LVL With Us

Today we’re welcoming Liz Brown, President & CEO of YWCA Columbus, a nonprofit focused on housing, youth development, and social justice. Liz is also a former Columbus City Council member first elected in 2015 and reelected in 2019 before leaving in 2023. In this first part of our conversation, we discuss Liz's time on council, her thoughts on our housing shortage, her work at YWCA, the impacts of the current federal administration on nonprofits, and, among everything happening, what keeps us hopeful. Sources:https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147907/let-america-be-america-againhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/645871/there-is-no-place-for-us-by-brian-goldstone/https://www.csb.org/

For part two of my conversation with Tasha Booker, CEO of Action for Children, we begin with a commentary on the brevity of pilot programs like Success Bridge and Healthy Beginnings at Home that get so much initial funding, impact a few hundred people, and then are never scaled up or extended. From there we make a call to action. As our community faces higher costs of living and our social service sector is threatened and weakened, it falls on all of us to do whatever we can to protect each other. American civil rights activist Marian Wright Edelman famously said “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.”

Today on LVL With Us, I am joined by Tasha Booker, Homeport board member and CEO for Action for Children. Tasha has been a part of our board since 2021, ran CityYear Columbus for more than six years, and joined Action for Children at the beginning of this year to become more engaged in education here in Columbus. Tasha actually grew up in an affordable housing community once called Agler Green, now named The Heritage Apartments, right near Homeport’s current headquarters. During our conversation, we discussed how housing affects educational outcomes, the challenges faced by our school system, and the changes we can make as a community to better care for our children and families. Action for Children is a nonprofit organization that supports parents, caregivers, and teachers in the pursuit of better educational outcomes for the children they care for. Sources:https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/09/see-2025-ohio-school-report-card-grades-for-every-district-in-the-state.htmlhttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/u-s-high-school-students-continue-to-lose-ground-in-math-and-reading-as-yearslong-decline-persistshttps://www.nationwidechildrens.org/about-us/collaboratory/addressing-inequities/kindergarten-readiness

We’re back this month with David Staley of Columbus Futurists. Our first episode with David lays the groundwork for what we’re discussing in this second part, giving more context as to what futurism is and how it can be a useful lens through which we view even current issues. The main point of today’s conversation is that, while futurism does rely on certain drivers – or factors that indicate the likelihood of one outcome or another – it's not a crystal ball. We are not resigned to the predicted outcomes as if they’re prophecies. We have agency that allows us to shift our current methods to achieve different outcomes. We have the power to reverse engineer the future. Knowing the risks and opportunities is what allows us to build a future we want, rather than passively waiting for it to get here.

This month, we welcome on President of Columbus Futurists, David Staley, who is also an associate professor of history at The Ohio State University. Together, we discuss not only the future of housing, but the driving factors that determine it and ways we could possibly build the future we want. This month’s episode lays the groundwork of what futurism is and explores more grounded applications. Stay tuned for next month's episode, when we’ll discuss topics like the implications of AI, how to address systemic inequalities, and how we could restructure our culture and economy to not only guarantee housing for all, but to actually place a person’s intrinsic value above their ability to generate income and rethink what it means to be a contributing member of society. Who is David Staley?David J. Staley is a writer, designer, mark maker, futurist, historiographer, presenter, educator, advisor, and journalist, and was recently described as an "eclectic academic" and as a "polymath."   He is an Associate Professor in the departments of History and Design at The Ohio State University, and is the author of Alternative Universities: Speculative Design for Innovation in Higher Education, the co-author of Knowledge Towns: Colleges and Universities as Talent Magnets and author of Visionary Histories, a collection of his essays about the future. He is the host of the "Voices of Excellence" podcast, and president of Columbus Futurists, a local think tank. In 2022 he was awarded "Best Freelance Writer" by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists for his "Next" futures column with Columbus Underground.

