Rent prices out of reach, housing not available for 1/4 of Columbus residents who need it

Ohio has a shortage of 267,382 rental units for people who need affordable housing, with only about a fourth of extremely low income families or individuals able to get housing in Columbus, according to a new national report.

And the gap between need and availability is worse in Columbus than Ohio's other major cities and the state overall, according to the report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO).

Cincinnati and Cleveland have more available apartments for people whose income is at or below the federal poverty guideline, which is about $26,800 for a family of three in Columbus.

Tamika Blue, 45, knows the frustration of trying to find a place to live all too well.

The mother of five needs a four- or five-bedroom unit to accommodate her family — something that she called a "unicorn" in Columbus because of the lack of affordable housing.

"It's very frustrating," she said of her search. "It's discouraging. You feel overwhelmed. You don't even want to try because you know you're not going to succeed. You lose hope."

She and her family had to move out of their last apartment on the East Side in November because of a variety of small repairs that her landlord refused to do that were necessary for her to use her Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher there, Blue said. She and her children have been living at the YWCA's Family Center shelter in Columbus since early December.

Now, after months of searching, she's hoping to move into a new apartment on the West side in the coming weeks.

"It's a waiting game, and sometimes it's a very long wait," Blue said.

Fewer affordable rental units needed in Ohio than last year, though need is still great

Despite the need for affordable housing remaining high, the report shows promise in Ohio compared to years past, according to COHHIO.

The shortage of affordable units this year is a little less than the 270,399 needed in 2023, which was 6% worse than the year before, the report found.

"Affordable" housing is generally defined as units where the cost of rent and utilities doesn't exceed 30% of renters' income.

For a family whose income is at or below the federal poverty line at $26,800 annually, rent and utilities would have to cost just $670 to qualify as "affordable."

“It’s great to see that access to affordable housing finally started moving in the right direction," said Amy Riegel, executive director of COHHIO. "We’re hopeful we can continue this positive momentum.”

Still, there are 444,768 extremely low-income households in Ohio, according to COHHIO.

And rent increases have been both steep and unprecedented, with Columbus' median rent at $1,298 in December, up 3.8% from the year before. That's the third highest jump in rent prices in the nation, behind New York City and northern New Jersey, according to Yardi Matrix, a real estate service.

Those kinds of prices make Columbus out of reach and unaffordable for many Columbus residents, housing experts say.

How does Columbus compare to Cincinnati, Cleveland?

Each of Ohio's three largest cities need an additional 50,000 affordable units, according to the study, with Columbus needing 52,694; Cleveland, 56,560 and Cincinnati, 49,510.

But the ratio of affordable units to extremely low-income renters in Columbus was 26 to 100 over the past year — lower than Cincinnati's ratio of 41 units to 100 renters and Cleveland's 38 to 100 renters.

Rent hikes: Why Columbus apartment rents rank among the fastest-rising in the nation

The ratio statewide remained the same as last year at 40 affordable units per 100 extremely low-income renters.

There aren't any markets in the United States that have enough housing for extremely low-income renters, according to the report.

Ohio's lowest income renters are considered "severely housing cost burdened," with 70% spending more than half their income on rent — the highest percentage since 2016, the study found.

Meanwhile, only 2% of middle-income renters spend more than half their income on rent.

“This is no time to rest on our laurels," Riegel said. "Evictions and homelessness are still increasing in Ohio."

Advocates: state and federal lawmakers need to act

As evictions and homelessness increases in Ohio, Riegel called on Congress and the Ohio General Assembly to address affordability for vulnerable residents. So did National Low Income Housing Coalition President and CEO Diane Yentel.

“We know what works to end housing insecurity and homelessness — what we lack is the political will to invest in these solutions at the scale needed,” Yentel said in a statement.

Passing the "Eviction Crisis Act." would help, she said.

The act — introduced in 2021 by Ohio's U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) as well as Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) and Sen. Todd Young (R-Indiana) — would create a permanent emergency rental assistance program to reduce evictions.

Yentel also suggested expanding the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, which had a waiting list of 34,000 Franklin County residents in February. The vouchers help low-income renters find housing on the private market by paying the difference between what they’re able to afford and what landlords charge for rent.

In need of housing help: In Columbus, thousands in need of Section 8 housing could wait years. What's going on?

But even with a voucher, finding a suitable home is difficult, Blue said.

Many older homes are being renovated and landlords are then increasing the rents, putting them outside her price range she said. And there are not enough landlords who accept the vouchers in nicer areas of the city.

In nearly all of America's biggest cities, low-income families using Section 8 vouchers are clustered together in minority, impoverished neighborhoods with less opportunity, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

"If I found a unit, it wouldn't be very desirable," Blue said. "What's left is what no one wants."

As it is, Blue said she is moving to "the Bottoms" on the West Side, an area with a higher crime rate than some other parts of the city.

"I think why I was able to find it is because it's the last place people were going to look," she said.

Still, she's grateful to have found something and hopes to stay about a year — enough time, she said, to find a better place.

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus has less affordable housing than Cleveland, Cincinnati