SIGN-ON: Main Street Job Recovery Program (Senate) |
May 2021
The Honorable Matt Huffman
1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Dear Senate President Huffman,
As a member of the Ohio CDC Association, we write to ask for your support for creation of the Main Street Job Recovery Program in the biennial operating budget. Our organizations are locally based rural and urban non-profits that work to rebuild neighborhoods through initiatives such as economic development, affordable housing, financial counseling and local food access.
Ohio communities have been hard-hit by the ongoing pandemic. With unemployment numbers continuing to increase and businesses being forced to close their doors permanently, now is the time to invest in catalytic programs to rebuild Ohio communities.
The Main Street Job Recovery Program will provide state funds for nonprofit organizations that address the economic needs of low-and moderate- income individuals and families through the creation of permanent business development and employment opportunities. The program will focus on creating jobs for Ohioans while rebuilding Main Streets by addressing priorities such as blight remediation, vacant properties, housing, and the reentry population. The Development Services Agency will administer the program and work with grantees to track the impact on these metrics. Program success will be measured based on the number of businesses created and expanded, the number of jobs created, and the amount of funds leveraged as a result of the Main Street Job Recovery Program.
We know this is a successful model because it is similar to the federal Community Economic Development grant program housed under the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. CED awards funds to private, non-profit organizations that are community development corporations, including faith-based organizations, that have as their principal purpose planning, developing or managing low-income housing or community development projects to create employment opportunities that lead to increased self-sufficiency for individuals with low income.
On average, one Ohio nonprofit community development organization has been awarded a CED grant each year. Currently, five community development organizations have seven active CED grants awarded over the past five years totaling just under $5 million. These projects are self-sustaining as nonprofit recipients have leveraged an additional $80 million in public and private funds for job creation and revitalization efforts.
Funding for the federal program is limited and competition nationwide is fierce for these grants. Sub. House Bill 110 includes $250,000 each fiscal year for this program, which would support two projects over the biennium. We ask for your support of an amendment to increase the appropriation to $1.5 million each fiscal year, that would support up to 14 project sites in rural, suburban and urban areas of the state, and would generate up to an additional $20 to $30 million in private investment.
Nonprofit organizations are uniquely positioned to spur economic development by leveraging public resources to draw additional private investments. It is difficult to assess the total impact that COVID-19 has had on Ohio’s economy, but we know that countless Ohioans and their communities have suffered through this crisis, and it will take strategic, local-driven actions to rebuild our great cities, counties, villages, and townships.
Please support creation of the Main Street Job Recovery Program to create a powerful tool for Ohio communities to create permanent skilled jobs while strengthening and restoring their communities.
Sincerely,
The Honorable Matt Huffman
1 Capitol Square, 2nd Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Dear Senate President Huffman,
As a member of the Ohio CDC Association, we write to ask for your support for creation of the Main Street Job Recovery Program in the biennial operating budget. Our organizations are locally based rural and urban non-profits that work to rebuild neighborhoods through initiatives such as economic development, affordable housing, financial counseling and local food access.
Ohio communities have been hard-hit by the ongoing pandemic. With unemployment numbers continuing to increase and businesses being forced to close their doors permanently, now is the time to invest in catalytic programs to rebuild Ohio communities.
The Main Street Job Recovery Program will provide state funds for nonprofit organizations that address the economic needs of low-and moderate- income individuals and families through the creation of permanent business development and employment opportunities. The program will focus on creating jobs for Ohioans while rebuilding Main Streets by addressing priorities such as blight remediation, vacant properties, housing, and the reentry population. The Development Services Agency will administer the program and work with grantees to track the impact on these metrics. Program success will be measured based on the number of businesses created and expanded, the number of jobs created, and the amount of funds leveraged as a result of the Main Street Job Recovery Program.
We know this is a successful model because it is similar to the federal Community Economic Development grant program housed under the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. CED awards funds to private, non-profit organizations that are community development corporations, including faith-based organizations, that have as their principal purpose planning, developing or managing low-income housing or community development projects to create employment opportunities that lead to increased self-sufficiency for individuals with low income.
On average, one Ohio nonprofit community development organization has been awarded a CED grant each year. Currently, five community development organizations have seven active CED grants awarded over the past five years totaling just under $5 million. These projects are self-sustaining as nonprofit recipients have leveraged an additional $80 million in public and private funds for job creation and revitalization efforts.
Funding for the federal program is limited and competition nationwide is fierce for these grants. Sub. House Bill 110 includes $250,000 each fiscal year for this program, which would support two projects over the biennium. We ask for your support of an amendment to increase the appropriation to $1.5 million each fiscal year, that would support up to 14 project sites in rural, suburban and urban areas of the state, and would generate up to an additional $20 to $30 million in private investment.
Nonprofit organizations are uniquely positioned to spur economic development by leveraging public resources to draw additional private investments. It is difficult to assess the total impact that COVID-19 has had on Ohio’s economy, but we know that countless Ohioans and their communities have suffered through this crisis, and it will take strategic, local-driven actions to rebuild our great cities, counties, villages, and townships.
Please support creation of the Main Street Job Recovery Program to create a powerful tool for Ohio communities to create permanent skilled jobs while strengthening and restoring their communities.
Sincerely,