When state lawmakers advanced the biennial state budget last month, they redirected Ohio Housing Trust Fund money, leaving advocates concerned about the future of the fund set aside for new affordable housing and subsidized housing maintenance.
Under the Ohio Revised Code, for every fee a county recorder collects, some money goes to the 25-year-old Ohio Housing Trust Fund, with that funding divided evenly between the state and the origin county. House legislators, however, included an amendment leaving all associated money in its original county.
Amy Riegel, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness & Housing in Ohio, said she thinks there is intrinsic benefit when that funding comes back to the state, particularly when it comes to planning for regional housing projects that extend beyond one county.
“For 80% of the counties in Ohio, (House Bill 96) means they would have access to less money each year,” Riegel said in an interview. “If your county has less real estate transactions because you’re a highly agricultural county, or because you’re the home of one of the beautiful state parks ... then you would not be able to benefit from this shift, and you would actually have significantly decreased resources.”
Under HB 96, the actual funding level for the Ohio Housing Trust Fund remains the same, she said.
This isn’t the first time the legislature has debated how the fund works, Senate Minority Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) said.
“We’ve gone back and forth with the Housing Trust Fund and whether or not it’s doing what it’s intended to do, which is basically, make affordable housing available,” Antonio said.
Antonio would much rather lawmakers commission a study to see what is working and what isn’t when it comes to the fund, she said.
Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester), the Senate Housing committee chair, said Tuesday that she couldn’t yet comment on the issue, saying the Senate budget process was far too preliminary and that no decisions had been made.
The Senate is holding committee hearings this week on HB 96 and targeting a June 12 floor vote, Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) said. It’s due to DeWine by June 30.
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