OHFA to Study Impact of Fewer Physical Inspections

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency's (OHFA) Office of Affordable Housing Research (OAHR) recently announced the launch of an assessment study to examine the health impact of a proposed policy change to reduce the frequency of physical inspections in the State of Ohio.

Developers and owners of affordable housing communities commonly receive funding from multiple federal and state agencies to provide housing for low-income tenants. Having multiple funding sources means having several, yet similar, physical inspections by various agencies, creating duplication and additional paperwork. The proposed policy is an effort of the Obama administration to better coordinate federal rental policy. The health impact assessment is designed to study the policy's potential effects on the health of affordable housing residents.

"OHFA has worked very closely with HUD and RD to explore ways to reduce duplicative physical inspections," said Doug Garver, OHFA's Executive Director. "The health impact assessment is an important step in ensuring our efforts are focused not only on program efficiency, but also the success and well-being of residents who live in the affordable housing communities."

The health impact assessment will specifically examine the environmental, physical, and mental health issues associated with a proposed reduction in the frequency of physical inspections. OHFA plans to use the findings from the assessment to provide recommendations to policymakers at the state and federal levels regarding the proposed changes to inspection policies.

The health impact assessment is a collaborative effort with USDA Rural Development (RD), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and The Ohio State University's College of Public Health.