Today, we're joined by two Homeport staff members, Laverne Price, senior director of resource development, and Shameikia Smith, our new VP of Programs and Impact. We’re doing a bit of a different episode today. In times of uncertainty, we believe it’s important to back the organizations in our community making a difference. One of the ways you can support the work we do is by attending our annual event, Voice & Vision, which will take place on October 21 this year. Registration has just opened, so we decided to take this opportunity to delve into Voice & Vision, its purpose, its goals, and what makes it a worthwhile way to spend an afternoon.Learn more about Voice & Vision: https://www.homeportohio.org/voiceandvisionRegister for Voice & Vision: https://homeportohio.app.neoncrm.com/eventReg.jsp?event=1598&Get in touch with Laverne: [email protected]

For episode 205, we are joined by Jennifer Tiedt and Terence Toone of the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging. Jennifer supervises COAAA’s housing assistance program, or HAP, an emergency rental and utility assistance program. Terence is a housing resource specialist, preventing folks from entering homelessness and helping them age in place. For this episode we discuss the unique challenges older adults face in our housing shortage. Often living on fixed incomes, many socially isolated, experiencing chronic illness, mobility issues, and more, finding and maintaining housing presents a set of barriers due to an insufficient system and, especially, insufficient funding.Sources:https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/housing-americas-older-adults-four-problems-we-must-addresshttps://www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/advanced-age-can-increase-risk-housing-insecurity-and-homelessnesshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7178234/Register for Homeport's free Homebuyer Resource Fair:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/homebuyer-resource-fair-tickets-1301915768109?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Last month, we discussed in depth a paper written by local researchers that examined how housing policy contributed to the quality of life of Columbus' Linden community. Today's episode is a continuation of the conversation around how housing policy directly affects the health of individuals and our community at large. We're joined by Jason Reece, associate professor in city and regional planning and vice provost for outreach and engagement at Ohio State. He’s another co-author of the paper, “A History of The Impacts Of Discriminatory Policies On Housing And Maternal And Infant Health In An Ohio Neighborhood.” Sources:https://www.housingwire.com/articles/hud-emergency-housing-voucher-program-will-be-depleted-in-2026/https://cmhanet.com/Home/PaymentStandardshttps://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2024/02/13/columbus-section-8-waiting-list-has-grown-how-many-people-are-on-it/72491020007/

How does your home, the block you live on, or your broader neighborhood affect your health? For today’s episode, I am using a recent paper written by local researchers to examine how policy, including housing policies, impact the health of our neighborhoods. This paper, “A History Of The Impacts Of Discriminatory Policies On Housing And Maternal And Infant Health In An Ohio Neighborhood" zooms in on the Linden area. One of the paper’s co-authors, Dr. Kierra Barnett, senior research scientist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, joins me for this episode. With her is Nick Jones, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Vice President for Community Wellness, which leads the Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Families initiative in the South Side and Linden.Sources:https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.01045https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/infants/reduce-rate-infant-deaths-mich-02/data?group=Race/Ethnicity%20(of%20mother)&from=2017&to=2021&state=United%20States&populations=#edit-submithttps://www.nationwidechildrens.org/about-us/population-health-and-wellness/healthy-neighborhoods-healthy-familieshttps://cohhio.org/healthy-beginnings-at-home/

I’m back with Twyla Wellmaker, outreach and youth system manager with the Community Shelter Board. Last month Twyla and her colleague Steven Skovensky, chief program effectiveness officer at the shelter board, gave me the rundown on the state of homelessness in Columbus and Franklin Country, its contributing factors and some concrete solutions. This month, we’re homing in on those unhoused in our community who are youth or young adults.Sources:https://www.ccsoh.us/Page/10778https://www.csb.org/cdn/file-CSBFinal-ReportFS10092024.pdfhttps://www.csb.org/cdn/file-PointinTime-Count-Results-on-HomelessnessApril-2024.pdfhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2856116/#:~:text=Drug%20use%20for%20homeless%20young,among%20non%2Dhomeless%20young%20adults.

For the first episode of season 2 and the new year, I am joined by Twyla Wellmaker, outreach and youth system manager at the Community Shelter Board, and Steve Skovensky, their chief program effectiveness officer. Together they were able to give me a broad view of our unhoused and unsheltered, who they are, the factors contributing to their homelessness, and what can be done by the city, and by us as individuals, to help those experiencing homelessness. Join us in February for a deeper dive on youth homelessness, its causes and factors, and potential solutions.Sources for this episode:https://www.csb.org/news-and-publications/publicationsRegister for Community Shelter Board's point-in-time count:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNy_nRVNOMnjRpcbjq7uEYe3zQRodbghezmPP9eUwXioPaYg/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0Learn how to get involved with Homeport:https://www.homeportohio.org/action/volunteer

As incredible as it seems, 2024 is already nearing its end, and to wrap up this season of LVL With Us, I’ve invited Homeport president & CEO Leah Evans to discuss the state of housing in Central Ohio as we head into the new year as well as the main priorities as our region, state, and nation face an ongoing housing crisis.

