Homelessness in Ohio

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Man walking down alley in Newark, Ohio

The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, produced by The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, estimated that 10,654 Ohioans faced homelessness during the year, representing 9 in every 10,000 individuals. [1] Over 80% of the homeless were sheltered. [1] This population was made up of 3,214 people who belonged to families with children, 703 unaccompanied youth, 633 veterans, and 1,023 chronically homeless individuals. [1]

Contents

Homelessness in Ohio has been declining, as Ohio ranks as one of the U.S. states with lower rates of homelessness and has a strong support system in place for the homeless population. [1] Although unchanged in recent years, the 2022 homeless population in Ohio saw a 5.4% decrease from 2007. [1] The AHAR concluded that since 2007, Ohio had seen the fourth largest decrease by state in chronic homelessness, with 1,285, or 55.7%, of the chronically homeless population escaping the cycle. [1] However, all three major cities in Ohio experienced increased homeless populations due to housing shortages in 2023. [2] [3] [4]

In a 1986 study of nearly 1,000 homeless individuals in Ohio, it was determined that Ohio's homeless population was quite different from traditional homeless communities. Most of the studied individuals had lived in no more than two places in the month before the study, with 65% of them having either been born in the county they lived in or lived in that county for at least a year. [5] Furthermore, 87% of the population had held a job in the past, and 25% had been working in the month before being interviewed. [5]

Possible causes

Housing

The Ohio housing situation is facing a crisis, with housing costs increasing dramatically and availability declining. Government census data estimates that population growth (1.74%) has outpaced the increase in housing units (1.66%) over the last five years. [6] For low-income families, affordable housing has been difficult to find, as for every 100 low-income households, only 80 affordable units exist. [7] Furthermore, the median price for a house in 2019 was 2.4 times the median household income, pushing home ownership out of reach even for middle-income individuals. [7] The quality of housing has also been declining: 50% of houses in Ohio were built before 1965, and 30% of available housing was built before 1940. In 2015, an estimated 4% of Ohioans lived in a house that was deemed structurally inadequate, representing over 200,000 housing units. [8]

Corporations [9] [10] [11] are putting additional stress on the housing market, as these companies are purchasing an increasing number of Ohio homes to rent out for profit. [12] In 2021, institutional investors were responsible for 16% of the home buyer market, the sixth highest rate in the country. [13] Ohio Senator Louis Blessing warned in June 2023 that, by 2040, 40-50% of homes could be owned by corporations. [12] Corporations reducing home ownership and driving up prices has led to billions of dollars in wealth lost, disproportionately affecting low-income individuals. [14]

A 2022 study concluded that this housing shortage was likely underestimated, as study methodologies considered the number of houses that would have been built following historical trends, failing to account for supply and demand constraints that affected those rates. Thus, the housing shortage may be more significant than the data appears to show. [15]

Support

Youth

As of 2019, around 35,000 students struggled with homelessness at some point during the school year. This included 374 unsheltered youth, 5,209 sheltered students, nearly 2,000 living in hotels or motels, and over 25,000 with shared living agreements. This was partially attributed in a 2022 study to an increase in housing costs coupled with low construction and vacancy. [16]

The McKinney-Vento Law was designed to support homeless youth in Ohio. The law gives students the right to enrollment, transportation, and support, among other things. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provided additional funds for students, with Ohio receiving nearly $30 million. This money went to 30 different school districts to serve as a short-term solution in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. [17]

Major cities

Columbus

Columbus has been facing a significant homelessness issue, trending in the opposite direction of the overall state. The homeless population totaled 2,036 in 2019. This reflected roughly a 7% increase from 2018, including a 17.5% decrease in the sheltered homeless population. Columbus' homeless population is made up of 35.3% of families with children and 3.7% of homeless youth. [18]

In 2018, the Columbus City Council passed ordinance 1777–2018, a measure aimed to find an alternative way to curb panhandling in the face of the Supreme Court's Reed v. Town of Gilbert ruling. [19] This ordinance, while not banning panhandling, made it illegal to distribute money in the roadway, stand within close proximity to someone operating an ATM, and attempt to initiate distribution by touching or grabbing somebody. Councilmember Mitchell J. Brown described it as " not an attack on poverty or homelessness, but a measure to provide protections for those who give and those who receive." [20]

