Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners meeting: March 4, 2025

 The agenda had four items:

1. Affordable Housing Update (Luke Blocher, Cincinnati Development Fund)

The Cincinnati Development Fund (CDF) program has been operating for two years. Its mission is to provide innovative real estate financing for projects that strengthen low-income neighborhoods and improve lives. The CDF program oversees the Affordable Housing Leverage Fund (AHLF), which raises money from public, philanthropic and private sources to help finance real estate projects that include affordable housing. The CDF aggregates sources and stretches funding so it can make grants and/or loans. The CDF way is to establish long-term, multi-project supportive relationships with borrowers, offering technical assistance to ensure that vision becomes reality. Hamilton County is a validator of the CDF program.

The two largest public grants committed to investing in new housing include Hamilton County ($36.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act Affordable Housing Program Fund dollars), the City of Cincinnati ($21.9 million in American Housing Trust Fund dollars and $5 million in ARPA dollars). There are public loans involved (Cincinnati) as well as private loans (among them, Fifth Third Bank at $5 million, and Bon Secours Mercy Health at $3.2 million). (The total with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program is $130 million, $96 million without HUD 108. CDF’s focus since 2022 has been on housing for targeted populations, rehab housing, work with smaller developers and minority developers.

“We’re going to be as aggressive as possible” to make sure projects are successful, Blocher said, “…while still managing risk as required with deployment of federal funds….”

The CDF strategy since December 2022 has meant focusing on immediate production by filling gaps caused by rising construction costs (9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), HOME and other sources), by intentionally targeting smaller and minority developers, smaller projects, geographic diversity, non-LIHTC projects, mixed-income, new structures and products, and engaging with those priority communities and learning from them.

Market conditions have worsened since 2022. Affordable housing development was LIHTC dependent, which was heavily competitive. Development costs per unit has risen 45 percent in the last three years ($223,892 in 2024; $325,536 in 2024. Federal and state sources remained flat.

The response since 2022 has been to focus on gap financing (county ARPA made that possible); CDF created conditional commitment program with OHFA (Ohio Housing Financing Agency) and Cincinnati to maximize LIHTC leverage (CDF is exploring the same with Hamilton County); CDF has worked to build capacity by engaging market-rate and small developers, leaning into development headwinds as opportunity for affordability.

From September 2022 to September 2024, the AHLF invested $74,295,283 directed to 54 projects committed to creating or preserving 1,803 income-restricted units, according to Blocher’s presentation.

The AHLF funds went into making 49 loans, 43 grants/forgivable loans; 1,907 total housing units (including 69 single-family homes) in 16 Cincinnati neighborhoods and nine surrounding jurisdictions.

Blocher said CDF wanted to figure a way to tell the stories of people living in redeveloped homes in the county. One example came from …. “The development and financing of this project would not be possible without CDF,” said Michael Chewning, CEO of 8K on 56 E. McMicken, told the Business Courier.

Seventeen projects and 577 units have been completed under the CDF housing project, while 20 projects (557 units) and 17 projects (773 units) were either under or pending construction, according to Blocher’s presentation.

“The county’s commitment at the front of this process was key. Full stop,” he said, calling the county commitment historic.

But tariffs, inflation, insurance, materials and more, as well as uncertainty related to funding from HUD, LIHTC and other sources will make sustaining the housing program difficult in the years ahead, according to his presentation.

The challenge for the future will be the “perpetual need for public funds” and to have the opportunity to drive more impact through coordination of those funds (within the AHLF, the city, county, Port Authority and private partners, according to his presentation.

“We have to build that pipeline over many years,” Blocher said. There has to be a long-term funding source if housing is going to work.

Driehaus said the number of units is a sobering reminder of how enormous the issue is, especially when you consider county, city, state, federal and public dollars. “Whether you live in the city or the county, everybody needs more housing,” she said.

She told Blocher she is interested in his top 10 strategies that legislators could employ – beyond funding — to provide for more housing, particularly outside Cincinnati city limits.

Summerow Dumas said she needed more time to study the report, but focused on page 26, which addressed a specific focus on disabled residents, senior housing [three projects, 178 units] and tiny homes. The commissioners are looking to CDF for answers as to what’s taking so long to finish that housing and how many more projects are needed, she said.

“How long is due diligence?” Summerow Dumas asked in reference to a note on the same page about the building of tiny homes that read the homes are “in due diligence stage.”

“I know that reentry and tiny homes don’t make money, but are needed for veterans and the homeless,” she said. “Tiny homes are everywhere. We have land everywhere. I don’t get it. Why have we not put up one project for tiny homes?”

