CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Each week in Hamilton County, 230 families face eviction. That rate is more than double the national average, but there are efforts underway to fix the problem. An average of 12,400 residential evictions are filed each year in Hamilton County, according to a study done by the University of Cincinnati. There is an even larger number of people who are about to be kicked out of their home.
"In this small area, we help one-third of all people that we help with rent and utility assistance. It's a big number," said Mary Reid, the social service director at St. Vincent de Paul.
St. Vincent de Paul gave $1.4 million in rental and utility assistance to 4,000 families in 2017. Unfortunately, they can't help everyone -- only those who deemed financially sustainable.
"It is a one-time request. We only give out assistance once a year for people. But even if you come back a second time, lots of times we evaluate it against with the other needs that are out there," said Reid.
St. Vincent de Paul is hoping to be awarded some new money from the city of Cincinnati. Council approved an eviction prevention fund in January worth $400,000.
So far, only $167,000 has been handed out. That went to the Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses.
"Landlords can raise rent very easily, and people are not getting pay increases, so we need the added eviction support in place," Tia Brown of Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses.
Brown says the West End organization is already seeing some residents being priced out of the neighborhood. FC Cincinnati is building a soccer stadium. That's kickstarted redevelopment in many old buildings.
"We know a lot of people in the neighborhood have been waiting for their housing values to rise, which is a good thing, but at the same time, with the rising prices, people can't afford the rent. We do not want rent to be $1,200 for the norm in this neighborhood," Brown said.
The rental assistance help from the city is tied directly to its newest and biggest neighbor: FC Cincinnati. That $167,000 is coming from money the city got from selling land to Tri-State Wholesale in Lower Price Hill as it moves from its West End location.
Councilman Greg Landsman, who introduced the resolution, says stabilizing the housing is an important step in pulling families out of poverty. But this is just a one-time fund, and more needs to be done to make sure families are helped more than once.
"We know this has worked in other cities. We want to make sure it works here first before we put it into the budget," Landsman said.
Under Cincinnati's new eviction fund, money will be given to people who fall behind on rent. The idea is to bridge the shortfall, not push off the inevitable.
The city will not run the program. The money will go to charities that help with rental assistance.
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