Stories of Home

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency is proud to present Stories of Home – a blog that features current happenings in the housing industry and also highlights those that have been positively impacted by our Agency's work.

Four Ways Removing Blighted and Vacant Properties Stabilizes Communities
Posted on October 10, 2018
Over the last decade, more research has emerged on how blight affects residents' health. Blighted and vacant properties can lead to neurological disorders, respiratory diseases, asthma, lead poisoning and other serious medical conditions.
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Predicting Evictions: A Look Back on Redlining in Ohio
Posted on October 3, 2018
Can redlining maps made eight decades ago predict where evictions occur today? Redlining set in motion decades of community disinvestment that has plagued many of these neighborhoods ever since.
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Evicted: Tenants' Rights and Unsafe Housing
Posted on September 26, 2018
Housing stock for low-income residents is aging, and housing conditions show it, from lead-based paint to poor heating systems and more. This poor-quality housing often leads to eviction, housing code violations and other hazards. How can residents avoid eviction and find a safe place to call home?
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Evicted: No Place to Call Home
Posted on September 19, 2018
In 2016, over 100,000 evictions were filed in Ohio alone. What is at the root of this housing instability, and how do we tackle these issues in a cost-effective and humane way?
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Here Today, Home Tomorrow: How OHFA Helped This Ohio Teacher Buy His First Home
Posted on May 23, 2018
Every year, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) helps Ohioans buy the homes of their dreams with down payment assistance, homebuyer education and more. In 2017, at the age of 27 years old, Matthew finally became a first-time homeowner.
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Homelessness in Ohio Seven Times More Common than Previously Reported
Posted on May 10, 2018
OHFA published the first report based on information collected through the Ohio Human Services Data Warehouse (OHSDW). The report provides information on the number of individuals who accessed homelessness services between 2012 and 2016 in 86 of Ohio's 88 counties.
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How Grants for Grads Helped Courtney Return to Her Childhood Community
Posted on May 2, 2018
After graduating from Otterbein University in 2013, Courtney and her fiancé, John, knew they wanted to purchase a home. However, homeownership seemed like a far-off dream. Then, John found the Ohio Housing Finance Agency's Grants for Grads program, and they realized their dream could become a reality much sooner than they expected.
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