If Cincinnati's Walls Could Talk

Author: Hayden Shelby

This is a podcast about the built environment in Cincinnati, with a special focus on housing. Episodes are created as part of course projects by students in the School of Planning at the University of Cincinnati.
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Language: en

Genres: Science, Social Sciences

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S3E9: Conclusion: The Challenges We Face and Reasons to Hope
Episode 9
Friday, 17 January, 2025

Guest Interviewee: Kathy Schwab Hosted By: Logan Price, Arthur Schmid Written By: Logan Price Produced By: Teddy Morgan-Jablonski Edited By: Harris Eidelman Researched By: Asmita Gurung, Samiha Tasnima Episode Description: Welcome to the concluding episode of the third series of If Cincinnati’s Walls Could Talk, a podcast collaboratively produced by our Housing Systems class, taught by Doctor Hayden Shelby. This series has focused on the financing of affordable housing, exploring the complexities and opportunities in addressing the housing crisis. In this final episode, our hosts revisit the fundamental questions: What is housing, and why is it so important? They reflect on insights from a veteran housing advocate Kathy Schwab, whom our team got a chance to interview, discussing the challenges and aspirations for Cincinnati’s affordable housing landscape. Key topics include: The findings of the Housing Our Future report, which sets an ambitious goal to build 20,000 affordable units by 2030 yet highlights the struggle with only 3,329 units completed to date. Persistent challenges like Hamilton County’s limited success in securing Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), the complexities of “Baklava Financing” and the absence of well-funded “Super CDC” similar to those in Columbus or Cleveland. Despite these challenges, the episode ends on a hopeful note, emphasizing growing public awareness of the housing crisis. The hosts urge listeners to recognize housing as a fundamental human right and advocate for meaningful change. Episode Timeline: · Why it Matters- 00:00 · Affordable Housing in Cincinnati- 02:15 · Challenges We Still Face- 03:21 · Reason to Hope- 05:55 References: Housing Our Future Summary of Progress 2020 -2023, (2023). LISC Greater Cincinnati. https://www.lisc.org/media/filer_public/b4/13/b413c178-735a-43c9-8ec9f375d23571b7/hof_summary_of_progress.pdf Housing Our Future Strategies for Cincinnati and Hamilton County, (2020, May). Greater Cincinnati Foundation. https://www.gcfdn.org/wp content/uploads/2020/07/housing_our_future_-_5-27 2020.pdf Housing Affordability in Hamilton County, (2017, February). LISC Greater Cincinnati. https://www.lisc.org/media/filer_public/a1/16/a116fbab 4be3-4704-98e6 83f633b7d893/asset_upload_file30_13212.pdf Cincinnati’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund Available for Use Four Years after Being Established, (2022, October 3). National Low Income Housing Coalition. https://nlihc.org/resource/cincinnatis-affordable-housing-trust-fund-available-use-four-years-after-being-established Costello, B. (2023, May 23). Just one project in Hamilton County will get a low-income housing tax credit this year. 91.7 WVXU News. https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2023-05-23/hamilton-county-low-income-housing-tax-credit-spaeth-kelly-hall Thank you to our Professor Hayden Shelby and Guest interviewee Kathy Schwab. Written by Logan Price Hosted by Logan Price and Arthur Schmid Produced by Teddy Morgan-Jablonski Edited by Harris Eidelman Researched by Asmita Gurung and Samiha Tasnima Additional resources: Interviewee: Kathy Schwab Local Initiatives Support Corporation: LISC Greater Cincinnati Low Income Housing Tax Credit: LIHTC Ohio Low Income Housing Tax Credit: OHLITC News Article on LIHTC deals in Hamilton County Super CDC: Ohio CDC Super CDC in Columbus: Community Development Collaborative of Greater Columbus