2018 Voice & Vision Award Celebration Program Book by Homeport

2018 Voice & Vision Award Recipient Reverend John Edgar

Event Program Thursday, October 18, 2018

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Thank You, To Our Honoree, And Our Supporters Dear Friends, It is my pleasure as President & CEO of Homeport to recognize The Reverend John Edgar with our 2018 Voice & Vision Award. John has been a true role model for me and a great example of how vision and persistence can make a difference for individuals and communities. His decades of work in our community represent the pure essence of what we as an organization celebrate – and why we are grateful to honor him. Rev. Edgar’s dedication to developing affordable housing in Columbus dates to 1987 when he and two other community leaders led the way to form Habitat for Humanity-Mid Ohio. That same year he became a founding board member of Homeport, then known as Columbus Housing Partnership (CHP), serving for 6 years. He was treasurer of the Homes on the Hill community development corporation that CHP launched to build affordable housing on the city’s West Side. More recently, since 2003, Rev. Edgar has been executive director of Community Development for All People (CD4AP), a faith-based organization that with a variety of partners has developed over $60 million in affordable housing, primarily on the city’s South Side. Homeport and John’s CD4AP are two of the founding members of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio. Side by side, our organizations and others, are actively working to solve the affordable housing need in Central Ohio. The gap is huge. An estimated 54,000 Central Ohio households making less than $30,000 per year spend more than half their incomes for housing, not to mention the growing number of households earning from $30,000 to $75,000 impacted by the growth in housing costs. The shortfall in affordable housing in our area is so critical that Homeport’s Board

has endorsed expanding the scope of our 31-year-old mission. Typically, we work with individuals, families and seniors making 60 percent or less of the area median income, which is $45,840 for a family of four. Homeport is now looking for ways to provide housing for those making up to 100 percent of the area’s median income, approximately $75,000 for the same size family. This will require creative new sources of investment capital and, at times, partnerships. But it will also require an investment of time by you and others who may have yet to hear about our organization and its role in creating dignity, security and opportunity through safe, decent affordable housing. In closing, as we celebrate a year of many accomplishments, and a great honoree, let me share a personal note. More than a decade ago, when I was a bank executive, I took a bus tour sponsored by Homeport that was meant to both educate and engage community participation. I became a Board member and later chair of the organization. Today I am closing in on nearly three years as President & CEO. I never got off the bus. But more importantly, there remains plenty of seats to make a difference in addressing a critical need for affordable housing in our fast-growing community. With Gratitude,

Bruce Luecke President & CEO, Homeport

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Program 5 :30pm Coc ktails & Com m uni ty 6 :30pm Ente rtainm e nt: Copac eti c 7:00pm P ro gram & Award Ce le br ati o n

Thank You, Sponsors Voice and Vision Presenting Sponsors | $50,000

Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing / CPO | M/I Homes Strong Communities Sponsors | $25,000

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MISSION

To create a cornerstone of dignity, security and opportunity through quality affordable homes and strong communities. STRATEGI C P RI ORI T I E S

• Closing the housing gap by adding at least 250 residents annually to the affordable housing rolls via the development or acquisition of rental apartments, and new single family homes for sales or lease/purchase. • Being “laser focused” on the needs of our clients by helping them stay housed, safe and stable. When necessary, linking our residents to a network of social service experts such as National Church Residences for our seniors, the United Way’s Care Coordination Network and many more servicing our youth and families. • Building and sustaining mutually beneficial partnerships, through focused philanthropy, to leverage our ability to meet the needs of the market and clients we serve. • Promoting a high-performance culture that will financially sustain our organization and enhance the satisfaction and personal growth of our employees. • Adopting a branding strategy to increase awareness of the necessary work we are doing and the results being achieved to solidify our position as a leader in the affordable housing market.

Congratulations to Reverend John Edgar from all of us at Homeport!

Thank you for your generosity and leadership in the South Side and beyond.

An Honoree’s Perspective

By Reverend

John Edgar I am honored, and still a bit surprised, to be the recipient of the 2018 Voice and Vision Award. As I consider the stature and positive impact of those who have received this distinction in the past, I am mindful of the many dedicated people who have labored tirelessly to build quality affordable housing so that central Ohio families may thrive. Homeport and its dedicated supporters have been at the forefront of this essential work going back more than 30 years when I was invited to serve on the initial board of directors. It is amazing how much has been accomplished and how many lives have been transformed through this “housing first” approach. Housing is the premier social determinant of health. As Dr. Megan Sandel, the renowned pediatrician and housing expert has stated,

