A coalition of housing advocates, community-development nonprofits and business groups told the House Development Committee that the state should boost and extend housing tax credits and maintain grant funding to accelerate construction and rehabilitation.

Industry and nonprofit leaders asked for two principal changes: an increase in the state low-income housing tax credit and a longer authorization window. Ryan Gleason of the Ohio Housing Council said the program should be increased to $200 million per year and extended to 2031 as a pragmatic step, while noting industry views that a larger, permanent increase would be ideal. "We are requesting that you authorize an increase to $200,000,000 per year and extend the tax credit to 2031," Gleason said.

Why it matters: Witnesses said state tax credits and programs such as Welcome Home Ohio leverage private investment and are necessary to produce affordable units quickly. Tory Hollingsworth of the Ohio CDC Association and Ian Benniston of Youngstown NDC described WHO-funded projects that produced housing in places with little recent development and asked for grant funding at prior levels to keep momentum.

Other priorities raised: Downtown Cleveland Inc. asked for changes to the historic preservation tax credit, including a $120,000,000 annual cap and higher per-project limits, arguing such changes would accelerate conversions and redevelopment downtown. The Ohio Business Roundtable urged continued focus on housing, energy reliability and workforce development to sustain recent private investments in the state’s economy.

What’s next: Witnesses pressed lawmakers for statutory or budget changes to make credits more attractive to investors and to ensure grant funds flow efficiently to community organizations and land banks. Committee members asked multiple witnesses about investor demand for tax credits and about program design changes to make investments move faster.