Building Community Power to Expand Opportunity

contents

Message from Leadership

By the Numbers

2021 Highlights

Staff & Local Advisory Committee

Donors

MESSAGE FROM LEADERSHIP

In 2021, a new normal emerged. For many, pandemic precautions fell away. The economy made gains as people returned to work and students returned to the classroom, but that improvement has not been experienced equally in our community. Too many in the greater Cincinnati region are still struggling, facing housing, health, and economic challenges. LISC’s strategy is to work alongside communities to effectively channel capital, enhance infrastructure, and change systems that create inequality of opportunity. In 2021, LISC Cincinnati invested more than $10 million and leveraged $33 million in impact-focused investments, from affordable housing to critical capacity building of community development corporations. In 2021, we also celebrated more than $100 million committed to support affordable housing in Cincinnati and Hamilton County and more than $199 million leveraged in investment in support seven Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky communities. The work of community development is complicated and often misunderstood. This ecosystem in greater Cincinnati faces significant headwinds as we navigate a dynamic environment where consensus and collaboration are frequently out of reach. But LISC’s path remains the same. Our aim is to elevate the priorities of underserved communities and to bolster the systems and policy change needed to bring a shared prosperity to every resident in the region. Now more than ever we must multiply our investments into equity and opportunity for all.

Kristen Baker Executive Director of LISC Greater Cincinnati

Our aim is to elevate the priorities of underserved communities and to bolster the systems and policy change needed to bring a shared prosperity to every resident in the region.”

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BY THE NUMBERS

In 2021, LISC Greater Cincinnati leveraged a total of

$33.1 million

as a result of

$10.5 million

in total investment

$1.2 million

in grants

$9.3 million

in loans

60,880

sqft. of commercial space

$199 million

leveraged from 7 Place Matters lead organizations

Affordable homes and apartments created

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2021 HIGHLIGHTS

PROGRAM UPDATE

Housing

LISC Greater Cincinnati’s leadership of Housing Our Future [+] implementation has been a momentum creator in 2021. Affordable housing is at the forefront of local policy discussions in a way that it was not even two or three years ago. In 2021, more than $100 million has been committed to produce and preserve affordable housing and to protect vulnerable residents from housing security in Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Housing Our Future has been the catalyst for this collaborative investment to support affordable housing strategies and will continue to lead the way in 2022.

LISC has worked in communities across the country for over 40 years to forge resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity. In Cincinnati, LISC is increasing access to quality affordable housing by providing capacity building and technical assistance support to local non-profit community development corporations.

In matching grants and forgivable loans to Avondale homeowners

In Avondale, the Avondale Development Corporation (ADC) began work on their first development project in 2021 as lead developer: Hale Town Homes Phase 1 broke ground in 2021 and will include 7 units of workforce housing.

ADC is also partnering to bring the first new low-income housing development to Avondale in over 10 years: Blair Lofts Phase 1 will include 64 low-income housing units. Finally, ADC is supporting existing homeowners through the AHIP and APEP Home Improvement programs, with funding support from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center: ADC administered $364,000 matching grants and forgivable loans to 32 homeowners to assist with exterior repairs and improvements.

households in the West End received rental assistance

In the West End, Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses partnered with Habitat for Humanity Greater Cincinnati to redevelop 3 single-family homes as part of the Baymiller Row redevelopment. Seven Hills is also partnering with a local-minority owned development company to acquire and renovate homes in the West End. Finally, Seven Hills provided rental assistance to 45 households in the West End 2021.

Habitat for Humanity West End

To learn more about the key 2021 Housing Our Future accomplishments that set the stage for continued action in 2022, visit Empowered Action: The 2021 Accomplishments of Housing Our Future [+]

PROGRAM UPDATE

Small Business

LISC supports small businesses in Cincinnati by providing financing and by supporting business development organizations (BDOs). During 2021, LISC Greater Cincinnati and our partners assisted more than 44 small businesses.

in grants to business development organizations (BDOs)

In 2021, LISC Greater Cincinnati provided over $280,000 in grants to BDOs that provide direct relief grants and technical assistance to small businesses. Thanks to the generous support of U.S. Bank Foundation and the Kroger Company, we provided BDO support to MORTAR, the Greater Cincinnati Microenterprise Initiative (GCMI), and the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio.

