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State Senator Michelle Reynolds urges local action on housing after shelter closures
Summary
State Senator Michelle Reynolds told Steubenville council the state has tools and a legislative blueprint to help communities move from shelter to housing, urged local zoning and licensing for transitional programs, and offered state coordination after the Urban Mission shelter closure.
State Senator Michelle Reynolds (Ohio Senate District 3), chair of the Senate Select Committee on Housing, told the Steubenville City Council on Nov. 24 that Jefferson County is facing a housing shortage worsened by recent shelter closures and limited local infrastructure. Reynolds said a 2024 statewide study she led identified funding scarcity, difficulties accessing bond financing for affordable projects and infrastructure gaps that constrain rural housing development.
"If you do not take care of these problems, the problem manages you," Reynolds said, urging local officials to consider state-supported approaches and to use the legislative resources she shared. She said state grant programs, HUD pass-through funding and a Rural Housing Development bill she sponsors can help communities fund new construction and infrastructure to support affordable and workforce housing.
Reynolds emphasized local control while encouraging municipalities to change ordinances that unnecessarily bar transitional housing and to adopt zoning definitions and licensure standards used by other cities. She offered technical help and business contacts and left a copy of the Senate housing report for council and staff to review.
The senator also suggested phased regulation to permit licensed nonprofit or faith-based providers to operate monitored transitional homes, coordinated with workforce training and case management delivered by local partners. She said the state has licensing pathways for recovery, reentry and developmental-disability residential programs and that those standards can be used to protect neighborhood safety while expanding housing options.
The council heard Reynolds after members discussed committee scheduling and local budget constraints; City Manager Jim Mavromatis later noted the 2026 budget will be tight but is balanced. The council took no formal vote on housing policy during the meeting; Reynolds offered to assist councilors and staff in pursuing state programs and funding.
