Housing repair costs are modest, but have a big impact on housing in cities throughout America. For a modest investment, Greater Cleveland can do much to repair its housing stock that is in need now. The more the repairs are delayed, the more difficult and expensive they become. Deferred maintenance is one of the ongoing problems of housing here in Greater Cleveland and throughout the country. Through this forum, we will be discussing this issue with national expert, Eileen Divringi from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank, who recently published an analysis of home repair costs in different cities throughout the country, including Cleveland. She will share with us the results of her research and some recommendations that she makes to solve these problems.

Local groups that have on their agenda home repair assistance have been pressed to make additional credit available to individual homeowners who can not qualify for small-dollar loans to make safety repairs to their homes. One example of a long-standing program that has helped hundreds of hard-pressed homeowners that has its roots in the City of Cleveland Heights is called the Challenge Fund, headed by Keesha Allen. This small nonprofit agency combines aggressive housing counseling, a flexible loan program, and hard work with contractors to make important repairs to stop the deterioration of housing for individual homes, as well as the city at large.

For many housing groups, the focus is on putting together tax credit deals that provide fees for the nonprofit organization as well as new housing for hard-pressed residents that need affordable housing. There is very little ribbon-cutting going on with porch repairs or furnace replacements so the adequacy of groups focusing on home repair is somewhat limited. We will hear from local groups in the City of Cleveland who have repair programs with many needs but very few resources. Recent studies completed by the Western Reserve Land Conservancy point out the lack of small-dollar loans made in Cleveland’s east side neighborhoods and first-ring suburbs. This lack of lending has dramatically affected the quality of life in in these neighborhoods and has made it much more difficult to maintain the quality of housing in these communities. For many homeowners lacking a small amount of money, often under $5000, the deferred maintenance keeps growing until eventually the home will fall apart.