As of August 7th, Community Mediation Services of Central Ohio (CMS) began helping tenants in need apply for emergency rental assistance being provided by the City of Columbus -- if they have fallen behind in their rent, are at risk of eviction and have not already used their maximum number of months of assistance since March 2020.
For help applying for this assistance tenants may call 614-228-7191 extension 13 at the CMS office and leave their phone number and the best time to be reached. A CMS staff mediator will call them back to begin the application process by phone.
Please note: NO WALKINS WITHOUT APPOINTMENTS WILL BE SEEN AT THE CMS OFFICE.
Ohio's two year spending plan includes $100 million in tax credits to help finance 4,000 new rental units over the next four years. This money is in addition to $50 million recently approved by the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority to support four affordable housing projects in central Ohio related to Cobblestone Manor, new senior apartments in Grove City, Country Ridge Apartments in Hilliard, Sugar Grove Square Apartments in Westerville and Westerville Senior Housing.
The contract with The Wells Foundation “is making sure that we can get the payments out of the rental assistance
as quickly as possible to make sure our residents’ obligations are met and our landlords get paid,” City Dvelopment
Director Michael Stevens told the Columbus City Council.
Franklin County Ohio is receiving an additional $34 million in federal COVID relief money from the $690 million reallocated earlier this year. This money is on top of the $68 million reallocated to the City of Columbus for rental assistance.
Columbus residents selected landlord-tenant mediation as their top choice during recent Policy Pitch Night.
Evictions are being filed amidst Covid-19 and Franklin County Court closure.
The Columbus Bar Foundation presented a $50,000 check to Community Mediation Services.
Through free tenant/landlord mediation services and eviction prevention workshops, CMS works to combat the high number of eviction filings in Franklin County.
"Better Call Jackson" on NBC4 explores how local programs help residents avoid evictions.
The Eviction Lab at Princeton University has built the first nationwide database of evictions. Find out how many evictions happen in your community. Create custom maps, charts, and reports. Share facts with your neighbors and elected officials.
Nearly one million American households received eviction judgments in 2016 in new data spanning dozens of states. The New York Times takes a closer look at the current state of eviction and housing in the U.S.
A dozen national experts studied Columbus neighborhoods and told officials here that four changes, among others, could help these neighborhoods thrive. The group reserved its harshest criticism for the city's eviction policies, especially with how easily they can be initiated and how they serve as a permanent mark on residents' records, often making it harder for them to find affordable housing.
Columbus Business First announces it will take a sustained look during 2018 at the issues of income inequality and affordable housing, which continue to weigh on Columbus’ growth and could threaten the city’s bright future. A recent study found Columbus is the second-most segregated city in the country by income.
Some countries, such as France, Austria, and Poland, prohibit removing people from their homes when it's so cold. But that's not the case in the United States. National Public Radio examines affects of evictions across the country.
Bill Gates shares his Top 5 favorite books of 2017, and Matthew Desmond's book on the eviction crisis in Milwaukee is one of them.
Franklin County workers have now joined CMS staff at Franklin County's eviction court to provide additional resources for people facing eviction and potential loss of stable housing.
Listen to "All Sides with Ann Fisher," as Fisher looks at how the Columbus Metropolitan libraries' new policy restricting food and baggage could change libraries being used as a site for refuge for the homeless. This program sheds light on a larger public health issue as well as strategies for ending homelessness in Columbus. (NOTE: CMS' Housing Stabilization and Homelessness Prevention program is mentioned around 42:38).
This article is one of a three-part series, called Dividing Lines, published by the Columbus Dispatch.
This article is one of a three-part series, called Dividing Lines, published by the Columbus Dispatch.
This article is one of a three-part series, called Dividing Lines, published by the Columbus Dispatch. It discusses a morning spent at the Franklin County eviction court--the busiest eviction court in the state. Through its Homelessness Prevention/Housing Stabilization Program, CMS provides free mediation services to tenants and landlords at the court daily.
