Housing is a Human Right. Earlier this year, in March, City Council announced our 2023 Housing Initiatives, a package of 12 policy proposals with the intent to increase renter protections and homeownership opportunities. This collaborative effort builds upon the work started with the 2021 Housing for All legislative package I sponsored through my role as Chair of Council’s Housing Committee.
As we know all too well, Columbus is facing a housing crisis. Between 2016 and 2022, the average rent for a two-bedroom unit skyrocketed from $831 to $1,295, a 56% increase. This is not sustainable. Already, our housing market has left far too many families behind, pricing them out of safe, quality, and stable housing. I am committed to the idea that housing is a human right and have spent my time on Council trying to put that principle into practice.
In just four months since the rollout of this 12-piece plan, we have already passed half or 6 of the 12 initiatives. These include:
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Retaliatory Action Protections: This legislation aims to encourage renters to call 311 for any violations in their rental property with the goal to prevent predatory practices.
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Pay to Stay Legislation: This legislation would allow residents time to secure rental assistance dollars up until a court judgment.
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3rd Party Payment Legislation: Legislation would require landlords to accept a third-party payment on behalf of a tenant if that tenant is not in breach of their rental agreement.
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$1M in Homeownership Opportunities Funding: This initiative will provide funding support to low-income families and individuals, making homeownership more attainable.
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$1.5M in funding for Eviction Court Legal Representation Guarantee: Tenants with legal representation are much more likely to avoid an eviction judgment. In 2022, Council legislated $1.5M to create a more robust legal representation team at eviction court. This additional $1.5M will allow this work to continue.
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Owner/Occupied Initiative Program: This program will expand home repair grants to homeowners to include roof repairs. Home repairs, especially roof repairs pose significant hurdles for seniors to be able to age in place. This legislation prioritizes housing preservation through repair, not demolition.
Over the next few months, Council will work on passing the last 6 of the initiatives. However, the passage of these initiatives does not mark the end of my advocacy on the issue of affordable housing. The Housing for All package and the 2023 Council Housing Initiatives are just the beginning. A complex problem requires a comprehensive solution, and these 15 initiatives are not a silver bullet; we have to constantly search and advocate for innovative and progressive solutions that address the looming housing crisis.
For more information, check out the Council’s website: 2023 Housing Initiatives (columbus.gov)
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In 2021, I sponsored the Housing for All legislative package with the intent to increase the breadth and depth of renter protections within the City. This package included three critical pieces of legislation:
- Rental Receipts Requirements: Requires building owners to provide renters with a receipt of any rental payments.
- Renter’s Choice: Enabling renters to pay off a security deposit in increments rather than all-at-once.
- Source of Income Protections: Prohibits building owners from discriminating against prospective renters on the basis of the source of their income.
Passing renter protections is important, but equally important is ensuring residents understand their rights granted with these new regulations. Thus, we launched the Housing for All Campaign, an education and marketing effort to ensure that landlords understand the laws they must follow and that renters understand the protections they are guaranteed. This year, we continued our second year of the campaign with the intent to continue our community outreach efforts and solicit feedback on what we as public servants can do to continue making our housing space more inclusive of all residents.
On July 12th, we held our 2nd annual Housing for All Forum, a town-hall that brought together stakeholders from across the housing spectrum to discuss potential solutions to Columbus’s housing crisis. With over 200 attendees, this event was a massive success, and we even had an out-of-state keynote: Sonja Trauss, Executive Director of YIMBY Law.
If we want to live in a progressive community that truly uplifts ALL of our neighbors, we have to take action. Housing is a human right; we must work as a community to ensure all people have access to it. If you want to keep updated on the Housing for All campaign, check out our website: Housing for All Columbus | housing resources | Columbus, OH, USA (housingforallcbus.com)
Since 2020, over 56,000 evictions have been filed in Franklin County alone. Rentful614 is a rental assistance resource for tenants and landlords to ensure housing stability for those struggling to pay their utilities or rent bills! Check it out: https://www.rentful614.com/
Over the course of 8 months, I have sponsored 20 resolutions to recognize a number of occasions and organizations throughout the City of Columbus. We are a diverse community, and it is one of the great pleasures of my job to have the opportunity to shine a spotlight on exemplary organizations or increase awareness of particular causes. If you want to request a resolution from my office, please feel free to reach out to tjlittlejohn@columbus.gov!
I have also had the opportunity to attend a number of events throughout the community, including those hosted by the South Side Thrive Collaborative, the American Institute of Architects, and Stonewall Columbus. As a public servant, I view it as my responsibility to be accessible to you, my constituents. My job is to empower and uplift you, and community engagement events are just one touchpoint in which I can understand what I should advocate for on Council. If you want to request a meeting or for my presence at an event, please reach out to knasiedu@columbus.gov!
Throughout the rest of the year, City Council still has a host of initiatives that we are excited to implement. At the top of that list: passing the last 6 of Council’s Housing Initiatives. These include:
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Rent Increase Notification: Increasing the amount of time between when a landlord notifies their tenant of a rent increase and when that increase can take effect.
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Vacant and Foreclosure Registry: A registry would give the ability to have up-to-date contact information for the owners of foreclosed or vacant properties and legally hold property owners responsible for leaving abandoned properties in disrepair
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Housing Wholesaler Regulations: This legislation would create licensed regulations similar to that of a realtor to prevent predatory practices.
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Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Pilot Program: This program will focus on the creation of affordable accessory dwelling units on lots that currently house one single-unit dwelling. Adding an ADU doubles the amount of housing units at a low cost to the primary landowner.
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Rental Registry: A Rental Registration Program will protect the wellbeing of our residents and encourage both owners and occupants to maintain and improve the quality of rental housing. With the collection of a rental registration fee, millions of dollars will be generated and used for rental assistance, thus providing an “insurance policy” for landlords.