“Quality housing is a vaccine that should be prescribed for every low income family in America.” With 54,000 families severely housing-cost burdened, much remains to be done. The challenge may seem overwhelming to some. However, we are invited to operate from a perspective of abundance not scarcity. Instead of bemoaning what is missing or chastising others for failing to act, now is the opportune time for each of us to rededicate ourselves to doing our part. As we move forward, let us rejoice in the knowledge that Central Ohio has all the resources that are essential to transform our vision of quality housing for all into a living reality. The issue is not capacity; rather it is commitment to the cause. This is the path that Community Development for All People, the organization I lead, is traveling. Dynamic partnerships with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and several South Side Champions, along with creative funding from multiple sources have resulted in remarkable improvements in affordable housing. Our placed based initiatives have transformed portions of the South Side into sustainable mixed income neighborhoods. Current successes by Homeport and each organization represented at tonight’s event inspire others to get involved, investing themselves and their resources. In this way the vision becomes reality. As all of us combine our energies, our passion, and our expertise we move closer to the day when every family comes home to a safe, decent, affordable place to live.

2018 Homeport Board Of Directors Fran Frazier Community Engagement Consultant/Educator

Anthony Anzic JPMorgan Chase & Co. Georgie Asfoura Moritz Board Fellow

Chris L. Hune (Chair) Team Fishel

Stephen R. Buchenroth Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease, LLP

Matthew Keating Huntington

Sara Neikirk Community Volunteer Mark A. Pringle Capital University Michael Purcell GBQ Partners

Melissa Centers State Auto

Michael Kelley (Secretary) Kelley Companies

Jose Rodriguez OSU College of Public Health

Robert “Bo” Chilton IMPACT Community Action

Emmett M. Kelly (Treasurer) Frost Brown Todd, LLC

Julee Stephenson (Vice Chair) NiSource

Stan E. Collins Columbus REALTORS

Mike Lange Able Roofing

Stefanie Steward-Young Fifth Third Bank

Hank Evans Greater Columbus Community Helping Hands

Mark C. McCullough American Electric Power

Kristopher “Kip” Wahlers Ice Miller

Michael C. Mentel Taft Law

Jim Yeager OSU Fisher Board Fellow

Linda Flickinger Supreme Court of Ohio

BACK ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT:

Stan E. Collins

Cindy Millison PNC Bank

Emmett M. Kelly, Matthew Keating, Stefanie Steward-Young,

Linda Flickinger, Julee Stephenson, Melissa Centers, Stephen R. Buchenroth, Mike Lange MIDDLE ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: FRONT ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT:

Chris L. Hune, Sara Neikirk, Hank Evans, Michael Kelley

Mark McCullough, Michael C. Mentel, Michael Purcell, Mark Pringle, Anthony Anzic, Kristopher “Kip” Wahlers, Georgie Asfoura, Robert “Bo” Chilton, Fran Frazier, Cindy Millison, Jose Rodriguez, Jim Yeager

NOT PICTURED:

Thank You, Supporters & Partners!

Matt & Julie Keating

DAVID PERRY COMPANY, INC.

ZONING/REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS

Mike Lange

Robert D. Walter Foundation

Bruce & Mary Ann Luecke

Cindy Millison

PARK

NATIONAL BANK

Melissa Centers

Hank & Dorothy Evans

Steve Buchenroth

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We proudly support Reverend John Edgar and his dedication to improving lives and supporting families in our community.

CLOSING THE GAP

Maggie Parks

To make ends meet, Maggie Parks has sometimes worked two jobs a week, as many as 75 hours -- all standing up, typical of the food services industry that has employed her 25 years. In March, the single mom of a 13-yearold middle school student came to a conclusion: “I’ve got to do better for my child (Bryan) and his future.” That is when she turned to Homeport. She took a “Home Readiness” class on March 14. On Sept. 12, six months

and several courses and counseling sessions later, and with some good timing, she purchased a Homeport owned home near Cleveland and East Fifth avenues in Milo-Grogan. “You either want it or you don’t, and I wanted it,” Parks said.

Homeport Lease-Option Program Manager Brenda Moncrief was introduced to Parks by Homeport Senior Counseling Advisor Layden Hale on July 24. Homeport had four homes in its leaseoption portfolio that had become vacant, and Hale thought Parks could be an excellent candidate to buy one of them, having cleaned up debt, improved her credit scores and successfully trimmed her spending habits to regularly save cash. “She cried when I told her about the home, a four-bedroom, 1 ½ bath home,” Moncrief recalled. “She could not bring herself to believe there was an affordable and decent home just for her and her family.” The key to getting to the goal of homeownership came with the classes and one-on-ones with Hale, Parks said.

even higher level. Parks said savings meant spending less. “I had a habit of spending frivolously,” she said. Meals out after long work days were cut. Even son Bryan participated, foregoing a computer game he had his eyes on after his mother said no. “I know. ‘We’re buying a house,’” he said, repeating his mother’s mantra. Homeport Housing Advisory Counselor Isabel Giles reviewed the terms of the mortgage that Parks eventually used to purchase the home. “We make sure they not only buy a house but have a payment they can make, that it is affordable to them,” Giles said. Parks’ two-story 1,430 square foot, $49,000 house on Starr Avenue carries a monthly mortgage of $412 -- versus her previous rent payment of $495 for a 700 square foot apartment.

