Columbus official outlines $500 million affordable‑housing push, rental registry vote and home‑repair focus
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Summary
Council member Tiara Ross said the city is preparing about $500 million for affordable housing, will vote on a rental registry to improve tenant protections, and is looking at expanding critical home‑repair supports as part of a broader resilient housing initiative.
Columbus City Council member Tiara Ross said the city is preparing roughly $500 million for affordable-housing creation and innovation and that the administration and council are coordinating a 'Resilient' housing initiative and Division of Housing Stability to better prevent displacement.
At a Columbus Metro Club forum Ross said part of that money will fund innovation projects and local revenue strategies that do not rely on federal programs. She described the Division of Housing Stability as a hub to connect residents with prevention dollars and cited initiatives that span emergency code violation responses to other supports to keep residents housed.
Ross also told the audience the city planned to vote on a rental registry "on Monday," describing it as a first-of-its-kind local measure intended to reduce the need for tenants to lodge repeated complaints before enforcement occurs.
Ross acknowledged limits on municipal authority, saying state law constrains some potential tenant-protection measures and that addressing rent-gouging will require advocacy at multiple levels of government. She suggested local regulatory and administrative fixes — including restricting use of certain landlord listing or screening applications — as possible tools the city could explore.
Panelists connected the city's planned investments with pilot programs and service priorities discussed at the forum. Ross said the administration and council recognize long wait lists for the city's critical home-repair program and committed to follow up with partners about timelines and potential council support to expand capacity.
Speakers urged pairing capital investments with operations and services: building units is only one part of affordability, they said, because federal funding often covers construction but not on-site services needed by seniors. Ross noted that many permanent supportive housing units are occupied by older adults and that operating dollars for services will be critical to meet needs.
Ross said she would follow up with community groups and report back to attendees about specific timelines for critical home-repair funding and the administration’s roll-out plans for the Resilient housing initiative.
