From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:
The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) announced today its Board of Commissioners has approved more than $26.3 million in contract extensions with the nonprofit owners of four affordable housing communities in Central Ohio that ensures a combined total of 165 apartments will remain affordable to low-wage-earning renters, senior citizens and people with disabilities through at least the next 10 years.
“The Board’s decision should provide peace of mind to the residents of these four communities that they will have a place to call home that accommodates their household budget for the foreseeable future,” said CMHA Commissioner Fred Ransier.
“Extending the lifespan of these communities as affordable housing means that CMHA will continue to meet the resident’s affordable housing needs,” Ransier said.
The CMHA Board’s decision will help low- and fixed-income renters in Central Ohio who rely on federal Project-Based Vouchers (PBVs) to help pay for their monthly housing costs, particularly people with disabilities. PBVs are issued to public housing authorities such as CMHA through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The vouchers are attached to specific units in a specific building or community, whose landlord contracts with the state or local public housing agency to rent to families and individuals with low incomes and disabilities.
For elderly or disabled tenants, PBVs have the advantage of offering more services closer to hand because a higher percentage of residents in the apartment building have similar needs, which enables service providers to work more efficiently.
“Our aim is for CMHA to help make it possible for the families and residents who work, live and raise families in Central Ohio to be able to actually afford to live here,” said CMHA President and CEO Charles Hillman. “When people in Greater Columbus can afford to live and work in the same community, it reduces commuter traffic, fuels local business investment, and improves employer’s recruitment and retention of talented, skilled employees.”