streets.
“We have to do something, go out and actually talk to our unhoused individuals. People are more than willing to tell you their stories,” she said, tearing up as she talked about the crises her constituents face regarding housing.
“I’m not going to apologize for my tears. You cannot see what’s going on and be like … you should work harder … Trust me, people are working very hard.”
Ward 7 Council Member Stephanie Howse-Jones
Howse-Jones recalled a conversation she had with a woman who was unhoused for the first time. She had a housing voucher, but no one would rent to her, according to Howse-Jones.
Howse-Jones also previewed testimony from the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH), an organization that advocates for the elimination of the root causes of homelessness and does street outreach every day.
“They can name every person who’s sleeping in a tent, sleeping in a car,” she said.
Josiah Quarles, director of organizing and advocacy at NEOCH, testified hours later to highlight stories from people who are struggling to remain housed in Cleveland.
Only 50% of housing choice voucher holders can find a place to accept them, Quarles said. He also talked about the problem of LLCs buying up housing and pushing local buyers out of the equation.
Housing Cleveland’s ‘legacy’ and other vulnerable residents
Griffin also emphasized the need to take care of senior residents living on fixed incomes, a group he calls “legacy residents.” These are residents who are cornerstones of their neighborhoods who “stayed, defended and invested … while others left or disinvested,” according to Griffin.
Helping long-term residents stay in their home is a “top priority,” according to a 2020 tax abatement study that Griffin referenced in his testimony.
In addition to keeping long-term residents housed, other speakers emphasized the need to protect mothers from housing instability. Dr. Nabile Chehade, James Bicak and Greg Zucca–all from MetroHealth System–spoke about the connection between housing and overall patient health.
Through the Institute for Health, Opportunity, Partnership and Empowerment (HOPE), MetroHealth recognized that “we must go beyond our hospital walls to identify and help eliminate potential barriers to the health and well-being of our patients,” according to the testimony they submitted.
Chehade pointed out that patients who stand to lose housing are disproportionately Black, unemployed or earning less than a living wage. At least 32% of Black residents screened by MetroHealth are at risk of becoming unhoused, according to Chehade.
“If we can get our patients into homes that are safe and stable, we know their health will improve,” Chehade said.
The committee hosted its first meeting with residents in Cincinnati in 2023 and also made visits to Lima and Marietta. The committee is expected to travel through Ohio to learn about the unique housing challenges across the state.
Where to watch:
The Cleveland live stream is broken into three parts, each 2 1/2 hours long, and the first part can be watched here. Written testimony can be read here.
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