CINCINNATI — More than 4,000 students in the region are experiencing housing insecurity, a 24% increase from last year, according to Project Connect, which serves homeless students in southwest Ohio.
Hamilton County Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas mentioned at the commission meeting last Thursday how “deeply concerned” she was about the alarming statistics.
“I’m a little tired of the press conferences,” Dumas said. “We’ve donated millions, and it’s not just about housing, but I think we need to back up our words with actions. And once we give these institutions the money to do certain things, there needs to be better follow-up.”
Dumas was referring to the nearly $40 million that went to two organizations last year.
WCPO 9 News found that $34.4 million went to the Cincinnati Development Fund (CDF) and $5 million went to Strategies to End Homelessness. Both organizations used the money to help families get into affordable housing and avoid having to go into a homeless shelter.
We reached out to both organizations for comment on Monday but never received a response.
During the CPS’s joint meeting with the City of Cincinnati on August 6, 2024, Council Member Meeka Owens also spoke about the steps City Hall is taking to help families with rental assistance and legal representation.
“It’s just gratifying that we’re working together. We invest, I think, $1.3 million a year in access to legal advice and cutting rent subsidies, but we need to grow that pot,” Owens said.
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Community leaders like Iris Roley told us she met with some CPS students in Government Square who are homeless. Roley said many of them want help, but it’s up to us to change our approach when it comes to helping them.
“They wanted to be respected from the moment you met them,” Roley said. “If you respected them, they might open up and look at you first, and then you’d get a chance to see them.”
Other organizations, such as UpSpring in Cincinnati, rely on private donations and serve around 4,300 students in the region.
“They don’t tell their teacher, ‘Hey, I slept in the car last night,’ or ‘We’re between two places,’ or ‘We’re in a hotel,'” said Katie Jensen, director of development and marketing at UpSpring.
On Monday, some shelves were empty after the nonprofit distributed hundreds of backpacks to children. The organization has more backpacks ready, as well as hygiene kits, shoes and winter coats, for families who need them.
“Homelessness can be very debilitating for children. They experience a sense of instability and security, they feel like they don’t belong anywhere and there’s no point in trying hard in school,” says Jensen.
