COLUMBUS, Ohio — States and cities across the U.S. have struggled with housing for the past several years, because of the constant increase of rent and inflation. 

What You Need To Know

  • Ohio has a deficit of around 180,000 affordable and available homes

  • Columbus has the lowest ratio of available affordable homes compared to Cincinnati and Cleveland

  • Inflation and zoning laws have been the two main contributors to the housing crisis in Ohio

According to a report released by the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, in partnership with the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is a deficit of 267,382 affordable rental units available. However, there are almost 450,000 extremely low-income families in the state that are in need of housing. 

An increased cost of living partnered with stagnant wages has contributed to the problem. This has caused a trickle down effect. Middle-to-low-income families have moved into cheaper rental units and have pushed out low to extremely income families.

While the ratio of supply and demand hasn’t changed all that much from 2023 to 2024, some of the state’s bigger cities continue to struggle. Columbus has the lowest ratio of available affordable units compared to Cleveland and Cincinnati.

However, COOHIO said that the way Columbus is handling the problem could serve as a lesson for other cities. 

“Tackling the zoning code, looking at why it’s so difficult to build affordable housing in the city and they’re in the midst of doing that and I really hope that process yields some really robust and meaningful reforms to the zoning code,” said Marcus Roth, Development Director for COOHIO. “For so long it has made it extremely difficult to build affordable housing in Columbus.”

There has been legislation on city, state and federal levels to address the issue. Last summer Gov. Mike DeWine added a state low-income housing tax credit into the budget. The legislation allows owners of affordable rental projects to claim tax credits against state taxable liabilities. COOHIO said that the state still needs more options for the state’s extremely low-income families.