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Mayor frames housing and homelessness as top 2025 priorities; city to pursue infill, zoning changes and coordinated supports
Summary
Mayor Christina Mearn said Findlay will pursue infill development, zoning changes that allow duplexes and triplexes, state programs such as Welcome Home Ohio and a coordinated approach to homelessness that pairs wellness checks with referrals to the Family Resource Center and treatment when necessary.
Mayor Christina Mearn said Friday that housing — both increased supply and responses to homelessness — is a top priority for 2025, and she outlined several approaches the city plans to pursue, while acknowledging no single quick fix.
On supply and affordability, Mearn said the city is exploring ways to encourage infill development and to offset infrastructure costs for new subdivisions. She referenced zoning code changes enacted in recent years to permit duplexes and triplexes in targeted neighborhoods and said the city is investigating state programs and discussing options with state legislators, including Senator McCauley. She cited the Welcome Home Ohio program as one tool to help first‑time buyers.
On homelessness and services, Mearn said the city has a coalition or task force and is focused on case‑by‑case interventions rather than blanket enforcement. She described a response model in which officers encountering unhoused individuals attempt wellness checks and connect people to the Family Resource Center for case management, help with medication and referrals to detox or stabilization when appropriate. She said misdemeanor charges and fines are part of the framework but are implemented after attempts to connect people with services.
Lincoln School and other properties: Mearn said the proposed Lincoln School project is expected to be market‑rate housing, not low‑cost housing, and that converting churches or other buildings into shelter would be costly and complex. She said the city is looking for multiple solutions — more single‑family housing, apartments at varied price points and longer‑term strategies to restore turnover in the housing stock.
Why it matters: Housing availability and homelessness affect workforce recruitment, public health and use of public spaces. The mayor emphasized partnerships with state programs, non‑profit providers and county agencies and said the issue will require sustained, multi‑pronged efforts.
Provenance: Transcript excerpts include the mayor’s comments on zoning reform for infill (duplexes/triplexes), Welcome Home Ohio, the Lincoln School project being market‑rate, and homelessness responses centered on wellness checks and Family Resource Center referrals.
Ending: City leaders said they will continue to pursue funding tools and policy changes while coordinating with regional partners; no immediate large‑scale city‑run housing program was announced.
