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Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging seeks city support to expand housing assistance for older adults
Summary
Grant Ames of COAAA described a housing assistance program that distributed over $1 million in recent years and requested $100,000 in city funds for 2025 to leverage nearly $400,000 in state match and expand one‑time assistance that helps older adults remain housed.
The Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA) told the committee its housing assistance program helps older adults and people with disabilities sustain housing and that demand is growing.
Grant Ames, COAAA’s government community relations manager, said the agency manages home‑based services, information and assistance, Medicaid waiver programs and a housing assistance fund that has provided one‑time payments to preserve housing for vulnerable older adults.
Why it matters: COAAA said population aging and economic pressures mean more older residents are asking for help: the agency does roughly 47,000 home visits a year and saw roughly 1,500–1,600 housing calls in the most recent year, an increase of several hundred calls year over year. Ames stressed that many older adults live on fixed incomes and that Social Security averages about $940 a month, below typical studio rents in Central Ohio.
Program details and request: COAAA said the housing assistance program has distributed over $1,000,000 in four years, expanded eligibility limits and increased per‑household caps (from $1,000 in the past up to $2,000 total) to meet higher bills. The agency reported that 80% of case‑managed recipients were able to maintain housing for six months after assistance and about 76% stayed housed after a year. COAAA requested $100,000 from the city for 2025; the agency said those dollars would allow it to draw down nearly $400,000 in match from the Ohio Department of Aging.
Council follow‑up: Members asked whether COAAA connects clients to utility assistance and HEAP programs; Ames said the agency does outreach, helps complete HEAP/PIP applications and coordinates with utilities and other partners. He also said COAAA is preparing programs to help older adults during extreme‑weather events by distributing heaters, fans and preparedness kits and by connecting clients with warming/cooling centers.
Ending: COAAA said additional city support could scale the program beyond Franklin County and into the agency’s eight‑county region as housing instability grows with new development and turnover in previously affordable buildings.