The Homeport Home Readiness course is meant to keep potential homebuyers honest in assessing whether they are ready to own a home. Hale pulled Parks credits scores “Keep watching your expenses to after a class and told her they were too make sure that you always have low to qualify for a mortgage. affordability to make your mortgage payments, car payment, other credit But Parks was on a journey, listened debt and utilities,” Hale said. “This will closely and followed Hale’s advice. protect your credit score.” He told her she had sufficient income versus her monthly bills, that she had Parks appreciates the direction from to set up re-payment plans for medical start to finish from Homeport, but said bills and trim back credit card debt. He ultimately it is up to the potential home also wanted her to commit to saving buyer. $50 a month. “I wanted more and I wanted better. I After four months with Homeport’s had a goal, a mission and I was going directions, the Experian score for to get it,” Parks said. “I wanted it.” Parks had jumped 74 points to meet the level to qualify for a mortgage. Her TransUnion score had increased to an

Reverend John Edgar PHOTO ALBUM

LASER FOCUS ON CLIENTS

Kathy Carter

Since 2012, Kathy Carter has been eligible to purchase the Northeast Columbus home she had leased from Homeport since 1997. But wanting it and making it happen are definitely different, Carter said. “I had a lot of financial hardships, not even knowing how to pay rent at times let alone buying a house,” the Framingham Village resident said.

That changed on Dec. 29, the final business day of 2017, when she signed paperwork that made her 4-bedroom, 1 ½ bath residence her home.

The end of year closing was the eleventh in 2017 for Homeport in its lease option program that, under terms of the construction financing, require the homes to be rented for 15 years before a sale can take place to the person or family in it the 15th year or beyond. While Carter’s story is heartwarming by the length of time – twenty years -- it took her to transition from renter

to owner at her home, it is not unusual in terms of the work homeownership requires – income, credit scores and general homebuyer education. “We tell them, ‘we’ll be there to help you but it is up to you to cross that finish line,’” said Homeport Lease Option Program Manager Brenda Moncrief. “’We’ll give you the tools (counseling, courses), but it is up to you to do the work.”

Kathy Carter, second from right, celebrates closing. Left of her is Homeport's Brenda Moncrief. Far left is real estate agent Melle Eldridge of King Thompson. Far right is Gail Blizzard, Vice President & Mortgage Lender at Park National Bank.

CULTIVATING PARTNERSHIPS

ETSS

Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services

Emerald Glen children mix in games with learning after school.

Three days a week the community center at Emerald Glen Apartments hums loudly from the after-school activity of elementary and middle school students. “I like to play games, go on the computer and the arts and crafts,” said Aweys Aliyow, a fourth-grader with three siblings in the program. “I love to play cup games,” said Ladan Yusuf, a fifth grader.

Up to 30 children benefit from the activities coordinated by Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS), a non-profit social service agency geared to working with immigrant communities. ETSS, a Columbus Foundation Top-5

Non-Profit to Watch, provided camp activities for the first time at Emerald this past summer to the largely Somali immigrant community at Emerald Glen, a Homeport apartment complex on the West Side of Columbus.

where the children learn about health or nutrition. There are also social and emotional learning opportunities, where children share stories or learn about their family’s native country or American culture.

When ETSS counselors returned in mid-September to prepare for an afterschool program, the children swarmed them.

The children are also monitored for behavior. Three warnings and they are sent home with a letter that parents must sign.

“When are we starting?” the children asked.

Staffing of ETSS at Emerald Glen is funded by Franklin County.

“When we told them, they all showed up,” said ETSS Site Coordinator Saynab Yusuf.

“ETSS’s vision is to see a world where refugees and immigrants are welcomed, and receive support services to enable them to be healthy, Programming is supposed to begin at self-reliant, and contributing members 3:30pm, but Yusuf said the children get of the American Society,” said ETSS home from school around 3:00pm and Lead Youth Program Coordinator Lilu head straight to the community center. Terefe. “I let them come in early,” she said. The routine involves the children doing their homework for the first 20 minutes. And if they don’t have homework they read. “Each day is different,” Yusuf said. One day the focus is math, the next writing. Thursday is “enrichment,”

Alex Romstedt, Homeport’s Director of Resident Services, said he is looking forward to seeing how the HomeportETSS partnership expands and grows. “They’ve been great to work with, providing much needed programs and services that help our New American families become successful,” Romstedt said.

