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First-time homebuyers are getting squeezed out by investors
By: Chris Arnold | Anthony Tellez | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — Record high home prices and low inventory were already making things hard for first-time homebuyers. But new numbers show that investors are driving even more people away from homeownership. “Investors are coming in and pushing out the first-time buyers,” says Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors. He… Read More

Displaced Kentuckians are still searching for housing after tornadoes
By: Liam Niemeyer | Ohio Valley ReSource
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MAYFIELD, Ky. (OVR) — Jimmy Galbreath works hard. The scrap dealer and father of nine from Mayfield, Ky. started working when he was 12 years old. He grew up in a one-bedroom house with 15 other siblings and a mother who made sure they had food on the table. And eventually, he worked hard enough… Read More

Eviction protections are the latest safety net to erode as COVID-19 rages on
By: Liam Niemeyer | Katie Myers | Ohio Valley ReSource
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Ohio Valley ReSource · No Shelter: Eviction Protections are Latest Safety Net to Erode, as COVID-19 Rages On RICHMOND, Ky. (OVR) — In room 226 of the Relax Inn in Richmond, Kentucky, Melanie and Cody Poore do their best to make themselves at home. Melanie has draped some of her old comforters over the motel’s… Read More

Agency Offers Assistance As Federal Eviction Moratorium Ends
By: Taylor Burnette
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The federal eviction moratorium has ended in some places across southeastern Ohio, but resources are available for those facing the possibility of houselessness. It was extended for some communities, but not Athens, Hocking and Perry counties due to the lower rate of COVID-19 transmission in these places. However, rental assistance is… Read More

CDC Extends Eviction Moratorium Through July
By: Pam Fessler | NPR
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the pandemic presented a historic threat.

Sen. Brown Presses Landlord Over Report It Evicts Black Renters At Higher Rates
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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A senator is asking why a corporate landlord has filed to evict renters in predominantly Black counties at four times the rate as renters in predominantly white counties.

Evictions At A Kentucky Trailer Park Highlight Ohio Valley’s Lack Of Affordable Housing
By: Katie Myers | Liam Niemeyer | Ohio Valley ReSource
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MURRAY, Ky. (OVR) — Jimmy McRoberts knew the North Fork Mobile Home Park was teeming with animals. Some residents, like local grandmother Penny Gozzard, had two or three beloved cats they kept a close eye on; others let their pets roam around and mingle with the neighborhood kids who played around their families’ trailers. So… Read More

Gov. DeWine Signs Bill To Provide Housing Assistance To Low-Income Ohioans Hurt By Pandemic
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Governor Mike DeWine has signed into law a $465 million bill meant to help lower-income Ohioans pay for rent and mortgages. The new law (HB 167) has widespread support and passed through the Ohio Legislature without opposition. DeWine said it will help Ohioans who are facing eviction because of the pandemic…. Read More

Judge Strikes Down Federal Eviction Moratorium, Setting Up High-Stakes Appeal
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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A federal judge has ruled the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority by issuing a nationwide moratorium on evictions. The fate of millions of renters rests on appeal.

Federal Eviction Moratorium Extended Just 2 Days Before Expiration
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is extending an order preventing evictions. It was set to expire this week, which could have displaced staggering numbers of people from their homes.

HUD: Growth Of Homelessness During 2020 Was ‘Devastating,’ Even Before The Pandemic
By: Pam Fessler | NPR
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The annual homeless count by the Department of Housing and Urban Development shows an increase in people living outside. The 2020 numbers in the report do not reflect the impact of the pandemic.

Renters Are Getting Evicted Despite CDC Order
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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Some landlords are evicting tenants despite an order from the CDC aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19 by preventing evictions. That has led to calls to strengthen protections.

Biden To Extend Order Limiting Pandemic Evictions
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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On his first day in office, the president plans to sign an executive order extending the CDC’s moratorium on evictions. Housing advocates say the CDC rule needs to be strengthened.

CDC Issues Sweeping Temporary Halt On Evictions Nationwide Amid Pandemic
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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The move could prevent millions of evictions that housing advocates warn are looming as people who have lost work run out of money. Landlord groups want to know who will pay for the lost rent.

Beshear Creates Fund To Protect Kentuckians From Eviction
By: Associated Press
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FRANKFORT, Ky (AP) — Kentucky’s governor has announced the creation of an eviction relief fund. Gov. Andy Beshear says it’s aimed at keeping people in their homes by reimbursing landlords for missed rent payments during the coronavirus pandemic. Beshear signed an executive order Monday setting up a system aimed at helping prevent evictions while assisting… Read More

Ohio Bill Aims To Help Ohioans Being Evicted Due To COVID19 Income Losses
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — As COVID-19 related job losses continue to affect thousands of Ohioans, many are in danger of losing their homes. A bill that’s been introduced by a Democratic state representative could help some of them. David Leland (D-Columbus) is sponsoring a bill that would set aside 10% of the state’s rainy-day fund, about… Read More

Millions Of Americans Skip Payments As Tidal Wave Of Defaults And Evictions Looms
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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Hardship programs appear to be helping many people pause payments and survive the economic shutdown so far. But not everybody is getting the help, and advocates see big potential trouble ahead.

WATCH: How Missed Rent Payments Spark a ‘Cascade’ of Financial Hardship
By: PBS Newshour
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Many Americans affected by the coronavirus pandemic are struggling to pay their rent when they have lost income and haven’t yet been able to secure unemployment money. Missed rent, in turn, adds up to landlords who can’t pay their mortgages or property tax. And then cities and states will struggle to provide the basic services… Read More

It’s The 1st Of The Month. Renters Are In A Much Tougher Spot Than Homeowners
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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The government ordered lenders to let homeowners skip payments if they lost income due to the coronavirus. But landlords can require renters to pay even if they’ve lost their job. And many are.

Bill Would Provide Greater Savings for Low-Income Homeowners in Ohio
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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About 800,000 Ohioans take advantage of the homestead exemption credit that reduces their property tax burden. Now, a bill has been introduced that would reduce it even further for low-income and disabled veterans. As a former Lawrence County Auditor, Republican Rep. Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) says he often spoke to homeowners who simply couldn’t afford to stay in… Read More

My Cold Kentucky Home: Coal Country Turning To Solar As Heating And Housing Costs Climb
By: Sydney Boles | Ohio Valley ReSource
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Joe Oliver and Tony Brown peered into the dark crawl space beneath a Letcher County, Kentucky, home. Already, they could see problems. The crawl space had been blocked off with just a thin sheet of plywood; the posts supporting the house rested on uneven blobs of poured concrete; the whole place reeked of mold. A… Read More

“They Are Invisible.” Rural Homelessness, Made Worse By Opioid Crisis
By: Mary Meehan | Ohio Valley ReSource
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Charles “Country” Bowers takes long, quick strides down a worn dirt path and is soon in front of a thicket of bushes made deep and tall by spring rains. He’s leading me on a tour of camps made by homeless people in wooded corners of Fayette County, Kentucky. He stops and lifts a hand to… Read More

Report Links Housing To Health
By: Mary Meehan | Ohio Valley ReSource
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A new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation confirms the significant health challenges in the Ohio Valley, including premature deaths. It also lays out the often overlooked connection between health and housing. The report presents a county-by-county breakdown of health outcomes and reveals significant gaps between the healthiest counties and the least healthy counties…. Read More

Council Holds First Hearing On CDBG Program
Athens City Council held its first public hearing on the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) on Monday. The federally funded program makes the city eligible for about $75,000 to put toward development this year, but no one showed up to testify. The state receives money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development… Read More