Community leaders in Portsmouth have recently released the Portsmouth Housing Action Plan, which focuses on strategies to increase housing options in the city.
This Plan is a second phase of work by the Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC), which completed a housing market analysis for Portsmouth in 2021. For the 2024 Action Plan, GOPC conducted interviews and met with city staff, nonprofit directors, and residents, to learn about what is being done well. GOPC also identified areas of work that could use more attention and resources from housing organizations.
The Portsmouth Housing Action Plan contains 16 recommendations to achieve 4 goals:
Increase the stock of starter homes
Create more quality affordable rentals
Lower barriers to development and incentivize new development
Geographically target resources for greatest impact
Implementation is the name of the game for the Action Plan. Each recommendation identifies responsible parties and timelines for carrying out the suggested action. Some of the strategies identified will be done by members of the existing Housing Consortium, a group facilitated by the Scioto Foundation that meets monthly. The Consortium is made up of housing agencies, nonprofits, and local government officials, all dedicated to improving housing options in Portsmouth.
The centerpiece of the Action Plan is a recommendation to create a new housing-focused nonprofit in Portsmouth. An organization tasked with creating affordably priced housing through rehabs of existing properties or new buildings would bring outsized benefit to Portsmouth and facilitate the implementation of other recommendations in the plan.
The Housing Action Plan for Portsmouth offers strategies to unlock Portsmouth’s potential and provide additional housing opportunities for its residents.