Many Ohioans can commiserate with former New York gubernatorial candidate Jimmy McMillan, whose "the rent is too damn high" complaint in 2005 captured attention throughout the country.

But the problem isn't confined to the Empire State. Ohio’s three largest cities were among the hottest real estate markets last year. The Ohio Housing Finance Agency said in 2021, the median home price was 2.6 times the median household income. The situation has worsened in recent years, and people at the lowest end of the economic scale are feeling it the most.

A recent report by anti-homelessness advocates showed many Ohioans cannot afford a basic two-bedroom apartment. The report also showed the gap between what the average renter earns and what they need to make for that basic unit of housing continues

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