Several members of the Ohio Housing Council—representing housing developers, lenders, nonprofit advocates, and national intermediaries—submitted testimony opposing a provision in House Bill 96 that would remove dedicated funding for the Ohio Housing Trust Fund. Despite their diverse perspectives, all emphasized a few key themes:

• The Trust Fund is Ohio’s primary source of flexible state dollars for affordable housing and homelessness services.
• Demand is outpacing resources—and without a stable funding mechanism, efforts will fall short.
• Redirecting funding decisions to the local level risks fragmentation and could cut off rural communities.
• The Trust Fund supports effective, strategic partnerships between the public and private sectors.

Testimony in Ohio House Finance Committee:

• Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate
• COHHIO
• Enterprise Community Partners
• Finance Fund
• National Church Residences
• NeighborWorks Collaborative of Ohio
• Wallick Communities