Coalition On Homeless And Housing In Ohio

Ohio balance of state continuum of care:on behalf of ohio, cohhio provides leadership and primary staff support to the ohio balance of state continuum of care (boscoc), a regional homeless services planning and coordination body comprised of 80 counties. In this role, cohhio manages the boscoc program and systems-level performance, leads strategic planning efforts, leads the coordinated entry process, and facilitates the annual application process for federal homeless dollars. In 2024, cohhio helped secure more than $25 million in federal homeless program funds for the boscoc to support transitional housing, rapid re-housing, and permanent supportive housing programs. As part of the boscoc, the homeless management information systems (hmis) unit collects and maintains data on homeless individuals in homeless assistance programs within the continuum of care. The data is used to help determine the efficacy of these programs and to improve the overall system response to homelessness. The hmis unit was instrumental in providing the housing inventory chart and point in time count data during 2024, along with ensuring the coc could meet all federal homeless system reporting requirements. The hmis team offered multiple user trainings for hmis users across the state, helping ensure effective management and administration of the database.

Youth housing initiative:this program, which advocates for homeless youth, including abused and neglected youth, partners with youth providers, state agencies, schools and other organizations throughout ohio. During the year, staff provided training and technical assistance detailing best practices in service delivery and the unique needs of transition age youth (tay) experiencing homelessness. The youth housing initiative team conducted technical assistance with over 100 provider agencies, schools and partners across ohio. The program partnered with various groups to conduct four state-wide virtual trainings attended by 220 people. The program also conducted in-person sessions on youth action boards, advancing equity in homeless education for students, and trauma-informed, anti-oppressive practices in the delivery of youth services at the cohhio statewide conference attended by approximately 90 people. A network of runaway and homeless youth providers as well as a network of youth homelessness demonstration program providers was convened virtually to discuss, plan and coordinate advocacy efforts to meet the needs of this vulnerable population. The youth housing initiative director partnered with cohhio's communications director to respond to media inquiries relative to youth homelessness.comprehensive technical assistance and supports are provided to all runaway and homeless youth program, youth homelessness demonstration program, and ohio department of health homeless youth program providers as well as all homeless education liaisons around the state.

Soar ohio: launched in 2008, cohhio's soar ohio project helps expedite the ssi (supplemental security income) and ssdi (social security disability income) application process and reduce barriers for disabled individuals (those with a physical disability and/or serious and persistent mental illness) who are experiencing homelessness, are at risk of becoming homeless or are preparing to exit an institution. During the 2024 year, 189 individuals were served and awarded $108,709 in monthly disability benefits and $471,075 in back award payments.cohhio's soar staff assisted with 660 email requests with soar related questions and referrals. Soar staff continues to work with federal social security on providing access to apply for benefits on behalf of our vulnerable populations throughout ohio. This advocacy work is invaluable while many ssa field offices are working remotely.to date, this program has assisted 3,248 ohioans gain the benefits they were eligible for, helping to stabilize their lives, and the lives of their families through the award of $8,647,402.56 in annual income. Housing information and fair housing: stabilizing at-risk rental households, expanding housing choice, preserving affordable housing, empowering tenant communities, and advocating for tenants' rights are the core activities of this program. Staff provide training and direct assistance to tenants and landlords, government agencies and officials, and nonprofit housing and service providers around the state.the program's housing information line and rentinfo email account offer free legal information and referrals to support services to anyone with questions related to housing, with an emphasis on landlord-tenant issues. The housing information line and rentinfo email account help keep families and individuals in their homes by providing information to both tenants and landlords to prevent mistakes that lead to unnecessary and/or illegal evictions and other prohibited activities. This includes working with subsidized housing providers for the benefit of the tenants there.during 2024, program staff also began a major update of the housing information portions of the cohhio website in order to make relevant resources and information more readily accessible to the individuals and organizations the program serves.during 2024, the program provided information, training and technical assistance to approximately 750 via calls and emails and more than 700 attendees at various trainings. Training and technical assistance:each year, cohhio's training and technical assistance program delivers tools and knowledge to more than 400 community-based organizations. This includes trainings and seminars, phone/email consultations, site visits, workshops, curriculum development, meetings with state policy makers, peer to peer learning events, distributing printed materials, guidance, targeted technical assistance and hosting an annual resource-rich statewide conference featuring state and national experts in the homelessness and housing arena. In may, 663 providers registered for cohhio's annual statewide conference.many of our core trainings continue to be virtual, to allow for statewide coverage, and are offered multiple times throughout the year. We have also returned to doing in-person trainings and with providers statewide. The combination of in-person and virtual training was attended by over 2,500 professionals. These trainings promoted the utilization of best practices for supporting individuals and families at risk of homelessness, experiencing, and/or who had previously experienced homelessness in each of the 88 counties in ohio.advocacy:cohhio's advocacy efforts seek to end homelessness and expand access to affordable housing for all ohio families and individuals. Cohhio especially targets ohio's most challenged populations - extremely low-income people and ohioans with disabilities.advocacy activities in 2024, including tours and events with policymakers, testifying in the legislative and administrative process, coalition building, and media outreach, centered around the following initiatives:ohio housing trust fund - successfully defended the ohtf from losing funds thus decreasing the $65 million to direct resources to local programs serving people experiencing homelessness, ohioans with disabilities, seniors, youth and veterans struggling with housing insecurity.affordable housing tax credit - supported efforts to continue ohio's $100 million state low income housing tax credit to create up to 4,000 additional affordable rental housing units; advocated for targeting the program toward ohio's most vulnerable populations.accountability & oversight - successfully blocked legislative efforts to politicize the ohio housing finance agency and destabilize affordable housing programs that require independent and accountable oversight.tenant protections - promoted policies to restrict predatory investors and protect tenants at the state level; supported advocates working to advance local tenant protections in communities throughout ohio.federal budget - worked with ohio's congressional delegation to defend and expand effective federal housing programs, like homeless assistance grants and housing choice vouchers.