Today I am with Vincent Coleman, government affairs director with Columbus REALTORS, to discuss the state of our housing market, how recent election results will impact it, and the policies being considered on the local, state, and federal levels. Sources:https://www.npr.org/2024/10/08/nx-s1-5134070/have-trumps-opportunity-zones-achieved-their-goal-in-detroithttps://www.columbusrealtors.com/housing-reports/https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/ohio/columbus

For this episode we're back with Michael Corey, executive director of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County. He’s here to give a first look at how the local nonprofit sector is preparing for a change in presidential administrations. Former President Donald Trump won re-election on November 5. For our show, Michael puts in plain terms what that means for our health and human services organizations and the steps ahead to ensure continuity of service for our community. Stream the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.Sources:https://www.reuters.com/article/world/trump-administration-sets-record-low-limit-for-new-us-refugees-idUSKBN27D1UG/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/us/politics/obamacare-partial-repeal-senate-republicans-revolt.html

There’s a new Central Ohio Transit Authority (or COTA) levy coming up on the November ballot this year that, if passed, will transform Central Ohio’s transportation network: it's called LinkUs. Here on LVL With Us for episode 11 Aslyne Rodriguez, senior director of regional strategic partnerships at COTA, as well as Gayle Saunders of the LinkUs engagement team. Together, they share more about what LinkUs is, how the city, county, and COTA have collaborated to bring it to life, and what it could accomplish if voters give their support.

For this little bonus ‘sode we talk all about Lark Mallory's new venture, Mallory Economic Development Advisors LLC, how it feels to be Homeport’s 2024 Voice & Vision nominee, and just learn more about the woman behind the work. Learn more about Voice & Vision 2024: https://www.homeportohio.org/voiceandvision

Can we build housing that is both affordable and climate resilient? In a moment when disastrous climate events are becoming more common and displacing more people than ever, it is something we must prioritize. For this episode, Lark Mallory, previously of Affordable Housing Trust, discusses the importance of building green and the billions of dollars up for grabs to ensure Ohio remains a climate haven.Learn more about Voice & Vision 2024: https://www.homeportohio.org/voiceandvisionSources:https://www.ofn.org/what-is-a-cdfi/key-priorities/climate-change-and-resilience/https://climatereadycommunities.org/learn-more/about-guidebook/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-07-10/how-the-us-can-move-people-toward-climate-havens-citylab-dailyhttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-10/as-heat-storms-intensify-us-climate-migrants-are-going-the-wrong-wayhttps://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2024-01/Preserving_Protecting_and_Building_Climate-Resilient_Affordable_Housing.pdfhttps://www.healthaffairs.org/content/briefs/housing-and-health-overview-literature

For this episode, we’re back with Roy Lowenstein, career affordable housing consultant, to go beyond zoning to see the other challenges builders, developers, officials, buyers, renters – everyone – is facing.Sources:https://ohiohome.org/news/newsreleases.aspxhttps://www.columbus.gov/News-articles/Mayor-Ginther-Sends-2024-Capital-Budget-to-Columbus-City-Councilhttps://www.businessinsider.com/housing-crisis-national-shortage-construction-workers-job-demand-2024-5

For today’s episode, I’m excited to welcome Lark Mallory, former president and CEO of Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County and founder of the new Mallory Economic Development Advisors LLC. Lark is also the honoree for our 10th annual Voice & Vision celebration, taking place on October 16 at COSI this year. The theme for our event this year is “building for an equitable future,” and we knew there was no one who exemplifies that idea better than Lark Mallory.In this episode we take a look at her accomplishments at AHT, hear her insight on Central Ohio’s growth, and talk about the steps we need to take to build for a more equitable future.Learn more about Voice & Vision 2024: https://www.homeportohio.org/voiceandvision

For our eighth bonus ‘sode, we are back with Matt Martin for a primer on opportunity mapping and how it helps local and state governments build affordable housing in places where residents have access to jobs, health care, transit, and more.Link to interactive opportunity mapping tool: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/704cc76e5e454a688c1051c996014fb1

For our eighth episode, we are joined by Matt Martin, director of community research for the Columbus Foundation. Together, we briefly discuss how the racial gaps in housing came to be before diving into a conversation on where funding for affordable housing is needed, where it’s coming from, and how we can inspire more interest and investment in it.

