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Ohio Outpaces Most States Nationwide With Declining Homelessness Rate

Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition of Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, sifts through the most recent statistics on the chronically homeless in the state.
Andy Chow
Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition of Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, sifts through the most recent statistics on the chronically homeless in the state.

Ohio is outpacing most of the country in its work to bringing down the number of people who are homeless in the state. But those working with homeless Ohioans say there’s more work to do. 

Advocates say the most recent federal numbers show a 37% decrease in the number of chronically homeless people in Ohio.

Bill Faith with the Coalition of Homelessness and Housing in Ohio sees this as proof that they need to keep pushing out their strategies that seem to be working.

“We do have real momentum because an increasing number of communities in our state know what works and they are getting cooperation,” said Faith.

Faith says pinpointing effective strategies, collaboration and increased affordable housing money are all helping. COHHIO will ask the state to approve a $15 million increase in the Housing Trust Fund next year.

Copyright 2021 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Andy Chow is a general assignment state government reporter who focuses on environmental, energy, agriculture, and education-related issues. He started his journalism career as an associate producer with ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus before becoming a producer with WBNS 10TV.