Cleveland

In 2017, around 23,000 people in Cuyahoga County (where Cleveland is located) faced homelessness, with Cleveland Public School District being home to nearly 2,750 homeless students. This is compounded by the fact that Cuyahoga County has seen the number of sheltered beds drop by 444 and a waitlist of over 21,000. [21]

To address this problem, Cuyahoga County's Department of Health and Human Services released a four-year action plan in January 2023. This plan seeks to decrease the homeless population in the county by 25%. Some of the steps outlined include improving accessibility to homelessness prevention services, short-term shelters, more affordable housing, and bolstering the department's resources. [22]

In 2017, Cleveland repealed its anti-panhandling laws. Faced with a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of John Mancini, a US veteran, the city repealed laws against panhandling. [23] The city council also significantly reformed laws restricting pedestrians near roadways, removing any language referring to panhandling specifically.

Cincinnati

In 2021, Cincinnati had a total of 6,062 homeless individuals, representing a 14% reduction since 2019. This population housed in emergency shelters dropped by 16% since 2019, to 5,603 individuals. There has been a 10% drop in the unsheltered homeless population since 2020 and a 46% decrease since 2013. Of this homeless population, 23%, or 1,381 are children. [24]

The city in June 2023 allocated a $2.1 million grant for the Human Services Fund, a company that plans to use data analytics to identify and address patterns in the Cincinnati homeless population. In addition, the organization will work with landlords across the city to improve accessibility to affordable housing. [25]

Cincinnati's City Ordinance 910-12 outlines circumstances in which panhandling is banned, including soliciting from individuals on public transportation, within 20 feet of any financial institution or ATM, on private property, and from those getting into their vehicles. Violating this ordinance is a fourth-degree misdemeanor, which is bumped up to third-degree after three violations. [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio</span> U.S. state

Ohio is a state in the Midwestern United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area. With a population of nearly 11.8 million, Ohio is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated state. Its capital and largest city is Columbus, with other large population centers including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, and Toledo. Ohio is bordered by Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest. Ohio is nicknamed the "Buckeye State" after its Ohio buckeye trees, and Ohioans are also known as "Buckeyes". Its state flag is the only non-rectangular flag of all U.S. states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuyahoga County, Ohio</span> County in Ohio, United States

Cuyahoga County is a large urban county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The county seat and largest city is Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,264,817, making it the second-most populous county in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in the United States</span>

In the United States, the number of homeless people on a given night in January 2022 was 582,462 according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Annual federal HUD reports contradict private state and local reports where homelessness is shown to have increased each year since 2014 across several major American cities, with 40 percent increases noted in 2017 and in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Affordable housing</span> Housing affordable to those with a median household income

Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on affordable housing refers to mortgages and a number of forms that exist along a continuum – from emergency homeless shelters, to transitional housing, to non-market rental, to formal and informal rental, indigenous housing, and ending with affordable home ownership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeownership in the United States</span> Percentage of homes owned by their occupants

The homeownership rate in the United States is the percentage of homes that are owned by their occupants. In 2009, it remained similar to that in some other post-industrial nations with 67.4% of all occupied housing units being occupied by the unit's owner. Homeownership rates vary depending on demographic characteristics of households such as ethnicity, race, type of household as well as location and type of settlement. In 2018, homeownership dropped to a lower rate than it was in 1994, with a rate of 64.2%.

The University District, is a 2.8-square-mile (7.3 km2) area located 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Downtown Columbus, Ohio that is home to the main campus of Ohio State University, the Battelle Institute, and Wexner Medical Center. It is generally accepted as the area bounded to the north by Clintonville at Glen Echo Ravine; to the south by the Short North at 5th Avenue; to the west by the Olentangy River and to east by the Conrail railroad tracks. Points of interest include, but are not limited to, the Ohio Stadium and Old North Columbus. The district is Columbus' most densely populated area and contains more than 650 businesses, human service agencies, churches, and schools. University District businesses include boutiques, mixed retail, several tattoo studios, the Gateway Film Center, and a diverse range of restaurants and bars.