This bonus episode is dedicated to our side quest segment. Catherine Girves and Tobi Otulana from Toole Design Group and Leah Evans, Homeport president and CEO answer a series of questions related to transportation. At the end, we get a few book and podcast recommendations. Do you know the answers? Find Homeport on LinkedIn or Instagram as @homeportoh and let us know.

In part two of our conversation, we welcome back Catherine Girves and Tobi Otulana of Toole Design Group, as well as Leah Evans, Homeport president and CEO. Together, we explore how we can use the data we gather to inform a more collaborative response that crosses jurisdictional lines and answers our growing community’s present and future needs.

We’re back with the team from Toole Design, Catherine Girves and Tobi Otulana, who we heard from in our last episode on inclusive transportation, and Leah Evans, Homeport president and CEO. For this bonus ‘sode we’re discussing how we can support adding density with robust transportation options, including mass transit like light rail and bus rapid transit (BRT). We talk about tackling our public right of way policies and how we can adjust them to make room for modes like biking and walking. Can we add density without having transportation options already built in for the individuals and families who inevitably need to move from one place to another? Would things like BRT and light rail be viable without first establishing density?

On today's episode I am joined by Catherine Girves, principal planner with Toole Design, and Tobi Otulana, project planner with Toole Design, as well as Homeport President & CEO, Leah Evans.In part one of a two-part conversation, together we cover the gaps in transportation options here in Central Ohio, how we created a car-centric culture, how we can make it more inclusive, and how it all intersects with affordable housing policy.Sources:Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities

Career affordable housing consultant Roy Lowenstein joins us for this month's bonus 'sode to lend crucial context to the conversation around zoning reform and the trepidation behind some of its opposition.Sources: https://www.dispatch.com/story/lifestyle/2020/12/03/black-columbus-ohio-residents-stories-systemic-racism/3644308001/https://www.dispatch.com/in-depth/lifestyle/2020/12/03/black-columbus-ohio-homes-impact-highways-east-side/3629685001/

The City has released some proposed changes to Columbus' 70-year-old zoning code, looking to increase density in our urban core, enable construction of taller buildings, and reuse older buildings. The changes have a projected outcome of 88,000 new units of housing, a big step toward addressing our housing shortage and preparing for an unforeseen population increase. With Erin Prosser, Deputy Director of Housing Strategies, we take a closer look at the zoning code and what it could mean for the growth of our region.Sources: https://cohhio.org/report-ohios-affordable-housing-gap-shrinks-slightly/ https://columbusunderground.com/two-mile-bike-and-pedestrian-loop-planned-for-downtown-bw1/https://columbusunderground.com/cota-board-votes-to-advance-linkus-transit-plans-bw1/https://columbusunderground.com/mayor-says-linkus-transit-vote-planned-for-fall-2024-bw1/https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/real-estate/2024/03/12/columbus-home-building-fell-to-five-year-low-despite-shortage/72931508007/https://www.ahaco.org/findinghomehttps://cohhio.org/report-ohios-affordable-housing-gap-shrinks-slightly/ Link to Zone-In website: https://zone-in-columbus.hub.arcgis.com/

It's been two months since the Maude Hill Growing Homeownership Fund launched to give Black and other people of color the funding boost they need to purchase their first home. In this bonus episode, Anna Teye-Kasongo, director of CONVERGENCE, is back on LVL With Us with an update on the impact of the fund this far and where it's expected to go from here.

Today, we're with Lydia Daniels and Jillian Kent with the Columbus Financial Empowerment Center and Mark Childs, Homeport Resident Services Program Manager. Together we discuss the financial challenges residents and Central Ohioans at large are facing. And we dive into the free resources out there for folks of all income levels to get guidance in becoming financially fit or assistance with these things that leave folks cost burdened. Whatever your goals are, there’s help to get you there.

