Thousands of Ohioans could face homelessness because of federal policy change

COLUMBUS, Ohio — More than 10,000 Ohioans could return to homelessness due to a federal funding policy change for local homeless assistance programs, advocates warn.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a new Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Continuum of Care program on Nov. 13 that would limit funding for programs for certain permanent housing programs to 30% of a community’s total Continuum of Care grant, instead of the current 87%.

HUD’s Continuum of Care Program is the largest federal grant funding source for homelessness services and housing.

It helps fund permanent supportive housing, repaid rehousing, and transitional housing, among other things.

“What’s the most critical part of this shift is that there are 10,000 people across the state of j