Our latest #GOPCThread is up on Twitter today, with information about the urgent need for action at the state and federal level to provide assistance to thousands across Ohio who are struggling to pay rent. The devastating impact of COVID-19 has placed families across Ohio at risk of losing their homes, and it is urgent that lawmakers take action to prevent this looming crisis.

Not on Twitter, the thread is available online , as well as below.

Greater Ohio Policy Center Read on Twitter

Today’s #GOPCThread deals with #rentassistance. GOPC does not provide direct cash or legal assistance to tenants facing eviction. If you need housing assistance, call 2-1-1 to get connected with local services

or find your nearest legal aid office using the link below

September will be the first month for tenants without any form of federal assistance. Stimulus checks and unemployment assistance provided by the #CARESAct have kept eviction filings below average levels across the state #GOPCThread 

Where does that leave us? In late July, +600k renting Ohioans reported having little/no confidence in their ability to pay August rent. >50% of those reporting identified as African American and/or Latinx #GOPCThread

@AspenInstitute estimates that 33% of renters nationally/in Ohio could be at risk of eviction by the end of the year #GOPCThread

But as of today, Ohio has no statewide emergency rental assistance, despite the urgent need for #RentReliefNow

Ohio’s neighboring states have used CARES Act funds to set up #rentassistance programs, like PA’s $175M COVID-19 Relief Mortgage and Rental Assistance Program #GOPCThread

Or IN’s $40M COVID-19 Rental Assistance Program, which provides assistance up to $500/month for 4 months. The program is expected to be able to help 19,000 families. Since opening for applications on 7/13, @IHCDA has received +24,000 apps #GOPCThread

OH communities are using their own CARES Act $ to start local rent assistance programs. @CityofCleveland and @CuyahogaCounty have committed $18M for housing assistance. Since 7/1, @CHNhousing & @eden_CLE have processed +3,600 applications #GOPCThread

More than 1,000 Cuyahoga County tenants inquired about rental assistance the first day the website went live. @LegalAidCLE has also reported that requests for help in landlord/tenant issues are up 25% from the same period last year #GOPCThread

Communities can also respond to rising evictions by expanding access to legal counsel. @EANDC330 and Community Legal Aid launched Tenant Assistance Project (TAP), which connects tenants to a dedicated hotline, virtual clinics, & online toolkits #GOPCThread

Studies show that tenants who have access to legal representation experience better outcomes in evictions procedures. Along with rent assistance funds, expanded access to legal counsel and eviction mediation is a complementary strategy to help keep renters housed . #GOPCThread

Communities can leverage additional CARES Act CDBG funding, as well as state Coronavirus Relief Funds allocated to local governments, for rent and mortgage assistance, but the need for rent assistance in most communities is expected to surpass available funds. #GOPCThread

Landlords rely on rental income to pay their employees, mortgages, taxes, and property maintenance costs. Increases in nonpayment can quickly turn into increased foreclosures, while renter displacement will put a strain on homeless support systems #GOPCThread

This unprecedented threat to the rental market has resulted in a diverse group of Ohio stakeholders coming together to advocate for rent assistance, like the @OhioREALTORS did in a recent guest article

To protect public health and promote economic recovery, GOPC joined with @COHHIO, the Affordable Housing Learning Exchange, and more than 100 other business, nonprofit, and local government orgs in calling for large scale rent assistance for Ohioans #RentReliefNow #GOPCThread