In the summer of 2020 the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County (AHT), a nonprofit lender that funds the creation of low-income housing, took on the task of reevaluating their internal operating procedures looking for ways to make the work they do improve measures of equity in their community. The self-audit at AHT was spurred by fervent racial justice movements across America as well as AHT’s deep understanding of the long history of racism in America housing policy and the essential role of reliable housing and safe neighborhoods in conveying opportunity to residents. At the direction of the board and senior staff, the nonprofit low-income housing lender adopted several new policies, most notably that require developers to pay employees a housing wage and prevents them from denying housing based on a tenant’s source of income.
AHT published a statement that ran in the Columbus Dispatch and Business First publications, highlighting its stance in light of a housing shortage and housing inequities. Since publishing the statement, AHT board adopted these affirmative policies and is implementing them in new loans.
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