Cincinnati Development Fund says $74 million in leveraged funding helped create or preserve about 1,800 income‑restricted units in two years

The Cincinnati Development Fund reported to the Equitable Growth and Housing Committee on Oct. 12, 2025, that it has leveraged about $74 million in pooled public, private and federal resources to make financing commitments to 54 projects that will create or preserve 1,803 income‑restricted units in the city from Sept. 2022 through Sept. 2024.

The update, delivered by CDF President and CEO Joe Huber and senior staff member Luke Blocher, described how city trust‑fund dollars, Hamilton County ARPA, CDFI awards, CDF loan capital and other sources were combined to produce nearly $130 million in available financing commitments when other funders and private investment are included. "We're very proud of the results of this 2 year period," Huber said, adding that the work depended on "collaboration, communication, and sharing a common goal across the region." Blocher warned that federal uncertainty makes local coordination more important: "the sort of uncertainty at the federal level really hones in on why this type of local leadership is so important," he said.

Why it matters: CDF told the committee the fund's flexibility allowed it to issue conditional commitments and gap financing that helped projects move forward despite rising costs and changes in state competition rules. The CDF summary said the program focused on lower AMI levels:…