To learn more about the U.S. Bank Foundation's Access Commitment investment and LISC partnership to bring short-and long-term resources and support to areas disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and invested in the infrastructure necessary for long-term recovery and growth in Cincinnati and five other markets, read "Supporting Microbusinesses Recovery and Growth." Read Here [+]

PROGRAM UPDATE

Family Income and Wealth Building

LISC Greater Cincinnati supports programs that help community members access good jobs, increase income, and build wealth to close the racial health, wealth, and opportunity gaps.

clients that received services from our Financial Opportunity Centers (FOCs) in 2021

In 2021, three FOCs served a total of 658 clients, including 239 clients that received services for the first time in 2021. Using an integrated service model that includes financial coaching, employment coaching, and income supports, FOCs achieved the following:

Increased net monthly income by an average of $945
Increased net worth by an average of $20,525
Increased savings by an average of $2,890
Increased their credit score by an average of 61 points

Through Bridges to Career Opportunities (Bridges), Brighton Center is connecting unemployed and underemployed people to career and training pathways by taking into account all that can stand in the way of landing, and keeping, a good-paying job. To learn more about Bridges and to meet some of the people have promising careers and brighter future thanks to the Bridges program, visit the "Bridges to Career Opportunities Impact Report." View Full Report [+]

Teayha Webb, FOC Bridges client, Brighton Center, Covington, KY

MYCincinnati Orchestra Members

PROGRAM UPDATE

Capacity Building and Engagement

LISC supports resident-led partnerships between local funders and neighborhood nonprofits working collectively for the transformation of communities in Greater Cincinnati through Place Matters, a place-based initiative in its 15th year. In 2021, Place Matters lead organizations leveraged more than $199 million in investment and engaged 6,415 partners and volunteers in seven communities in the Cincinnati region.

$199 million

in investment leveraged by Place Matters lead organizations

partners and volunteers engaged in seven communities in the Cincinnati region

Our collective work is empowering people, transforming places, supporting economic opportunity, and driving systems change in Avondale, Covington, Madisonville, Price Hill, Walnut Hills, Newport, and the West End. To learn more about how one community partner is using a youth orchestra to transform a community and enrich a city, read our story on Price Hill Will’s MYCincinnati program [+]

PROGRAM UPDATE

Safety Coordinator Pilot

Neighborhoods that experience higher rates of crime are frequently places that experience concentrated disadvantage. Alleviating crime and the fear of crime allows neighbors to safely gather, patronize local businesses, and nurtures a sense of belonging. In partnership with Cincinnati Police Department and the City of Cincinnati, LISC Greater Cincinnati is managing a Neighborhood Safety Coordinator pilot program designed to integrate the resources of people and institutions which influence crime and perceptions in the neighborhood to uncover more strategic and effective remedies for safety problems. Coordinators facilitate collaborative efforts that improve safety and quality of life in the Cincinnati neighborhoods of Avondale and the West End. As part of the program, Avondale Development Corporation hosted a Halloween “Trek or Treat” for over 200 neighborhood parents and children. Parents shared their thanks, saying they needed more events like this one; positive events for their kids to attend and interrupt the recent violence in the area.

Trek or Treat Event

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STAFF & LOCAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (LAC)

Local Advisory Committee (LAC)

Robert Killins, Jr. Greater Cincinnati Foundation Eric P. Avner Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation Luke Blocher Taft Elizabeth Blume Community Building Institute/Xavier University Brett Bonfield Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Jena Bradley United Way of Greater Cincinnati Michael Coffey Greater Cincinnati Foundation Sr. Sally Duffy, SC Sisters of Charity Courtney Falato JPMorgan Chase Mary Francis Interact for Health Kathryn Gibbons Community Volunteer

Steve Johns Hamilton County Steve Kenat GBBN Architects

Justin Marshall Fifth Third Bank Chandra Matthews-Smith United Way of Greater Cincinnati Roddell McCullough First Financial Bank Jeanne Schroer Catalytic Development Funding Corp. of Northern Kentucky Hammad S. Siddiqi PNC Foundation Alena Speed Homebase Robie K. Suggs Cincinnati Development Fund Alicia B. Townsend U.S. Bank Kenneth Webb Republic Bank Gail Williams Union Savings Bank and Guardian Savings Bank Chuck Winger Community Volunteer Tahirih Ziegler LISC