Water has increasingly become more expensive for the people struggling to make ends meet.
Federal programs exist, but how easy are they to access?
Most eligible low-income residents aren’t tapping into the affordability program; meanwhile, Cleveland water discounts still only apply to property owners.
Cuyahoga County residents who need help with their water and sewer bills may benefit from a new emergency program, but barriers abound for assistance programs like this.
The number of people behind on their water bills in the Cleveland area has tripled during the pandemic. Now, almost one in every four water accounts are behind by at least one bill, as the city has resumed water shutoffs for nonpayment. Everyday people like 63-year-old Janet Gill-Cooks are struggling to pay their utility bills, and to navigate the systems of assistance that are available for utility bills. What can be done about this problem?
It’s a happy ending to a sad, sordid chapter in the city’s history: Cleveland City Council last week voted to use $750,000-800,000 from its Neighborhood Transformation Initiative to help low-income tenants in the city’s Buckeye neighborhood stay in their homes. About 40 lease-purchase renters were defrauded by their former landlord, the Buckeye Shaker Square Development Corporation (BSSDC). The city will provide them with low-dollar mortgages and forgivable down payment assistance so they can become homeowners.
Cleveland is one of seven cities in the U.S. that has enacted a right to counsel program that provides free legal representation to tenants facing eviction. Early statistics from the program’s first year of operation show promising results – dozens of evictions prevented despite a federal moratorium on evictions – but what will happen when that moratorium ends?
The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) recently awarded a $1 million tax credit to encourage construction of the Cuyahoga TAY (Transitional Age Youth) development, a complex of 50 supportive housing units for adults ages 18 to 24. There, residents will receive voluntary services to help maintain their housing and work with experts to set goals related to housing stability, education, and other areas of personal and financial well-being.
Community Housing Solutions helps to keep vulnerable Cuyahoga County residents safe by using federal, state and city dollars to make repairs to their homes, especially mechanical systems like furnaces and hot water tanks.
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