A Season of Solutions

It was the spring of 2024 when Brick by Brick began reporting on solutions that could potentially increase the housing supply and make it more affordable. Thirty-two episodes later we look back at how well some of those ideas worked; focusing on eviction prevention, the construction of more apartment units and events that enabled a Cincinnati and Dayton woman to experience the joy of home ownership. We will also give you a preview of Season Two. 

Interview guests: Kevin Finn, CEO Strategies to End Homelessness; Nick Zingarelli, director and chief attorney at the Hamilton County Help Center; Ella Carre and Kaneika Lovett, homeowners; Jason Dorsey, executive vice president Windsor Companies; Zachary Graham, senior vice president Crawford Hoying; Phillip Denning, executive vice president The Port. 

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Transcript

Ann Thompson:

Here at Brick By Brick, we meet people every day who are making a difference.

Maylinda Stidham:

We're very big on solving problems. We're not wanting to put a Band-Aid on a hiccup because we don't get nothing done that way.

Ann Thompson:

From Middletown Connect to another community effort aimed at keeping people in their homes.

Kevin Finn:

We've gone along with the project and incorporated new data into the project that has both improved our ability to identify households at risk of eviction, but has also improved the rate at which we've been able to reach them,

Ann Thompson:

And the need is great. According to the Census Bureau, 59% of renter households earning less than 25,000 found it somewhat or very difficult to keep up with expenses like rent. Thanks to a leg up, this woman has reached her dream of owning a home. 

Kaneika Lovett:

I'm a homeowner. I'm not just a voucher holder. I own this. I worked hard for this and I’m going to continue to work hard for it.

Ann Thompson:

We have a lot of updates on today's episode as the brick by brick team looks back at some of the solutions we've explored this past year and looks ahead to next season. Let's get into it. This is Brick by Brick Solutions for a thriving community.

Ame Clase:

Brick by Brick is made possible thanks to leading support from AES Ohio Foundation, Greater Cincinnati Foundation and George and Margaret McLane Foundation, with additional support from Laurie F. Johnston,  Murray and Agnes Seasongood Good Government Foundation, The Robert & Adelle Schiff Family Foundation, and more. Thank you.

Ann Thompson:

Hello, and welcome to Brick by Brick, where we're highlighting solutions for a thriving community in Southwest Ohio. I'm your host, Ann Thompson. It's hard to believe this is our 32nd episode. Over the past year, we've told you about plenty of possible solutions and introduce you to many people who are looking to benefit from those solutions. What's happened to them? Well, the entire team is here with updates. Think of this episode as a look back and then near the end of the pod, a look ahead to next season. Multimedia journalists, Hernz Lauerre Jr and Emiko Moore are in the studio. Hey guys.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Hey, what's up?

Emiko Moore:

Hello

Hernz Laguerre Jr:

I can't believe we're on episode 32 already. It feels like we just started yesterday.

Ann Thompson:

You are right about that and I'm excited about this episode. 

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Same, yes.

Emiko Moore:

A lot of stories to update. 

Ann Thompson:

Well, Cincinnati is doing some groundbreaking stuff, including an eviction prevention program we told you about in episode number five. Hearns, you've been revisiting this story. What have you found out?

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Yeah, and when we first covered the Cincinnati Housing Stability Collaborative Program, it was very new, and when things are new, you need to work out the kinks and for those that need a refresher, the program is using data analytics to try to predict who might be facing evictions. I called up Kevin Finn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Strategies to End Homelessness Incorporated, and he had a great way of explaining where they are currently.

Kevin Finn:

The day the very first car rolled off the assembly line, it probably was not the most reliable mode of transportation. A horse and buggy was probably still a more reliable mode of transportation than the car was, but thank God Henry Ford continued working on cars and improving them because obviously now a car or an automobile is a much more reliable form of transportation. I think we're still at the point where we're still making the concept work of using predictive data analytics and these proactive services.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

One of the situations I didn't think about when we first were reporting on the story was if someone is calling you and saying, Hey, it looks like you might be facing an eviction. We want to help you. It may come off a little weird.