Welcome to LVL With Us, the bonus 'sode. We’re back with Michael Corey, CEO of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County. We're doing a deep dive on the local implications of climate change, how we can expect Central Ohio to grow and change, and what individuals and businesses can do to make their homes and buildings more energy efficient and sustainable.Sources:https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/inflation-reduction-act-programs-fight-climate-change-reducing-embodiedhttps://programs.dsireusa.org/system/program/detail/658https://www.whitehouse.gov/cleanenergy/inflation-reduction-act-guidebook/

From workforce shortages to stagnating government funding to worker burnout, the nonprofit sector has its share of challenges meeting the increasing demand for services in the last four years. Individuals and families are trying to navigate the continuously rising cost of living and the aftermath of the pandemic, and nonprofits are doing what they can with what they have to lend support.We sat down with Michael Corey, CEO of the Human Service Chamber, and Jill Guinan, Resident Services Program Manager for Homeport. Together, they provide the full scope of the issue, from the individuals in need of help, to the systems in place governing the movement of resources and funding.

This week, we’re taking a deep dive into the Maude Hill Growing Homeownership Fund – a fund to provide Black and minority prospective buyers with the financial assistance to offset some costs related to purchasing a home.Hear from Anna Teye-Kasongo of CONVERGENCE Columbus; Columbus City Council members Nick Bankston and Lourdes Barroso de Padilla; Leah Evans, President & CEO of Homeport; Wendy Penn, Associate Vice President of Affordable Housing Initiatives at the Mortgage Bankers Association; and Maude Hill, Associate Vice President for Public and Community Affairs at Columbus Urban League.Sources include:https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/the-economic-state-of-black-america-what-is-and-what-could-behttps://www.mckinsey.com/bem/our-insights/the-state-of-black-residents-the-relevance-of-place-to-racial-equity-and-outcomeshttps://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/07/31/columbus-housing.htmlhttps://www.mba.org/advocacy-and-policy/affordable-housing-convergencehttps://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/hmda/https://bloom614.org/wp-content/themes/bloom/pdfs/ghfflyer.pdf

In this episode, we talk about the barriers to Black home ownership and how the Columbus chapter of CONVERGENCE is working to overcome them. We're joined by Anna Teye-Kasongo, director of CONVERGENCE Columbus, and Netta Whitman, Director of Home Advisory Services for Homeport.LVL With Us is recorded, edited, and produced by Lauren Sega, Homeport's Manager of Communications. For more information about Homeport, or to support our mission, visit us at homeportohio.org.Sources include:https://www.ahaco.org/findinghomehttps://www.segregatedbydesign.com/The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How our Government Segregated America, by Richard Rothstein

Welcome to LVL With Us, the bonus 'sode. Today we’re back with Carlie Boos, President and CEO of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio (AHACO). We’re learning more about the zoning code, the challenges central Ohioans are facing regarding wages and housing affordability, and how some programs in Columbus have offered potential solutions.LVL With Us is recorded, edited, and produced by Lauren Sega, Homeport's Manager of Communications. For more information about Homeport, or to support our mission, visit us at homeportohio.org.Sources:https://www.ahaco.org/findinghomehttps://cohhio.org/healthy-beginnings-at-home/https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/10/18/old-columbus-zoning-code-doesnt-work-well-needs-fix-consultant-says/8436348002/https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2023/09/05/columbus-officials-say-expected-population-surge-and-housing-shortage-driving-zoning-changes/70646477007/https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/39049https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/infant_mortality_rates/infant_mortality.htm

In this episode, we sat down with Carlie Boos, president and CEO of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio (AHACO), and Leah F. Evans, president and CEO of Homeport. Together, we discussed what affordable housing is, the challenges to creating more of it, and the solutions organizations like AHACO and Homeport are bringing to the table.LVL With Us is recorded, edited, and produced by Lauren Sega, Homeport's Manager of Communications. For more information about Homeport, or to support our mission, visit us at homeportohio.org.Sources include:https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2023/09/05/columbus-officials-say-expected-population-surge-and-housing-shortage-driving-zoning-changes/70646477007/https://www.ahaco.org/tools