In 2021, thanks to the support of our partners and funders, Enterprise continued our commitment in Ohio to making home and community places of pride, power and belonging.

Throughout the state, we are leading efforts to create sustainable solutions to some of the most complex housing challenges that face Ohio.  

Our work in 2021 focused on ending homelessness, fostering economic opportunity, preventing lead poisoning, supporting justice housing and advocating for policy changes at the state and local level. Here are some highlights of our work last year. 

Ending Homelessness

In 2021, we supported policies and programs that help people experiencing homelessness stay safely and stably housed. Some of our biggest initiatives include:

• Housing First: We continued our support of this initiative, ensuring high quality permanent supportive housing in our community remains sustainable with strong outcomes for residents and partners.
• Income and Stability: We are working to prevent returns to homelessness by increasing income and access to workforce training through cross-systems collaboration in our community. In 2021, we provided cross-sector training for service providers, secured public support and laid the foundation for a steering committee chaired by public partners.
• Transition Age Youth Housing Development: This new housing development, which incorporates the expertise of young adults with the lived experience of homelessness, was awarded $1 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency in 2021. We will continue engaging with these young adults throughout the planning and design process. 

Creating Opportunity

We are proud to continue our leadership of both the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Coalition and the Bank On Coalition. With these coalitions, we foster economic mobility and greater financial security - especially for families of color and those geographically disconnected from opportunity. Despite the challenges of the continuing pandemic, the EITC Coalition has recently expanded both the geographic and programmatic scope of our services. In 2021, our efforts resulted in:

• $17 million in total refunds.
• 9,555 people accessing free tax preparation.
• 583 individuals entering financial education programs.
• 2,178 Ohioans claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit, resulting in $3.4 million in refunds. 
• 1,186 families claiming the Child Tax Credit, resulting in $2.3 million in refunds.

Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition

The Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition has grown to encompass more than 500 members representing over 125 organizations and companies. Critical milestones accomplished to date include:

• Implementing the Lead Safe Certification system.
• Launching the Lead Safe Home Fund.
• Opening the Lead Safe Resource Center.
• Establishing a Lead Safe Auditor – an independent auditor to monitor data and impact.

Housing as a Pathway to Justice

In partnership with our national Advisors team, we conducted a national scan researching the intersection of housing and criminal justice. This scan identified the best housing practices and policies, which will serve as the foundation for a new Cuyahoga County justice housing needs report.

State and Local Policy

We led a broad policy agenda in 2021, advocating for new programming to expand access to capital, build and preserve new housing and stabilize both low- income renters and property owners. In 2021, we:

• Secured new programming for rental assistance and homelessness support.
• Convened the County Housing Stakeholders, who serve as a trusted advisory body on uses of Covid-19 relief funds.
• Launched the Renter Rights Day 1 Campaign to protect renters from discrimination and unfair evictions. 

2021 was a momentous year for us in Ohio. In 2022, we will build on these efforts to increase Ohio’s housing supply, advance racial equity and build resilience and upward mobility for every Ohioan.