Ann Thompson:

I thought about that.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

I didn't think about that because when Kevin told me that, I was like, oh shoot. I didn't realize that you guys were scaring people initially, but he told me that they had to reformat their approach. They gathered more current information in order to be able to properly predict a lot of resident outcomes, and they're gathering more data to be able to intercept evictions from happening since July 1st, 2024. Kevin tells me they've been able to help about a hundred families with the capacity to help 60 families at a time. Kevin even tells me that they hope to expand into the Greater Hamilton County region. One of the program's partners, Bethany House, has been making strides in helping people. The shelters housing director, Lavonya Leonard shares that they are making a difference.

Lavonya Leonard:

The accuracy with which the data analytics predicts those coming upon an eviction is almost terrifying. We have connected with landlords who will say, ironically enough, we were getting ready to potentially serve an eviction, so just having a system navigator reach out to the landlord to say, Hey, I'm so-and-so. I'm working with this family. Trying to service them and connect them to some identified needs has been helpful, and having the landlord not move forward with an eviction.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

So that's the reason this solution is in my top three from the season, and I don't know about you guys, but despite the initial hurdles they had to overcome, I think it has the potential for the biggest impact. What do you guys think?

Emiko Moore:

I think it sounds really promising. Prevention often saves so much more time and energy in the long run.

Ann Thompson:

And whenever I mention this program to somebody in another city, they're just amazed. I'm wondering how optimistic is Kevin that he's going to be able to get the funding to expand this?

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

They're pretty confident. He was telling me that they're doing research out in Notre Dame to kind of detail how successful it's been, and I'm sure showing the results and showing the impact will garner more funding and more support, which is why he's hopeful they can expand outside of Cincinnati and help even more families.

Ann Thompson:

So Hernz, your solution dealt with an upstream part of the solution. What about a downstream when it relates to eviction? So if you're facing eviction and you've received notice of an eviction and you have an attorney, you are more than 90% likely to have a favorable outcome. That doesn't mean you can stay in your house, but very likely you can avoid having an eviction on your record. The problem is most people in this situation don't have an attorney, but an effort in Northwest Dayton is proving effective. The access to council pilot program we've told you about last spring has helped 167 people so far representing 61 adults and 106 children in 38 cases. Advocates for basic legal equality or able say the goal is to expand the program to provide access to counsel to tenants throughout Montgomery County, and it's continuing to work with community partners, foundations, and local governments to make this happen. It was around the same time last year that we spoke to the Help Center’s Nick Zingarelli, a UC law professor, who was looking for ways to help people facing eviction who couldn't be assisted by legal aid.

Nick Zingarelli:

The damn kind of broke not long after that.

Ann Thompson:

The City of Cincinnati funded in its 24-25 budget, 40% of an attorney's salary to provide limited representation to people in eviction court, meaning the attorney Shannon Price shows up two days a week to represent them. Since September, she's represented over 250 city households. In 91% of the cases there was a positive outcome, meaning dismissals or continuances.

Nick Zingarelli:

The data definitely shows that it works is changing the outcome there in courtroom B, and we are incredibly optimistic about the potential for expansion in the near future.

Ann Thompson:

You can bet he's advocating for more money in the next city budget, which is under discussion right now. The goal is to have five days a week representation for both city and county residents. Helping with that is a volunteer effort by attorney and Cincinnati city council member Evan Nolan. He comes one day a week to represent people and UC Law students also plan to assist showing others that in Zingarelli’s words, “this isn't a big lift.”

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

I hope they're able to experience those five days because I imagine if your eviction a court date is on a day where they're not there, man, I know you're probably going to be quite upset about that. Yeah,

Emiko Moore:

You got it.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

But yeah, I think this is pretty cool.

Emiko Moore:

I think it looks pretty good. I mean, the statistics, 91% of the cases had a positive outcome. To me, that's a home run first time at bat, so I think that it sounds pretty good, and if you think of the impact that it has on the people, I mean 167 people, 106 of those are children, and this an eviction could be a long-term impact on the life of a child and their education and future.

