Key Facts
Location: Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio
Summary: In 2020, the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County evaluated their internal procedures to identify ways their work could be fine-tuned in order to improve measures of equity in their community. 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.
About
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. The chair of AHT’s board, who is a former president of the realtor’s association, convened a meeting of the board to discuss the social unrest, history of racial inequity in housing and the role AHT could play in its community.
The culmination of these discussions was a list of seven concrete actions that AHT committed to beginning immediately. They are:
Working with current partners and other interested partners to invest more public and private dollars in affordable housing.
Prioritizing projects that intentionally advance housing and economic equity. AHT committed to doing this by:
Providing enhanced services to residents
Siting projects so they don’t create concentrations of poverty
Asking borrowers about their hiring and promotion practices, demographics of leadership, and pay of employees
Adopting a policy preventing borrowers from discriminating against residents based on source of income—which means that AHT borrowers must accept housing vouchers
Adopting a policy requiring their borrowers pay employees a housing wage
Increasing their own spending at MBEs (Minority Business Enterprises) and asking borrowers to do so as well.
Educating and increasing awareness around social inequities in general and in lending in particular.
Committing to work with the city and county to refine tax abatement policy to be more targeted to affordable housing and in economically depressed neighborhoods.
Taking a more vocal pro-affordable housing stance in all communities within the county on the important details of several key housing policies, like: inclusionary zoning set asides, payment in lieu of units, and the role local banks play in promoting affordable housing.
Making the long-term commitment to dismantle the systematic racism that permeates housing.
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.