Advocates discuss Hamilton County’s record-breaking homelessness

CINCINNATI — Hamilton County is seeing an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness. Organizations like Strategies to End Homelessness We attribute this to the huge demand for limited housing in an inflated economy.

“There were actually two parts to what happened during the pandemic,” CEO Kevin Finn said. “You had a moratorium on evictions, but you also had a lot of money to help people who were behind on their rent.”

The end of COVID-era federal funding for eviction prevention programs and emergency rental assistance has only increased the burden on those at our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen and Social Center.

“We are up approximately 30% on our pre-COVID numbers,” said Executive Director Georgine Getty. “And then we had another 30% increase since May this year.”

That’s a jump from 200-300 meals a day to 500-600 meals a day, Getty said.

At issue, according to Getty, is housing and local laws in the Tri-State area. Quoted from Getty Efforts in Kentucky Criminalizing homelessness. The law imposes a Class B misdemeanor for second offenses and carries a maximum penalty of $250 in fines and 90 days in jail.

“Kentucky passed a really draconian law banning people from sleeping outside,” Getty said. “And we’re seeing a lot of people coming from Kentucky who don’t feel safe being there and are now seeking services in Cincinnati.”

Other homeless advocates said they believe the local response to the homeless crisis has been hobbled by federal requirements.

“The federal government provides $28 million a year to impact homelessness,” said Flynn. “We’re not allowed to use any of this money for prevention. We have to wait until people are on the streets or in shelters before we can help them.”

Compared to a few years ago, when American Rescue Plan funds flowed freely to local programs and initiatives, there is little emergency rental assistance left to help people with eviction notices, Flynn said. Experts say The average cost of housing a person post-homelessness is approximately $4,700. But they say by preventing one person from becoming homeless, the cost drops to about $1,650.

Asked what can be done to help, Getty said COVID-era programs should be made a more permanent, locally funded fixture.

“A lot of times people get left behind,” Getty said. “They’re falling behind, they’re in between jobs. They’re having a hard time catching up. That’s a few months of rent assistance, we learned that during COVID; a few months of rent assistance can make a big difference in preventing someone from going through the drama of being homeless.”