By Jenn Kons, Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Rowan Draper, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Data from the United Way 211 helpline and the Right to Counsel – Cleveland evaluation show that Cleveland residents are experiencing a housing crisis. Housing needs have been increasing since the pandemic, affordable housing has become scarcer, and more renters are living in poor conditions because there are no affordable alternatives.
A new tenants’ rights ordinance proposed in Cleveland City Council would address this problem by improving renters’ ability to organize against unresponsive landlords. It would grant $1 million over three years to six nonprofits, including United Way of Greater Cleveland.
Increasing the ability of tenants and the city to hold landlords accountable for poor housing conditions is an important step toward solving Cleveland’s housing crisis.
The City of Cleveland tackles unlivable conditions in rental properties
No heat. Unaddressed water damage. Flaking lead paint. Unresponsive landlords. Mold.
These are a few conditions Cleveland renters describe in lower-rent apartment buildings, many of which are owned by out-of-town companies.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration has made tackling this problem a priority. In 2023 the City of Cleveland Property Inventory compiled data about housing conditions on almost 163,000 parcels and the city sued the owners of a group of Shaker Boulevard properties for conditions issues. In early 2024 the city beefed up the housing code.
A new ordinance introduced to City Council on Nov. 4, 2024, would take another big step. Introduced by Council Member Kris Harsh and President Blaine Griffin, it would help renters organize for needed repairs against unresponsive, out-of-town owners.
United Way of Greater Cleveland would be the fiscal administrator of the proposed three-year pilot, and United Way 211 would connect renters with housing condition or landlord issues to available services.
This article explores what the data show about housing need and rental conditions in Cleveland. Different measures paint a picture of a complex housing crisis and underscore the need for this new tenants’ rights initiative.
Data show that housing needs have increased in Cleveland since the pandemic
Affordable, safe housing has become increasingly scarce in the City of Cleveland. Data from United Way 211 callers show a notable rise in housing needs over the last eight years.
This graph gives a high-level snapshot of United Way 211 callers’ needs. The top needs are consistently housing, utilities, and food, and these make up an increasing percentage of total needs in recent years. This trend reflects the growing population of Cleveland residents facing crisis.
United Way 211 serves as a vital connection to community resources for our neighbors in Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Ross counties.
Our social service professionals have extensive Community Resource Navigation training. They can break down complex situations and help callers connect to resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Calls to United Way 211 are anonymous and confidential.
Pandemic-era assistance programs temporarily reduced the total percentage of these top needs in 2020 and 2021. Housing needs, however, surged during the pandemic and have not returned to earlier levels.
The next graph compares the percentage of housing needs with utility and food needs. The stark increase in housing needs relative to these other basic needs reflects the growing housing crisis in Cleveland.
More Cleveland renters are dealing with subpar living conditions
When someone with rental condition issues calls 211, they are usually experiencing one of three situations. Callers wanting to move may need help with moving expenses or affordable housing searches. People who don’t pay rent because of poor conditions may be facing eviction and homelessness. Some callers want information on tenants’ rights or help negotiating with their landlord. Callers are often in a complex situation and need more than one type of support.
United Way 211 data doesn’t directly capture the number of people calling because of housing condition issues. However, looking at needs related to the situations described above gives a sense of the scope of the problem.
This graph shows the number of needs related to moving, eviction, emergency shelter, and landlord-tenant disputes. Over the last five years, these combined categories of needs increased by 21% in the City of Cleveland.
Statistics about rental conditions are also found in the Right to Counsel – Cleveland evaluation. In 2023, approximately 83% of all Right to Counsel participants reported defective property conditions. Of those clients, 56% wanted to stay in their homes despite the livability issues.
Notably, the percentage of clients wanting to stay in properties with subpar conditions has been increasing since Right to Counsel began in July 2020.
This increase reflects the growing lack of options for tenants of lower-rent properties. Without available affordable housing, those facing eviction are also facing potential homelessness. In this context, staying in a poorly maintained unit may be the better option.
However, even rentals with conditions issues are becoming less affordable for Clevelanders. High numbers of Cleveland residents are seeking rent assistance, with over 6,800 United Way 211 callers asking for help with rent payments in 2023. In addition, requests for emergency shelter in Cleveland jumped 51% from 2021 to 2023.
Housing condition is one piece of a complex housing crisis
As these data show, the poor housing conditions reported in many lower-income rentals are part of a bigger housing crisis. In a city where 58.8% of residents are renters, this lack of quality, affordable units is a pressing issue.
“Historic disinvestment from neighborhoods, particularly on the east side, has opened the door to predatory, out-of-state landlords. These bad actors see Cleveland as a place to make an easy buck without putting time and money into maintaining their properties.” explains Ken Surratt, United Way of Greater Cleveland Chief Development and Investment Officer. “When combined with rising rents across the region and overall inflation, this situation is snowballing the housing crisis in Cleveland.”
As this article details, housing needs are the fastest-growing category of needs reported by United Way 211 callers. Viewed alongside the increasing number of Right to Counsel clients wanting to stay in homes with poor conditions, we see that housing affordability, rental conditions, and landlord accountability are interrelated issues.
“These data reflect the terrible choice confronting many residents: pay for inadequate and often hazardous housing conditions, or risk homelessness because there is nowhere else you can afford,” continues Surratt. “Increasing the ability of tenants and the city to hold landlords accountable is an important step towards solving this housing crisis.”
