Columbus officials outline use of prior housing bonds, propose $500 million 2025 bond and new Housing Stability division

Council President Shannon Harden, chair of the Columbus City Council Housing, Homelessness and Building Committee, convened a public hearing in which Department of Development officials reviewed how prior affordable‑housing bond authority has been used and outlined a proposed $500,000,000 2025 housing bond and a new Division of Housing Stability.

The presentation said prior voter‑approved bond authority (a $50,000,000 allocation in 2019 and continued authorization in 2022 that together created $250,000,000 of bond capacity) has been deployed alongside federal relief dollars and tax credits to support affordable housing production, tenant stabilization services and homeownership programs. Deputy Director Hannah Jones, Department of Development, told the committee the city has supported roughly 4,200 income‑restricted affordable units to date, including about 523 units of permanent supportive housing, and has invested in affordable homeownership and rental assistance programs.

Why it matters: Council and administration officials said a larger bond could be needed to address rising construction and financing costs, further fill gaps in low‑income housing tax credit (LIHTC) deals, and expand support for tenant protections and homelessness prevention. The administration also proposed formally creating a Division of Housing Stability to “hardwire” tenant protections and coordinate services, and signaled the office will present a code change to create that division for council consideration.

Department overview and past bond deployment

Director Prosser (Department of Development) and Deputy Director Hannah Jones described three policy pillars that guide the city’s housing work: build more…