Blocher said tiny homes were not a part of the original program. Money was allocated for larger projects. “That work [on tiny homes] has really just started,” he said, noting that the county request regarding tiny homes came in December 2024. Some issues blocking tiny homes have been zoning and building codes and objections from neighborhoods.

“The proposals we have been looking for, we’ve been able to go through the process” of determining what they will look like before funding is allocated. “We’re trying to solve for that problem” on the issue of tiny homes, he said.

CDF is prioritizing reentry, he said. CDF works with developers. CDF does not build housing.

“We understand it is a priority” with senior and tiny homes at the same time CDF is trying to fulfill its contract with the county in handling money allocated for designated projects.

Reece said Hamilton County is up to $60 million in ARPA and HUD dollars. She is hoping for an interactive mapping system for the county website that would allow people to see housing units as they go online and are completed. Funding has allowed for projects that were stalled and never would have gone online.

She suggested that for tiny homes, CDF looks at what the City of Columbus and Easter Seals have done. “It’s time to move CDF to the action phase,” she said.

Reece also asked when will ground be broken on the Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled (LADD) project.

Blocher said CDF has loaned LADD a lot of money. He said he will circle back to the commissioners about a date certain for groundbreaking.

Reece said the county needs to look at stretching dollars as quickly as the Trump admin is cutting federal dollars. “Let’s get moving on what we have and accelerate the pace,” she said.

She also asked whether the county, as being AHLF’s main investor in housing, needs to move into the loan category in the future to get some money back — with some interest. She pointed out that private and federal sources are in the loan category while the county is in the grant category. She asked whether some of the county be placed in some kind of endowment. “We don’t have ARPA anymore,” she said.

Aluotto called her idea a good thought, but untenable because the government, for example, mandates that ARPA funds be spent within a specific time frame on specific projects.

2. 911/EMA Building Update (Bert Watts, director, county facilities; Rycca Thacker, assistant director, county facilities)

The Emergency 911/Emergency Management Agency headquarters is being built in the City of Springdale. The two-story facility will have 41,000 square feet of space and is budgeted to cost $24.4 million (the site will include a communication tower, maintenance building, storm shelter, exterior generators). Interior improvements include a new café/break room, activity room, and multi-purpose room.

The first floor is for EMA offices and the emergency ops center. The second floor is for communication staff offices and the dispatch center. Substantial construction is to be completed by Oct. 27, 2025.  Employees will begin moving in in December through early 2026.

Andy Knapp (county Emergency 911 center director) – said he’s pleased about the larger space, noting, “I’m going to need roller skates for my supervisors to get around.” It’s going to have the tech and comfort we need to attract good employees, he said, because the technology has outgrown the current facility. As far as an activity room, he envisions a place where people can decompress from stressful situations.

Reece joined Driehaus and Summerow Dumas in expressing happiness about the progress. She also joined them in supporting the idea of a break room or activity areas “if it’s going to allow us to hire and retain the best people” because of the stress involved in responding to emergencies and disaster victims. “We are supporters of mental health here and we want mental health for our workers,” she said.

HOME-ARP Non-Profit Supportive Services Grant Recommendations (Caity Valley, community development senior program manager)

Three categories are designated as supportive services under HOME-APR, according to her presentation: the McKinney-Vento Supportive Services / Homelessness Supportive Services; Homelessness Prevention Services; Housing counseling services.

In the first of two rounds in the HOME-ARP RFPR process: five of 11 applications received were recommended for funding. There will be $500,000 available for the second and final round. The RFP release is scheduled for fall.

The following organizations will receive funding: YWCA – $100,000 of a requested $100,000 to provide for domestic violence housing; Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio – $75,000 (requested same amount) to provide refugee assistance. The award is being held for further review, Valley said; Bethany House Services – $250,000 ($200,000 requested) to operate a shelter diversion program, rental assistance, management; Found house – $100,000 (requested $100,304) to operate an emergency shelter program; CincySmiles Foundation – $25,000 (requested $25,000) to offer a victims of violence dental treatment program

Six organizations that did not receive funding will receive technical support to help them in the second round of RFPs.

Right now, no action needed by the commissioners, Valley said.

Driehaus said it is curious that some organizations HOME-ARP turned down have been funded by the county for various projects. Valley said those rejected in the first round would receive technical assistance as to how to increase scoring, so they understand where their scores could have been higher.

Valley, asked about CincySmiles program, said the organization offers professionals who can determine the level of trauma through an oral examination. Their professionals would work with clients to remove them from potential trouble to a safer environment.

3. Executive Session

Pursuant to RC Section 121.22.(G)(3), to conduct a conference with an attorney for the public body concerning imminent litigation) began at 11:47 a.m., effectively ending the meeting.

4. Public Comment

There were no public comments.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcincinnati.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.

Find more Documenters’ notes on Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners here.