Ann Thompson:

So we'll be keeping tabs on the program and see how it can expand. Well, when it comes to housing choice vouchers, Cincinnati and Dayton, both the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority and Greater Dayton Premier Management aren't issuing any new vouchers because of budget constraints. Unfortunately, it was back in September when we took a close look at how well this portable subsidy was working. Emiko?

Emiko Moore:

Yes. Last fall we spoke with Dayton resident Kaneika Lovett, who had rented with vouchers when she learned about the home ownership program, which helps tenants navigate a pathway to home ownership. After overcoming some fear and self-doubt, Lovett decided that she was ready to navigate her path to owning a home and took a leap.

Kaneika Lovett:

At the time, my rent was way more than what they told me my mortgage was going to be. It was like a $350 difference. So it was either going to keep paying that somewhere where I didn't have a yard for my dog or I had to share a parking space with people or figure it out. So I figured it out and I love it.

Emiko Moore:

Lovett today is still enjoying her home. She says ownership has its ups and downs, but she likes owning a home and her Yorkshire terrier Cocoa recently turned nine years old in March and she still loves going out and running around in the backyard every day and get this, at the end of May, she started a job with Greater Dayton Premier Management. She's an assistant to one of the site managers on one of the properties, and so far it's going well. When we interviewed Lovett, she talked about wanting to work for GDPM and wanting to encourage others about home ownership too. So it looks like she's on her path from making that happen and we're wishing the best for her to pursue those dreams cheering her on.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Yeah, that's so cool. It's like a full circle moment, right? You know what I mean? I think she'll be so good at her position, she can share her experience with other people who are looking for housing.

Ann Thompson:

I was really rooting for her and I really like her attitude.

Emiko Moore:

Yes, me too. We're cheering you on Kenika and Coco. We also interviewed a small property owner, Joan Ulloth from Kettering, who had preconceived notions about housing choice vouchers. She never participated in the program because she thought it would be a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy to deal with, but after a tenant asked her to look into it, she found it much more manageable than previously thought.

Joan Ulloth:

It's detailed, but it is no more complicated than applying for a mortgage.

Emiko Moore:

Her four rental properties are all stable, but last August she was hit with a huge property tax bill. Ulloth said it was at least a 28% tax increase. This increase added an additional 150 to $200 per home per month. Since she said that she has a little overhead that helps cover the maintenance and repairs she needed to increase the rent in order to be able to afford to continue renting. She said that she doesn't automatically increase rent each year, but this year founded a necessity. Fortunately, she was able to work it out with a renter and GDPM to increase the rate within the market rate range, but still stay affordable for the renter and that kind of tax hike hits everyone hard.

Ann Thompson:

Well, I know you don't want to raise rent, but you got to do what you got to do. You can't be underwater. You got to make money if you're the landlord,

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

But that must've been a tough conversation with her residents and stuff because if they're in a tough spot, but she had to increase, she's in a rocking a hard place. You know what I mean? So I feel bad for all parties

Ann Thompson:

And it sounds like there was some red tape that she had to go through.

Emiko Moore:

Yes. The process, she did have a few setbacks when she first went online to do an application for the rental increase. She did it online and thought it was finished, but then she got a postcard a few months later saying that in order to do it, you have to go back on the system. So she called them and let them know and they didn't see it in the system. Later they did see it, so they worked it out and she was able to get the rent increase. It's a little process, but that first two months that they actually had the rent change, they did not increase the rent amount so that she had to go back and contact them again and say this wasn't increased. They did fix it all up, but she really had to stay on top of it.

Ann Thompson:

Another reason, landlords are a little leery of signing on with the program,

Emiko Moore:

But if you stay on top of it, everything else worked out. She does say that she really does like the program and she would even rent to others. She does see it as a good system.

Ann Thompson:

Well, here at Brick by Brick, we're looking at solutions for all income levels. Let's talk about a high end apartment building in Dayton. Hernz?

