When Congress passed its spending bill to keep the federal government open in March, it eliminated funding for hundreds of Ohio projects already earmarked. Among those cut was a $1 million grant for Cleveland’s Habitat for Humanity homebuilding project in the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood.
The funds would've fueled the organization's concentrated investment in the East Side neighborhood. Habitat has already invested nearly $15 million over the last five years to revitalize the area hollowed out by historical redlining, according to John Litten, Habitat's CEO.
"We know we’re doing something that matters, and we see the impact every day," Litten said. "You can even see it in examples like Huntington Bank reopening a branch. That doesn’t happen because someone asks. It happens because the economics of the neighborhood have shifted. They see a community worth investing in."
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cleveland has built more than 40 homes in the area and rehabilitated more than 20. Litten said that concentrated investment not only provides a pathway to homeownership for low-income Clevelanders but also impacts on the neighborhood's economy.
The funds were earmarked for the project through a process called congressionally directed spending, where discretionary funds are formally approved and reserved for inclusion in the federal budget.
The $1 million for Habitat was backed by former Sen. Sherrod Brown and is one of nearly 300 other Ohio projects that were earmarked for budgetary approval but cut from Congress's continuing resolution in March.
This comes as Congress is under pressure by President Donald Trump's administration to make sweeping cuts to federally funded programs and projects.
Litten said Habitat is currently in talks with first-term senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted to attempt to restore the funding.
Habitat receives funding from the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, various foundations across Cleveland, Habitat's ReStore and their zero-interest home mortgages.
"Our funding is intentionally diverse, which gives us the flexibility to adapt if a funder isn’t able to support us in a given year," Litten said. "That kind of resilience is key to making sure our work continues no matter what."
