How Should ARPA Funds Address Housing Issues in Cleveland?
Forum for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
How Should ARPA Funds Address Housing Issues in Cleveland?
President Joseph Biden, on March 11, 2021, signed into law the one-time allocation of funds through the American Rescue Plan Act. Nationally, ARPA provided $350 billion to state and local governments. The City of Cleveland received $511.7 million. These funds represent the single largest infusion of funds since the Community Development Block Grant Fund (CDBG) Program of 1974. Funds from ARPA will provide an opportunity for state and local governments to address the housing crisis that lingers over Cleveland neighborhoods. To date, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration, through the Center for Economic Recovery, has recommended the allocation of $50 million of the funds to address housing issues. The use of these funds must be approved by Cleveland City Council.
On September 27, 2022 a virtual Brown Bag Forum will be sponsored by the Ohio Fair Lending Coalition and Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs. The forum will provide an opportunity to:
- Learn about the city of Cleveland’s preliminary ideas for using ARPA funding to address housing issues.
- Hear what local housing organizations have proposed for ARPA funding.
- Share your own ideas and suggestions.
The forum will be held virtually, via Zoom, from Noon until 2:00PM on Tuesday, September 27th.
Panelists
Sally Martin – Director, City of Cleveland Building and Housing
Sally Martin was appointed as the City of Cleveland’s Director of Building and Housing in February 2022, where she oversees code enforcement activities and construction permitting. She served as the Housing Director for the City of South Euclid from 2008 until 2022, where she led housing programs and housing code enforcement for the city and was one of the founders of the city’s affiliate non-profit community development corporation, One South Euclid. In addition, she serves on various housing policy groups including the Cuyahoga Housing Stakeholders, the Cuyahoga County Reinvestment Advisory Subcommittee, and the Key Bank Great Lakes Advisory Board. For many years, Sally has served on the Executive Committee for the Vacant and Abandoned Property Action Council (VAPAC) and is the co-chair of VAPAC’s Delinquent Tax Working Group, and a founding member of the Greater Cleveland Reinvestment Coalition. Sally is a graduate of the University of Florida.
Kate Warren, Director, Greater Cleveland American Rescue Plan Coalition
Moderator
Kate Warren joined the Center for Community Solutions (CCS) in 2014. She now serves as Director, Greater Cleveland ARP Coalition, a local effort to track and influence federal relief funding flowing into Cleveland and throughout Ohio. In her prior role at CCS as Research Fellow, she focused on racial disparities, poverty and social determinants of health; this is work that has been used by advocates and policymakers throughout the region to work toward improving conditions in the community. She has developed resources to support local advocacy efforts, including community fact sheets for neighborhoods, legislative districts, cities, and counties across the state. She consults with many organizations in Greater Cleveland to help them assess the communities they serve, build capacity, and better utilize data to inform their work.
Kevin J. Nowak, Executive Director, CHN
Kevin is responsible for the overall management of CHN, its 35 real estate partnerships, and combined annual operating and capital budget ranging from $55-75 million. Under his leadership, CHN became a member of the NeighborWorks America network, launched an emerging community development financial institution to address racial equity and mortgage deserts, and was chosen to administer both the first-of-its-kind Lead Safe Cleveland Fund and the Cleveland/Cuyahoga $18 million CARES Act rental assistance program. In his prior role at CHN, Kevin led the development of the organization’s leading-edge initiatives, including its growing role as a strategic partner to other nonprofits in new markets, including Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Western New York. Prior to CHN, Kevin was the National Equity Investment Manager of Key Community Development Corporation, and earlier in his career, he practiced law at Thompson Hine LLP. Kevin holds a bachelor’s and a law degree from the University of Michigan.
Antoinette Smith, Director of Housing Counseling, Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP)
Antoinette Smith is the Director of Housing Counseling for ESOP (Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People) where she oversees all Housing Counseling programs and reporting. Antoinette has more than two decades’ experience of direct service for clients who present with multiple needs related to finances, housing, and health. Her work requires managing teams and projects, as well as collaboration with numerous departments and external community partners. She is a HUD-certified counselor, life coach, board member of Journey of Hope, and founder of Linking Your Life, a personal development company.
Edward Stockhausen, Senior Vice President of Advocacy & External Relations, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
Edward Stockhausen serves as the Senior Vice President of Advocacy & External Relations at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, a local community development intermediary in Cleveland, Ohio. His responsibilities include working with public officials on legislative and administrative policy changes, leading marketing, and public relations, and supporting the organization’s fund development work.
Prior to joining the team at CNP, Ed spent five years at Open Doors Academy, Cleveland’s leading out-of-school time organization serving over 500 kids and families per year, as its Chief Advancement Officer. Responsibilities included oversight over all aspects of fundraising, marketing, and government relations. Under his leadership, ODA led the effort to reverse a decision by the Ohio Department of Education to withhold funding for after-school programs, and he secured an invitation for ODA to testify before Congress during its inaugural Education Innovation Summit.
Before ODA, Ed worked for the Mental Health and Addiction Advocacy Coalition as its Northeast Ohio Director and for the Ohio Senate, where he ran legislative affairs and communications for the Assistant Minority Leader.
Ed earned a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University, received bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Philosophy, Politics, and the Public from Xavier University, and is a graduate of Cleveland’s St. Ignatius High School. He currently serves on the boards of Motogo, a motorcycle-based nonprofit focused on STEM education; the Cleveland Leadership Center; and the Near West Theater.
Chris Knestrick, Executive Director, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless
Chris Knestrick is the Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. He has over 10 years of experience working in homelessness in Cleveland, and he has also directed advocacy efforts in the international and local community. Chris is committed to community organizing, undoing oppressions, and promoting nonviolence that centers the voices of those most impacted by public policy. His work has taken him from the streets of Cleveland to the mountains of Colombia. He is a graduate of the McCormick Theological Seminary. He likes to spend his days boating, fishing and thinking about how to get the community to love so fiercely that homelessness is unimaginable.
Zach Germaniuk, Director,Neighborhood Stabilization for Slavic Village Development
Zach Germaniuk is the Director of Neighborhood Stabilization for Slavic Village Development. His work ensures that the residents of the Broadway-Slavic Village community will have stable housing conditions and an improved quality of life. Neighborhood revitalization that Zach has worked on has included building relationships with members of the community, encouraged active participation in the Slavic Village Development activities. As he continues to practice law, this Cleveland-Marshall College of law graduate seeks to empower residents to address vacant and abandoned properties. He provides critical information to renters regarding landlord/tenant law and communicates essential housing information to those residents with low and moderate incomes.
Slavic Village Development (SVD) is a non-profit community development corporation serving the North and South Broadway neighborhoods of Cleveland, Ohio. With an investment of $160 million over the past 25 years, Slavic Village Development has proven itself to be an aggressive and capable community development organization.