This week around the Northeast Ohio region, NEOSCC staff are presenting and taking comments on the draft of initials findings from our Regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. Below are some excerpts of what a few local media outlets had to say about the study and the work we are doing. You can click on each article to read the story in full.
“Study: Blacks in Mahoning County receive more predatory loans”
by Burton Speakman,The Vindicator
“The overall point of the study was to show where issues exist within Northeast Ohio and develop a vision of what this area should be, said Anthony Kobak, project manager for NEO Sustainable Communities Consortium.
Then the area needs to develop plans and find funding for programs to help make any necessary changes to make area housing more equitable, he said.”
“Reports show minorities denied loans”
by WKBN Staff, WKBN Channel 27 News
“The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium has released its Fair Housing Report.
The initiative incorporates 12 counties in the northeast Ohio region. The study looked at private lending practices, public sector housing complaints and the community reinvestment act.
Among the data analyzed was that provided by the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act for home purchase loan applications from 2004 through 2011.
Of the 328,557 loan applications originated in the region, 65,149 were denied. American Indian, black, and Hispanic residents experienced a higher rate of loan denial than white or Asian applicants. Black and Hispanic applicants were also issued higher interest rate loans, and black borrowers experienced a rate nearly twice that of white applicants, according to the report.”
“Fair housing data presented on Lake, Geauga counties”
by Betsy Scott, The News-Herald
“The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium is behind the Regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice — a document a number of jurisdictions in the region are required to have by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or the state, depending on the grant funding agency.
The 2,500-plus-page analysis identified racially and ethnically concentrated areas, measured racial/ethnic isolation and segregation, evaluated access to opportunity areas, and recommended ways to reduce social and economic disparity…
The presentation included the number of housing complaints to HUD from 2004 to 2012 — 31 total in Geauga and 138 in Lake, for reasons including familial status, race and disability. Mortgage loan denials also were reviewed, showing a pattern of higher denials among minorities.
Agency representatives at the presentation disputed some of the data, particularly that which was gathered from a local government survey about fair housing information in their respective communities. They said it didn’t paint an accurate picture…
The results of the fair housing study will be integrated into a planning process for changes to be implemented. They also can be incorporated at the local level, said Anthony Kobak, project manager for NEOSCC.
“Each local entity can accept it as their own analysis of impediments, a portion of it or not at all,” he said. “HUD is concerned with the findings, but moreso how you are addressing them.””
To view the fair housing report online, visit vibrantneo.org/regional-aifhea-draft-report.
To submit comments comments or questions, send to NEOSCC, 146 S. High St., Suite 800, Akron, OH 44308, or email akobak@neossc.org.