Housing First is a policy that offers unconditional, permanent housing as quickly as possible to homeless people, and other supportive services afterward. It was first discussed in the 1990s, and in the following decades became government policy in certain locations within the Western world. There is a substantial base of evidence showing that Housing First is both an effective solution to homelessness and a form of cost savings, as it also reduces the use of public services like hospitals, jails, and emergency shelters. Cities like Helsinki and Vienna in Europe have seen dramatic reductions in homelessness due to the adaptation of Housing First policies, as have the North American cities Columbus, Ohio, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Medicine Hat, Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Ohio</span>

The economy of Ohio nominally would be the 21st largest global economy behind Saudi Arabia and ahead of Argentina according to the 2017 International Monetary Fund GDP estimates. The state had a GDP of $656.19 billion in 3rd quarter of 2017, up from $517.1 billion in 2012, and up from $501.3 billion in 2011, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In 2013, Ohio was ranked in the top ten states for best business climate by Site Selection magazine, based on a business-activity database. The state was edged out only by Texas and Nebraska for the 2013 Governor's Cup award from the magazine, based on business growth and economic development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Ohio</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of Ohio have most of the rights non-LGBT residents have. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Ohio, and same-sex marriage has been legally recognized since June 2015 as a result of Obergefell v. Hodges. Ohio statutes do not address discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBT people is illegal in 2020. In addition, a number of Ohio cities have passed anti-discrimination ordinances providing protections in housing and public accommodations. Conversion therapy is also banned in a number of cities. In December 2020, a federal judge invalidated a law banning sex changes on an individual's birth certificate within Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Affordable housing in Canada</span>

Affordable housing in Canada is living spaces that are deemed financially accessible to those with a median household income in Canada. The property ladder continuum of affordable housing in Canada includes market, non-market, and government-subsidized housing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in Vancouver</span> Social crisis in Vancouver

Homelessness is a social crisis that has been rapidly accelerating in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia, over the last decade. According to the United Nations, homelessness can either be relative or absolute. Absolute homelessness describes people living in absence of proper physical shelter. Relative homelessness describes people living in poor conditions of health or security, including an absence of both personal safety and steady income despite having physical shelter to reside in. As of 2011, roughly 2,651 people in Vancouver are subject to one of these types of homelessness, or are transitioning between them. Homelessness as a social issue in Vancouver originated from federal funding cuts to affordable housing. After market housing increased, the cost of housing became one of Vancouver's main causes of homelessness, alongside lack of income. The homeless population in Vancouver is subjected to high amounts of crime-related victimization. There have been several approaches to reducing the homeless population in Greater Vancouver by the city and other organizations. As of 2011, the rate of homelessness in Vancouver has stopped increasing, but it is not being reduced either. British Columbia, as the only province without a deadly winter season, sees many migrate from other provinces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area</span>

The San Francisco Bay Area comprises nine northern California counties and contains four of the ten most expensive counties in the United States. Strong economic growth has created hundreds of thousands of new jobs, but coupled with severe restrictions on building new housing units, it has resulted in an extreme housing shortage which has driven rents to extremely high levels. The Sacramento Bee notes that large cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles both attribute their recent increases in homeless people to the housing shortage, with the result that homelessness in California overall has increased by 15% from 2015 to 2017. In September 2019, the Council of Economic Advisers released a report in which they stated that deregulation of the housing markets would reduce homelessness in some of the most constrained markets by estimates of 54% in San Francisco, 40 percent in Los Angeles, and 38 percent in San Diego, because rents would fall by 55 percent, 41 percent, and 39 percent respectively. In San Francisco, a minimum wage worker would have to work approximately 4.7 full-time jobs to be able to spend less than 30% of their income on renting a two-bedroom apartment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in Florida</span>

