OHFA 2021 Third Quarter Agency at a Glance

OHFA UPDATE - PAGE 3 - 2021 THIRD QUARTER Office of Research and Analytics AND OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENT UPDATE Several new projects underway have made it a busy season for the Office of Research and Analytics. July marked the rollout of the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) , which will assist Ohioans economically affected by COVID-19. Devin Keithley led the development of performance metrics for the HAF plan which was sent to Treasury and provided data support to the Homeownership Preservation division as they made key decisions about the program. Chelsea Buckwalter created a series of interactive maps for OHFA analysts and developers to use alongside the recently approved 2022-2023 Qualified Allocation Plan, the guiding document for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. These maps visualize key housing metrics across the state and identify areas in need of affordable rental housing across Ohio. Dr. Cody Price released a podcast episode about the Power of Home program. In the episode, Michael Pires, the Power of Home project manager, and Dr. Price discuss this pilot project, which aims to support OHFA’s first-time homeowners by providing free education and financial tools. Stay tuned for the following fun, data-filled projects being released soon: • Five regional housing needs assessments that will highlight key housing trends across the state • An impact study measuring the economic impact of OHFA’s multifamily and single-family programs, as well as how Agency operations and employees contribute to the state’s economy • And, at least three new Tableau dashboards to visualize data for our program offices In August, we sadly said goodbye to Dr. Price when he joined the Office of Multifamily Housing. We wish him all the best! OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT The Outreach and Engagement team has taught classes to real estate agents via live webinars and in-person courses, which include information about OHFA homebuyer programs. OHFA hosted these courses in partnership with mortgage lenders, real estate offices, boards of realtors and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. Staff also presented to the Independent Brokers Association and the Columbus Realtors’ affordable housing committee. Homebuyer programs were also highlighted in outreach videos which were sent to stakeholders and the community. MULTIFAMILY TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE New and Improved FAQ documents OHFA’s improved Compliance and DevCo FAQs has additional information on income, assets, resyndication, and acquisition/rehab. Staff enhanced the keyword search feature to make it more user-friendly and yield more results, and new pages list all FAQs by category. OHFA HDAP programs also have a new FAQ sheet. The document clarifies key differences between the the Ohio Housing Trust Fund, HOME, and National Housing Trust Fund. Download the FAQs from the Multifamily Training and Technical Resources webpage. Remaining OHFA Trainings for 2021 This summer OHFA’s Training and Technical Assistance team hosted a two-day LIHTC Essentials webinar with 270 industry partners attending. It explored income and everything assets, LIHTC basics, qualifying households, OHFA inspections, and many other topics. Register here for the next webinar, November 16 – 17, 2021. Register for additional training opportunities: • Compliance Policies and Regulations Training – October 19 and December 9 • Acquisition/Rehabilitation Compliance Training – November 9 Registration will open soon for a new on-demand Extended Use and Resyndication Training. Also, look for a new short instructional video on Avoiding Compliance Pitfalls on Social Security Income. Help Residents Learn About the Enhanced Child Tax Credit Program Estimates indicate that over 2.3 million Ohio children are eligible to receive the monthly benefit of $250 or $300 per month. These payments began in July and will continue through December, with another six months of payments available upon filing a 2022 tax return. Importantly, those who do not file a tax return must “opt in” through an online portal on the IRS website. The IRS website has two portals. One is for those who filed a tax return this year but need to update their information, such as adding a newborn child or changing an address. The other portal is where non-filers can sign up for the credit. It is important to remember the monthly child tax payments do not count in the annual calculation of income. CHELSEA BUCKWALTER RESEARCH ANALYST