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.
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.
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
