Adelina Todman, Acting Secretary U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) met with local leaders in Cincinnati this week to discuss ways to address the affordable housing shortage in the city and Ohio, according to local reports. cincinnati city beat.
The U.S. is estimated to have a shortfall of 4 million to 7 million units of affordable housing National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), Todman met with local leaders as well as area Councilman Greg Landsman (D) to discuss local perspectives on the issue. Around Hamilton County, Ohio, the affordable housing shortage is estimated to be approximately 40,000 units.
“For most families, housing has become a very difficult part of their financial lives, whether it’s rising rents or their difficulty paying their mortgages,” Landsman said Tuesday. “Property taxes have become a big issue here. But we have to work with HUD and state and local leaders to build more housing.
Landsman said he urges federal leaders in Washington, D.C., to come to southwest Ohio to see firsthand how federal funds are being used to address the housing gap.
Todman mentioned the Housing Supply Action Plan announced by the Biden-Harris administration in 2022.
“One of the reasons I’m here is to understand what Cincinnati’s unique needs are and to be able to discuss HUD’s tools to meet those needs – whether it’s building more units for people to rent or building more units for people to rent and people to buy,” Whether it’s rental assistance, […] Whether it’s someone who wants to be a first-time homebuyer but doesn’t know where to start, HUD is there as a partner to make it happen,” she said.
The meeting comes after HUD released news late last week about affordable housing actions in Illinois. The department announced that it had “completed the Waukegan Housing Authority (WHA), to expand affordable housing options for low-income seniors in Waukegan, Illinois.
Todman said the deal specifically targets Waukegan’s low-income senior population.
“The Biden-Harris Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are committed to ensuring that our nation’s seniors can afford housing and age with dignity — and that means building and maintaining affordable housing in their communities,” she said in August 2 explained.