Ohio Homeowner Aid Expo: $4M Mortgage Relief and Resources in Hamilton County

Hamilton County, Ohio hosted a free Homeowner Assistance Expo on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Community Action Agency, 1740 Langdon Farm Road in Cincinnati. The event was designed to connect homeowners and prospective homebuyers with a wide range of financial, legal, and utility assistance resources in a single location.

At the center of the expo was roughly $4 million in remaining federal stimulus funding that the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners had set aside for housing relief. The commissioners had originally allocated $5 million to help residents with mortgage payments, property taxes, and utility bills, and about $4 million was still available to applicants at the time of the event. Staff from Hamilton County Job and Family Services were on hand to walk residents through the application process on the spot.

"When we have one need, we often have a bunch of other needs that are unaddressed," Hamilton County Treasurer Jill Schiller said of the expo's one-stop-shop approach. Organizers emphasized that many residents do not realize how many assistance programs they qualify for, and that meeting with multiple agencies in the same room often surfaces help people would otherwise miss.

Attendees could speak directly with the Hamilton County Treasurer's office, the Community Action Agency, Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Pro Seniors, the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, the Metropolitan Sewer District, Working in Neighborhoods, Hamilton County Job & Family Services, People Working Cooperatively, and Greater Cincinnati Water Works. Lenders and utilities were also represented, including Fifth Third Bank, Duke Energy, Guardian Savings Bank, First Financial Bank, and Huntington Bank, giving homeowners a chance to discuss mortgage workouts, refinancing options, and utility hardship programs face-to-face.

Services promoted at the expo included home repair assistance, mortgage aid, utility bill support, property tax payment help, and financial counseling for prospective homebuyers. The event complemented the statewide Save the Dream Ohio program, funded through the $280 million Ohio Homeowner Assistance Fund under the American Rescue Plan Act, which provides up to $25,000 per eligible household for delinquent mortgage payments and related housing costs tied to pandemic hardship.

Hamilton County residents who could not attend were encouraged to contact Job and Family Services or the Community Action Agency directly to begin an application for the remaining stimulus-funded relief.