According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, as of January 2017, there are an estimated 32,190 homeless individuals in Florida. Of this high number, 2,846 are family households, 2,019 are unaccompanied young adults, 2,817 are veterans, and an estimated 5,615 are individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. According to a January 2020 count, this figure was 27,487 on any given day, a decrease from previous years. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as of December 2022, the estimate for homeless individuals has dropped to 25,959, about 5% of the total U.S. population. This is in spite of fears that moratorium's on evictions ending could lead to an increase in the homeless population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in the United States by state</span>

Homelessness in the United States has occurred to varying degrees across the country. The total number of homeless people in the United States fluctuates and constantly changes hence a comprehensive figure encompassing the entire nation is not issued since counts from independent shelter providers and statistics managed by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development vary greatly. Federal HUD counts hover annually at around 500,000 people. Point-in-time counts are also vague measures of homeless populations and are not a precise and definitive indicator for the total number of cases, which may differ in both directions up or down. The most recent figure for the year 2019 that was given was at 567,715 individuals across the country that have experienced homelessness at a point in time during this period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in Colorado</span> Summary and analysis of homelessness in the state of Colorado

Homelessness is a growing problem in Colorado and is considered the most important social determinants of health. Homelessness is very difficult for many Coloradoans to escape due to the continuous increase in costs for housing in Colorado, along with mental health treatments and other factors. When people are forced to live without stable shelter, they are then exposed to a number of risk factors that affect physical and mental health. Although it is difficult to pin point any one cause of homelessness, there is a complicated combination of societal and individual causes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in California</span>

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated that more than 171,500 people were homeless in California in January 2022. This represents 30% of the homeless population of the United States even though California has slightly less than 12% of the country's total population, and is the highest per capita rate in the nation, with 0.44% of residents being homeless. More than two-thirds of homeless people in California are unsheltered, which is the highest percentage of any state in the United States. Half of the unsheltered homeless people in the United States live in California: about 115,500 people, which is nine times as many as the state with the second highest total. Even those who are sheltered are so insecurely, with 90% of homeless adults in California reporting that they spent at least one night unsheltered in the past six months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in Oregon</span> Summary and analysis of homelessness in the state of Oregon

In 2016, a report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) revealed that the U.S. state of Oregon had an estimated homeless population of 13,238 with about 60.5% of these people still unsheltered. In 2017, these numbers were even higher. As of January 2017, Oregon has an estimated 13,953 individuals experiencing homelessness. Of this homeless population, 1,083 are family households, 1,251 are veterans, 1,462 are unaccompanied young adults, and 3,387 are individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. As of 2022, 17,959 people total experienced homelessness in Oregon, with 2,157 individuals being youth under 18, 6,671 being female, 10,931 being male, and 131 being transgender. Also among the 17,959 total homeless in 2022, 15,876 were Non-Hispanic/Non-Latino, 2,083 were Hispanic/Latino, 13,960 were white, 1,172 were Black, African American, or African, 101 were Asian or Asian American, 880 were Native American, and those of multiple race were 1,619. Oregon has seen an increase in its total homeless population consistently every year since 2010. In last three years specifically Oregon has seen a 98.5% increase 2021-2022, 22.5% increase 2020-2021, and a 13.1% increase 2019-2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City housing shortage</span>

For many decades, the New York metropolitan area has suffered from an increasing shortage of housing. As a result, New York City has the highest rents of any city in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housing in the United States</span> Overview of housing in the United States

Housing is a vital economic sector in the United States, contributing to 15% of the GDP. The majority of Americans (64%) own their own homes, a rate that is less than the home ownership rates other large countries such as China (90%), Russia (89%), Mexico (80%), or Brazil (73%).

