State budget expands program that targets homelessness

YOUNGSTOWN

Area organizations fighting homelessness may soon have more resources to access, thanks to changes in the state budget.

The Ohio Legislature approved a budget last week that included a combined annual $5 million expansion to the Ohio Housing Trust Fund.

The fund provides money to organizations throughout the state for a variety of housing-related programs, including those that target homelessness.

This is the first increase to the fund in 16 years. Half of the $5 million generated each year will go specifically to address youth homelessness, a population that – according to data from the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio – is the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population. COHHIO estimates there are 20,717 homeless youth in the state, including 3,000 infants under age 1.

Read more about the matter in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.