CINCINNATI — A disabled senior living in a housing nightmare got some much needed help from the community to get back on her feet.
There were holes in the ceiling, water coming in and black mold growing in the apartment building in Westwood where Valerie Lane used to live.
“It’s just overwhelming I guess,” Lane said.
There were other problems, too for the 64-year-old disabled senior. Her hot water was off, along with the electric in the stairwell.
“Didn’t think nobody would have to live like this,” Lane said.
Lane is a Housing Choice voucher holder — commonly known as Section 8. She’s rented from a private landlord for nearly three years. Lane said her apartment has been in disrepair for a year and a half.
Lane’s landlord, Dion Parker, is in jail for a separate case. Spectrum News 1 was unable to reach him for this story.
“Now they’re running eviction on everybody in the building,” Lane said.
Her building has been inspected and condemned by the city. Tenants have been told to vacate.
For months, Lane searched for both assistance and a new place, but said she had no luck on her own. She said finding affordable Section 8 housing has been extremely difficult.
A fundraising effort by Neighborhoods United helped Lane find a new apartment.
“So her rent is being paid for three months,” Neighborhoods United Chair Brian Garry said. “Her down payment (and) her application fee is being paid.”
Garry said the community nonprofit has raised $2,000 to move Lane out and away from her nightmare apartment, stepping in before Lane became homeless.
“Thank God that our community and Neighborhoods United reached out and were able to support her through this,” Garry said. “My concern is for the many people who don’t have advocacy, who don’t have people to support them.”
Brian Garry, Chair for Neighborhoods United Cincinnati, and Valerie Lane walk to her new townhome in the city’s West End.
In July, Spectrum News looked into the lack of affordable housing and found there is roughly a 40,000 unit gap in Hamilton County. Nationally, 6.8 million more affordable housing units are needed, according to the National Income housing Coalition.
Cincinnati Metro Housing Authority CEO Gregory Johnson said poverty combined with pandemic has created a housing crunch — especially for affordable housing.
“Yeah, I think across the country and in our community that we’ve experienced the perfect storm over the past 12-18 months,” Johnson said. “Our target market, we’re in dire need of additional affordable housing in Hamilton County.”
Johnson said 10,833 people receive Housing Choice vouchers and more than 5,000 people are on the wait list. Hamilton County spends nearly $80 million on this program each year.
Johnson said despite increased focus on the issue, more work needs to be done.
In Lane’s case, Johnson said the Cincinnati Metro Housing Authority has always provided her assistance to pay her rent, as well as conducted inspections, but since it was a private residence, they do not assist in the moving process. That is up to the tenant.
But through the Neighborhoods United fundraising and support, Lane is moving into a new townhome in the West End neighborhood of Cincinnati.
“It feels great,” Lane said. “I’m glad I’m out of it. I’ll just be glad when I get my other furniture out, and I can go ahead on with my life and not have to deal with it anymore. (I’m) very thankful. Oh my God, I am so thankful.”