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Yeah. Windsor Companies probably one of the most unique developers that we had this season because they were vertically integrated, meaning that they were able to handle developments completely in-house that helped them adapt and reuse this mid-century office building into a state-of-the-art luxury apartment called the Deneau. When we first covered the story, I asked the company's executive vice president of asset management, Jason Dorsey, if they had plans to develop affordable housing. He said yes, and when I caught up with him recently, he says, progress on a new development in the Trotwood area.

Jason Dorsey:

We're servicing the public. We're serving people what their needs are. It's going to be upwards of 450 to 500 units by the end of its build where we just ended that first phase getting ready to start the second phase, and to me, that's going to be an affordable site.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Jason tells me he's going to be called Maison Hills and the upper management at Windsor is already looking to start the leasing process for the completed units.

Ann Thompson:

Well, that is certainly an area that needs housing because that's where the tornado went through.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

That's what he was telling me too. I wasn't familiar, but he said, yeah, that place was devastated. So on top of building this affordable development, they're also reestablishing a community

Emiko Moore:

That's a large number of units as well. So I'm looking forward to seeing how this comes along.

Ann Thompson:

So all these projects we've been talking about require approvals and likely zoning changes. It was January 24 when Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval announced a major proposed change to Cincinnati zoning law.

Mayor Aftab Pureval:

Today we're doing a great big thing. We're excited and proud to be here today to bring forward a fundamental and necessary change to the way Cincinnati is designed.

Ann Thompson:

Then last summer, city council passed those changes, which included more middle housing, fewer parking spaces, and more walkable neighborhoods. There has been progress, but some council members and residents want changes. Here is one of many. They want, for example, only allowing increased density if the developer makes at least 20% of the units affordable to households making 50% of the a MI or less. It may come down to who was elected to council this fall. If any changes move forward. Here's something else. As we told you in our LIHTC episode, Cincinnati and Dayton were getting frustrated at their inability to land 9% low-income housing tax credits for projects, update. The Cincinnati Development Fund, worked with Cincinnati, and both are crediting their partnership for landing three 9% projects recently. Wesley Baymiller, Pleasant House and Vine and Polk Apartments for a total of 142 units.

Emiko Moore:

That is huge To get those LIHTC wins. I mean, that's like winning a lottery. Those are huge wins for the city.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

The application process not only takes a long time to fill out, but it's also very costly. Right? Yes. So the fact that they were able to land three, I think it is huge. It's huge for the city.

Ann Thompson:

Yeah, they're extremely excited. 

Emiko Moore:

The developers must be thrilled.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Yeah.

Ann Thompson:

Well, coming up on Brick by Brick, remember Ella Carre? She was waiting for her chance to get into a renovated house owned by the Port in Cincinnati.

Ella Carre:

All my life, I always love plants. I love a garden. That's one of the reasons I want to own my own home.

Ann Thompson:

Has her patience paid off. We'll update that preservation initiative and we revisit a community garden in Middletown. That's ahead on Brick by Brick.

Ame Clase:

Brick by Brick is made possible thanks to the generous support of so many, including Diane and Dave Moccia, P & G, The Camden Foundation,  The Stephen H. Wilder Foundation, Rosmary & Mark Schlachter, a donation in memory of Frank and Margaret Linhardt, The A. T. Folger Jr. Lowe Simpson Fund and more. Thank you. We couldn't do this work without you.

Mark Lammers:

Hey, we all have a different story even if we grew up in the same neighborhood or city, especially if we're talking about housing stories. Hi, my name is Mark Lammers, executive producer for Brick by Brick. Growing up, I lived on the west side of Cincinnati in a single family home, but I've also experienced apartment life in good and bad settings in a number of different cities. I learned a lot from those times in my life and from my journey as a whole. Now, we want to hear about your housing story. That's the new audience question that's live on our show pages at thinktv.org and cetconnect.org. Log in and hit the green button to share your journey and what you learned from it. We hope to share some of your experiences and lessons as we move forward on Brick by Brick, so we can all get smarter together. Thanks.

Ann Thompson:

Welcome back to Brick By Brick. For this episode, we've checked back with some of your favorite people and solutions to find out how they're doing. After our repurposing factories, warehouses, malls, and schools episode in October. It's hard not to look around and picture what an empty building could become. There was a huge structure like this in Dayton Emiko. Why don't you remind us of what this was, what it is now, and how successful it is now.

