Recently, federal legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Toledo-area Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) along with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). Known as the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act, the bill would authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a $5 billion program, that would operate from fiscal years 2021 to 2031, to award competitive grants to eligible local partnerships for neighborhood revitalization activities.
The bill, H.R. 816, includes a number of provisions, such as:
Assistance to existing residents experiencing economic distress with homeowner rehabilitation assistance, weatherization, improved housing accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities, housing counseling, refinancing, property tax relief and so much more;
The purchase and redevelopment of vacant, abandoned, or distressed properties to create opportunities for affordable rental housing, homeownership, shared equity homeownership, or commercial properties;
Funding to improve parks, sidewalks, street lighting, and other neighborhood improvements that impact the quality of life in low-income neighborhoods;
Establishment and operational support for community land trusts and land banks; and additional revitalization support activities.
We are living through unprecedented times which create many challenges – and opportunities- for Ohio’s legacy communities. Legacy communities in Ohio were the engines of our country’s prosperity for decades. Despite population loss and economic shifts, today these older industrial communities remain the home of millions of people and continue to be important contributors of new economic activity.
Legislation such as the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act as well state-based legislation that invest in communities, are vital for Ohio’s legacy cities as they work to overcome the challenges not only of COVID-19, but for those communities that are still struggling in the aftermath of the Great Recession of the late 2000s. Assisting Ohio’s legacy communities transition to be prepared for new economic realities must be a partnership at all levels, and legislation such as H.R. 816 will help local leaders make and execute revitalization plans that preserve long-term city investments, protect families through housing, stabilize our downtowns and commercial centers, and prevent new cycles of blight and disinvestment in our residential neighborhoods.