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Office of Fair Housing: legislation that would create a robust fair housing office to hold landlords/property owners accountable and to protect the rights of tenants.
We are also excited to be welcoming the 2023-2024 Columbus Youth Council Cohort! This program has been near to my heart since its first iteration in 2019. Seeing so many young people learn and grow in their advocacy skills and understanding of local government is truly inspiring, and I know this incoming cohort will prove to be just as exceptional as the previous.
In the rest of this newsletter, you will read more about happenings in the City Council and in my Office. As always, I represent you and would love to hear your thoughts! Please feel free to reach out to my office at 614-645-5524.
Dr. Melissa Crum is an award-winning certified diversity and inclusion practitioner and executive coach who helps mission-driven organizations experience radical and sustainable growth by shifting belief patterns. She is an artist, author, researcher, and founder of the consulting company, Mosaic Education Network. Mosaic infuses the arts, research, storytelling, and critical thinking into professional development, community building, and curriculum development.
Dr. Crum has facilitated training sessions across the U.S., creating a non-judgmental and refreshingly honest look at privileges and privately held beliefs. Her workshops focus on workplace culture development, equipping educators, leadership, staff, and board members with the skills to implement inclusive and equitable practices.
By creating a brave space, Dr. Crum’s workshops allow organizations to critically investigate policies, workplace and learning culture, and relationship dynamics. Together, she empowers teams to positively dismantle systemic patterns, build authentic communication, and instigate radical growth company-wide. To learn more, visit www.mosaiceducationnetwork.com
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- On July 31st, Council passed Pay to Stay legislation, a policy that will provide tenants a defense to an eviction for nonpayment of rent, if the tenant tenders to the landlord, and the landlord refuses to accept, (1) all past due rent, and (2) reasonable late fees. The tender can be after the eviction is filed but before the court issues a judgment.
- Ohio is just one of five states where property owners can give tenants a three-day notice to leave or face eviction proceedings, and landlords are not required to accept rent payment during this time.
- This is a key protection for renters to increase their housing stability. Pay to Stay is 1 of the 12 policies part of Council’s 2023 Housing Initiatives, one I am proud to have sponsored.
- At our July 31st meeting, Council also approved Third Party Payment legislation, an initiative that would require landlords accept payment on behalf of a tenant so long as they are not in breach of their rental agreement. Failure to accept payment will be deemed as an affirmative defense in any eviction action filed against the tenant for non-payment of rent.
Health & Human Services
- On July 17th, Council approved a total of $4,550,000 in grant money to 44 social service agencies located in Columbus as part of the Elevate 1.0 grant program, an initiative with the goal to support and increase the organizational capacity of non-profit organizations that experienced revenue losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 2022 was the first year of the three years Elevate 1.0 program with the grants awarded under this legislation being known as Elevate 1.0, Year 2.
- Forty-eight community agencies were recommended for the $5,000,000.00 (5 million) in available funding, with forty-four included in this ordinance.
- This legislation invests $5 million dollars of City of Columbus ARPA funds to increase the organizational capacity of nonprofit organizations tackling homelessness, infant mortality rates, and increasing housing stability for immigrant and refugee households.
Housing
- On July 31st, Council approved $1M in funding for the purpose of providing homeownership opportunities for lower-income households. The ultimate goal of this three-fold: provide financial support for households to be able to own their own home, create generational wealth for communities that have been disenfranchised, and increase housing stability among lower-income and minority residents.
- This initiative was a part of Council’s 2023 Housing Initiatives and was led by Councilmember Barroso de Padilla.
- City Council also voted in favor of the Owner/Occupied Initiative Program (OOIP), another policy part of the 2023 Housing Initiatives. The OOIP, when implemented, would allow senior citizens to remain in their homes and maintain their generational wealth by providing funding for home repairs. The ultimate goal of this program is to prioritize housing preservation through repair, not demolition.
- This legislation is a key part of upholding the preservation tenant of this year’s Council Housing Initiatives, with the policy led by Councilmember Brown’s office.
- As part of the City’s operational budget, Council approved $1.5M in funding to ensure that all tenants are provided with legal representation at Eviction Court. On July 31st, City Council voted to appropriate this money to Columbus Legal Aid.
- It is estimated that 90% of landlords are represented by legal counsel in evictions, but fewer than 10% of tenants have legal representation. This disparity creates an unequal playing field in court as those with legal representation are much more likely to avoid an eviction judgment.
Criminal Justice & Judiciary
- On July 10th, Council voted to authorize the Franklin County Municipal Court to accept a grant in the amount of $2,589,856 from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The grant money will be used to aid the Court’s efforts to reduce the number of offenders on probation supervision who violate the condition of their supervision through funding the salaries and benefits of 15 existing probation officers.
- These officers will provide pretrial assessments and supervision to defendants in custody awaiting arraignment in the Municipal Court and perform specialized supervision of individuals placed on electronic monitoring.
- The program will only include defendants appearing in Municipal Court arraignment in custody for criminal misdemeanor and/or operating a vehicle while impaired (OVI).
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Open Door Columbus Resolution, July 10th
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Gun Lock Box Press Conference, July 10th
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South Side Thrive Collaborative, July 11th
Housing for All Forum, July 12th
Featuring Sonja Trauss, Director of YIMBY Law
 Housing for All Roundtable, July 13th
Noise Code Amendment Hearing, July 18th
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Black Women’s Equal Pay Day Resolution, July 24th
Featuring the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. Central Ohio Chapter
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Black Women’s Equal Pay Day Signing Event, July 27th
Featuring the Columbus Women’s Commission
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