Report: Ohio housing gap continues to grow

(The Center Square) – The National Low Income Housing Coalition, or NLIHC, released its annual report on the affordable housing shortage with Ohio coming in with a shortage of 266,000 affordable and available units.

The Gap report found that about half of the state’s renters are paying more than they can sustainably afford to stay housed.

The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, or COHHIO, joined with the NLIHC in releasing the report, highlighting the state’s 422,000 “extremely” low-income renters who earn less than $33,000 annually for families of four. The report found that 73% of families in this category spend more than half their total income on rent, a 7% increase over five years.

Ohio’s major cities follow a pattern the NLIHC has identified nationwide – metropolitan areas simply do not have what they need to affordably house their populations. Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland were each short by more than 50,000 units.

Advocates are pressing lawmakers to increase subsidies, housing programs and emergency assistance....