OHFA 2022 Fourth Quarter Agency at a Glance

OHFA UPDATE - PAGE 4 - 2022 FOURTH QUARTER 2022 OHIO HOUSING CONFERENCE RECAP LATINA DUFFY COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING SPECIALIST The 2022 Ohio Housing Conference, "Connecting. Learning. Innovating." was held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center from November 29–30. The Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH) and the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) provided 40 sessions over the two days exploring trending topics in affordable housing. The first year back in-person drew more than 1,400 attendees. OCCH and OHFA kicked off the conference with a networking breakfast and the establishment of the Ohio Housing Hall of Fame. The two inaugural inductees were Hal Keller, former President of OCCH, and Doug Garver, former Executive Director of OHFA. In addition, Community Development for All People was the 2022 recipient of the William J. Graves Ohio Housing Excellence Award for its work to develop housing in and support the residents of the southside of Columbus. This year ’s plenary sessions focused on the economy and economic development. The "Economic Plenary" explored current and future economic and demographic trends, housing markets, and the health of the housing industry. While the "Housing: The Foundation of Community and Development Plenary" provided a discussion on the importance of housing in community and economic development planning and the resources available to communities. Keynote luncheon speaker Laura Vanderkam, author of Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters , taught attendees how to manage the 168 hours each has in a week to get the most out of their professional and personal lives. Vanderkam shared strategies for working productively and ambitiously from home and optimizing wellbeing. Another new addition to the Ohio Housing Conference was the establishment of the “Place to Call Home Initiative” to raise money for homelessness prevention, shelter, and outreach in an effort to ensure everyone has a place to call home. OCCH and OHFA hope the Place to Call Home Initiative becomes a cornerstone for future Ohio Housing Conferences. The inaugural fundraiser raised more than $14,000 for the Community Shelter Board. Thank you to all our friends and partners that contributed to this effort! The 2023 Ohio Housing Conference will once again be in November, and we'll be announcing the dates soon. We look forward to seeing you later this year! Shawn Smith (OHFA) and Catherine Cawthon (OCCH) open the 2022 Ohio Housing Conference. Doug Garver, former Executive Director of OHFA, and Hal Keller, former President of OCCH, are inducted as the inaugural members of the Ohio Housing Hall of Fame. William J. Graves Ohio Housing Excellence Award presented to Community Development for All People Keynote speaker Laura Vanderkam