Cincinnati Action for Housing Now is a grassroots ballot campaign to fund truly affordable housing and ensure that all individuals, regardless of how much money we have or what zip code we live in, can have a safe place to call home.
We are mobilizing to pass a November 2023 ballot measure that will require City Council to put funding for truly affordable housing on the 2024 ballot. Our ballot measure will give us voters a chance to say YES to restoring our earned income tax to its 2020 levels and using the revenue to create funding for truly affordable housing.
WHY WE'RE MOBILIZING
1 in 3 of us cannot afford our current housing costs.
Because of our affordable housing shortage, hardworking, everyday people like childcare workers, school bus drivers, home health aides, custodians, retail and food service workers, recreation center employees, and government retirees are struggling to keep their heads above water. It doesn't have to be this way!
We need more than one-time investments.
For those of us with low incomes, the housing crisis is not new. It is an age-old problem rooted in an unfair economy and a lack of government investment into truly affordable housing. To solve this problem, we must make bold, recurring and sustainable investments into the creation and preservation of truly affordable housing. Our amendment will allow us to take action to generate $40-$50 million each year toward funding for affordable housing units.
We cannot wait any longer.
Despite more than four years of advocacy, our City Council has not put a single dollar of public money into our original Affordable Housing Trust Fund (Fund 439), which is designed to make sure that our dollars are used to meet our true needs for affordable housing. They have instead diverted money into other funds funding two bedrooms that may cost as much as $1,750 per month. That’s not affordable housing! Our leaders refuse to do what is right. So it is time to take power into our own hands. People's lives, and the health and wellbeing of our city is at stake.
WE HAVE A SOLUTION
Our solution is to create an ongoing and targeted revenue source to fund the creation and preservation of truly affordable housing. This is why we’re advocating to restore our earned income tax to its 2020 level so that our city has the resources needed to make real progress. This tax restoration will cost most households less than $11/month, but will generate between $40-$50 million annually toward truly affordable housing. Importantly, the money generated goes toward the creation and preservation of housing for those most in need of relief and where our City’s critical housing shortage is. In our plan, two-bedroom apartments will cost no more than $1,075/month, and most will cost $645/month or less.
But it doesn’t stop there. We believe in the power and importance of homeownership, so revenue will also be available to help low and moderate income families enter and maintain homeownership. Finally, our amendment gives power to the people by creating a community advisory board that will give input on funding priorities and ensure transparency.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
Together we can create a future where all of us can live in vibrant, thriving communities with access to health care, quality schools, and the freedom to make our own best lives for ourselves and our families.
