| Community Properties |
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A model for government-subsidized low-income housing With involvement from the beginning by a large number of community partners, Community Properties of Ohio (CPO) is becoming a national model for quality supportive housing. CPO owns more than 1,000 units of project-based, Section 8 housing in Columbus. More than 500 of those units are in the Weinland Park neighborhood of the University District. Once labeled “housing of last resort,” these apartments are being extensively renovated and are under committed, caring management. As a result, these housing units are increasingly being seen as a neighborhood asset. Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH) in 2003 acquired the troubled Broad Street Portfolio of federally subsidized, low-income housing in Columbus and announced plans for the renovation of these buildings over the next three to four years. OCCH renamed the portfolio as Community Properties of Ohio. The housing management company, Broad Street Management, Inc., also was acquired, new leadership was installed, and the company was renamed Community Properties of Ohio Management Services.  If you believe you qualify for Section 8 housing and are interested in a CPO apartment, contact Community Properties of Ohio Management Services at (614) 253-0984 or visit the web site at www.cpoms.org. Campus Partners, in consultation with civic organizations representing the Columbus Empowerment Zone and the City of Columbus, provided the initial leadership to acquire, rehabilitate and preserve this housing portfolio. In late 2001, Campus Partners asked OCCH to join the effort as principal developer of the project. The project has involved the investment of $100 million in the renovation of the housing stock in several of Columbus’ older urban neighborhoods. The original 1,335 units of the Broad Street Portfolio in Columbus were in 242 buildings scattered throughout the city's Empowerment Zone. The portfolio is the largest scattered-site, project-based Section 8 housing group in the nation. These apartments had been occupied by low-income families since the portfolio's inception in the 1970s, but their 20-year Section 8 housing assistance contracts had expired. The federal government, in consultation with the existing owners, made plans in 2000 and 2001 to restructure and extend these contracts. The new contracts would have included a significant reduction in rent subsidies and would have included little or no funding for rehabilitation of the housing or social services for the residents. The new contracts would have substantially reduced the owners' ability to improve the management and condition of the portfolio and, in turn, would have adversely affected the surrounding  neighborhoods.In response, Campus Partners in early 2001 secured an option to acquire the portfolio. In consultation with a number of civic and housing organizations, Campus Partners in June 2001 presented to the federal agencies an alternate restructuring plan which is more conducive to the communities' goal of creating strong, vital and diverse urban neighborhoods. From mid-2001 until the closing on the properties in April 2003, Campus Partners and OCCH had extensive discussions with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on the implementation of this restructuring plan. Critical support for implementation of the plan came from neighborhood civic leaders, tenant advocates, local elected officials, and members of the Ohio congressional delegation, particularly then-Senator Mike DeWine, Congresswoman Deborah Pryce and Congressman Pat Tiberi. CPO began the renovation of the properties in June 2004. As of the end of 2006, CPO had invested $58 million through tax credits, bonds and gap financing to renovate 664 units in 107 buildings. An additional 532 units in 113 buildings are scheduled to be renovated by 2009. With an average of $80,000 invested per unit, CPO added or upgraded HVAC, electrical systems, showers, central air, new appliances, new fixtures, new doors and windows, new flooring, security lighting, landscaping and hardscaping. CPO also has initiated measures to increase efficiency in property management operations and communications to better meet residents’ needs and has developed an innovative public safety program, “Eliminate the Elements,” in partnership with the Columbus Division of Police. A key component of CPO’s approach is providing supportive services to link its families and seniors to social, economic and educational assistance. |