Affordable housing refers to housing that is considered economically accessible for individuals and families whose household income falls at or below the median income level, as evaluated by either national or local government authorities through an officially recognized housing affordability index. In the United States, the widely accepted standard for identifying households with extremely low incomes is either income at or below the federal poverty guideline or 30% of the area median income (AMI), whichever is higher.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 De Sousa, Tanya, Alyssa Andrichik, Marissa Cuellar, Jhenelle Marson, Ed Prestrera, and Katherine Rush. "The 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress: Part 1 Point-In-Time Estimates of Homelessness." Washington DC: The US Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Community Planning and Development (2022).
  2. ↑ "Concerns mount as new homeless encampments emerge in downtown Cleveland". wkyc.com. October 5, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  3. ↑ "How many Columbus people are unhoused? The Community Shelter Board releases annual count". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  4. ↑ "Affordable Housing". Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  5. 1 2 Roth, Dee; Bean, Jerry (1986). "The Ohio study: A comprehensive look at homelessness". Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal. 9 (4): 31–38. doi:10.1037/h0099151. ISSN   0147-5622.
  6. ↑ "Housing Units, Population and Cost Rank Measures for | Department of Numbers". www.deptofnumbers.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  7. 1 2 "2021 Ohio Housing Needs Assessment Executive Summary". ohiohome.org. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  8. ↑ "Housing Stock: Housing Needs Assessment | Ohio Housing Finance Agency". ohiohome.org. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  9. ↑ "A corporate landlord in Ohio pushes to evict tenants, critics say". NBC News. 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  10. ↑ Horn, Dan. "Port buys almost 200 family homes for $14.5 million from struggling out-of-town landlord". The Enquirer. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  11. ↑ Rantala, Lisa (2023-07-27). "Homeownership dropping in Ohio as corporations target single-family homes to rent". WSYX. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  12. 1 2 Rantala, Lisa (2023-07-27). "Homeownership dropping in Ohio as corporations target single-family homes to rent". WSYX. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  13. ↑ National Association of Realtors Research Group, Impact of Institutional Buyers on Home Sales and Single-Family Rentals. https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/research-reports/impact-of-institutional-buyers-on-home-sales-and-single-family-rentals
  14. ↑ An, Brian Y. (2023-06-05). "The Influence of Institutional Single-Family Rental Investors on Homeownership: Who Gets Targeted and Pushed Out of the Local Market?". Journal of Planning Education and Research: 0739456X2311760. doi:10.1177/0739456X231176072. ISSN   0739-456X.
  15. ↑ Corinth, Kevin; Dante, Hugo (2022). "The Understated 'Housing Shortage' in the United States". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.4178923. hdl: 10419/263663 . ISSN   1556-5068.
  16. ↑ Kirby Wilkins, Jacqueline; Bates, James S.; Betz, Michael R.; Civittolo, David J.; Fox, Julie; Jones, Lauren E.; Porfeli, Erik J.; Powers-Barker, Patrice K.; Reister, Heather L.; Remley, Daniel T.; Wapner, Andrew (2023-01-02). "The 2022 State of Ohio Families: Challenges and Promises". Marriage & Family Review. 59 (1): 6–35. doi: 10.1080/01494929.2022.2125480 . ISSN   0149-4929.
  17. ↑ Tebben, Susan (2022-01-17). "Youth homelessness remains a problem in Ohio". Ohio Capital Journal. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  18. ↑ Community Shelter Board. Analysis of National and Local Homelessness Data. Columbus, Ohio: CSB, 2023. https://www.csb.org/cdn/files-AHAR-analysis2020.pdf
  19. ↑ City of Columbus. Ordinance No. 1777-2018.
  20. ↑ "Columbus City Council Addresses Aggressive Panhandling". www.columbus.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  21. ↑ "Poverty Stats 2017". Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  22. ↑ Cuyahoga County Department of Health and Human Services. Strategic Action Plan for Homelessness. Cleveland, Ohio: HHS, 2023.
  23. ↑ Higgs, Robert (2017-06-20). "Cleveland seeks to dismiss ACLU suit following repeal of anti-panhandling laws". cleveland. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  24. ↑ Berger, Stacie (2022-03-24). "2021 Cincinnati Homelessness Data". Strategies to End Homelessness. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  25. ↑ "Preventing homelessness with data analysis? This collaboration plans to do it with a $2M city grant". WVXU. 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  26. ↑ "Downtown Residents Council, Cincinnati, Ohio" . Retrieved 2023-10-18.
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