HIGH PERFORMANCE CULTURE

Josh Martin Asset Manager

I coordinate, plan and monitor the operations and financial performance of 35 Homeport properties serving over 6,200 residents in 2,369 multi-family apartments and single family homes in Columbus, Grove City, Hilliard and Reynoldsburg. My job functions include risk management, benchmarking, budget review, capital planning and property re-positioning. I manage relationships with companies we contract for property management like Community

Properties of Ohio and Wallick. Also, I work closely with investors including NeighborWorks America, Ohio Housing Finance Agency, Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH), HUD and lending institutions.

A positive example of my work involved our Parkmead Apartments property, where I noticed an abnormal increase in the water bill. Property managers arranged inspections of sinks and toilets, the community water meter was changed, and a middle of the night meter reading was conducted. We even brought in sonar equipment for testing. Eventually, we established that individual apartment water meter reading equipment would ultimately help us learn the problem was a sewer leak and not consumer consumption. The result: a $68,000 credit with the City of Columbus. What do you like most about the organization? I have been with Homeport a little over four years, and what I like most about the organization is the passion each staff member brings to the organization. Some people are content with waking up going to work just to receive a paycheck. Coming here each day reminds me of how awesome a responsibility we have to provide one the most important aspects in life to a family: a home. What have you done in your career that you are most proud of, or that people may not be aware of?

In 2003, while working for OCCH’s property management company CPO, I played a significant role in the development of a neighborhood safety strategy called “Eliminate the Elements.” Based on community input and direction from property managers, Columbus Police Department officers beef up neighborhood patrols. Data is collected to determine the impact. The steady pro-active street presence also allows officers to better know adults and children of a community. Favorite things to do outside of work? I am very proud that I am originally from Ashtabula, Ohio, the home of one of the greatest college football coaches in history -- The Urban Meyer!! But I am not a sit at home type of guy for the most part. I prefer riding my Harley Davidson, fishing at Hoover Dam, Alum Creek or Buckeye Lake, and hanging out with my three sons Jacob and Brandon, 11, and Christian 13. My twins are into sports so we do a lot of that, and my oldest is a gamer so we spend time playing video games. On Mondays I take one of them out to get ice cream or something to eat so that they have some individual Dad time.

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CLOSING THE GAP: MILO-GROGAN HOMES

Welcome home Scott family! We continued to 'Close the Gap' by welcoming 33 families to our new Milo-Grogan homes.

New Milo-Grogan resident Tomika Scott, top right, and three of her children.

“I never thought I would have an opportunity to live in a brand-new home.” – TO M I K A S C OT T

SPIRIT OF HOMEPORT AWARD

Andy & Holly Malone

Couple commits commission funds to help others with housing The headlines are splashy if not relentless. A million additional residents by 2050. Half a billion dollars of redevelopment in Franklinton over the next decade. Central Ohio’s designation as the

second hottest real estate market in the country. As a Realtor, Andy Malone knows he is benefitting from the growth in Central Ohio and demand for homes.

He also knows there is a gap in terms of affordability for many seeking a place to call home, particularly in the rental market. “A lot of people are being left behind,” said Malone, 36, an agent with Fathom Realty. It was with that in mind that Malone and his business partner, his wife Holly, a graphic designer and photographer, have designated a percentage of Scout Columbus home sale commissions to Homeport. From Aug. 30, 2017 through July 30, 2018, they have made 11 donations, the largest $158.

selling a home through their company know of the set asides for charity – and appreciate it. “There’s something really special about connecting the experience of purchasing your own home with helping others find a safe home of their own,” Holly Malone said. Homeport President & CEO Bruce Luecke praised the initiative. “We are honored Andy and Holly,

The Malones took about six to eight months to research who to partner with locally, in addition to partnering with a charity that builds orphan homes in Asia. “We like what Homeport is about, that it is not just solving the affordable housing piece but being more holistic through its resident services,” he said. Scout Columbus “Home for All” program donations to Homeport and Asia’s Hope are gratifying, the Malones say. “It makes our entire process more meaningful. It grounds us. The missions of both organizations resonate with us. It is exciting to be a small part of it,” Malone said. The Malones say those buying or

Bruce Luecke at breakfast with Andy Malone.

through Scout Columbus, have chosen to donate to our organization and the people we serve. It’s a thoughtful, creative approach and a model that can be duplicated by other real estate firms,” Luecke said. “Thank you Andy and Holly!” Andy Malone said he’d be happy if other real estate agents and teams adopted a similar giving model. “We’d love to see that happen. It would be very cool if it grew into something much larger,” he said.

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Community is the commitment we make to each other

When a community is strong, it’s more than a collection of streets and buildings. It’s a place that nurtures and helps its residents thrive. That’s what happens when people share the commitment to make things better together. That’s why we’re proud to support Homeport's 2018 Voice & Vision Celebration.

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