Emiko Moore:

Sure. You may recall the Delco, the historic 500,000 square foot building in downtown Dayton that has 162 apartments, 100,000 square feet of commercial space and a 463 space parking garage. I was told that it was like stacking five Walmarts on top of each other. Massive.

Ann Thompson:

That really paints a picture.

Emiko Moore:

Yes, and the developers, Crawford and Hoying partnered with the City of Dayton and the Dayton Port Authority to repurpose this building into a mixed use development

Zachary Graham:

To recreate. It would be mind boggling if you actually rebuilt this brick by brick or yard by yard and concrete terms. It would be a dramatic undertaking. So I think the sheer size of the opportunity was attractive.

Emiko Moore:

The Delco has a new commercial tenant, the Taft Law Firm, and they're planning to move in on the seventh floor overlooking the day air ballpark. By early 2026, they'll be on the top floor with more than 27,000 square feet of office space. Isn't that a large amount of office space? And they have a 15 year lease with options for expansion. Apartments are 80% occupied, and I believe they're up from around 55% last time when we visited them. And the rooftop pool that we showed you, the gorgeous rooftop view of Dayton Views is now open and ready for the summer. In addition, the Delco has new neighbors. The Pins Mechanical Company will be moving in next door on June 18th. This is where the Moeller Brew barn used to be, and they will have duck pin bowling lanes, retro pinball machines, indoor and outdoor bars. So it's a lot of entertainment. By the way, do both of you know what duck pin bowling is?

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

I have no idea.

Ann Thompson:

No

Emiko Moore:

I had to look it up, but it's actually a much smaller version of bowling with a smaller ball and then smaller pins, but they're all held up by wires.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

That's cool.

Emiko Moore:

So the area’s got a lot of things for fun.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

I feel like Delco is a beautiful example of the potential of adaptive reuse. We have all these buildings that are abandoned and buildings that could be repurposed for something else. And yeah, I thought Delco is a great example of that.

Ann Thompson:

Solutions don't have to be as big as the Delco. They can be small. It was near the end of last year when we introduced you to Melinda Stidham and her partner Otis Trammell in Middletown, the kind of people who see something that needs to be done and they don't just talk about it. They do it.

Maylinda Stidham:

When you sit there and have dreams and see that you have a chance to do something and be part of something great and be the change the city needs, you can't do that sitting on your couch.

Otis Trammell:

If you do nothing, nothing will happen.

Ann Thompson:

Here's what they did. They moved into Middletown’s Sherman neighborhood and wanted to make it safer, greener, and healthier. They started a neighborhood watch and then planted a community garden in what was an overgrown vacant lot next door to their house. This is important because they live in a food desert. Here's Melinda picking a tomato for AJ Mantel, a planning commission member in Middletown.

Maylinda Stidham:

Try that.

AJ Mentel:

Oh yeah.

Maylinda Stidham:

Might want to wipe it off.

AJ Mentel:

Which variety is this?

Maylinda Stidham:

Which is that you're not going to find something like that at a Meijer or Walmart. I mean, even if you don't eat it and you just squish it between a hand, all the juices and everything comes out.

Ann Thompson:

In doing all this. They're part of Middletown Connect, an effort to help neighborhoods increase their lifespan after data showed residents were living 12 and a half years less than people in other neighborhoods. Listen to what Middletown's Mayor had to say after visiting the garden last November.

Middletown Mayor Elizabeth Slamka:

These are things that actually make a difference for people right now to improve their health, to keep communities strong and vital. Keep us connected, which we know is so important for our health, physical, mental, emotional, all of it. So I'm just thrilled. I couldn't be more proud. I couldn't be prouder of Middletown Connect.

Ann Thompson:

So here's the latest thanks to funds from Kiwanis and the City of Middletown. Stidham and Trammel are building a greenhouse at the community garden and are working to grow sustainable herbs and flowers in addition to their vegetables. And they've welcomed a new baby appropriately named Forrest Ivy.

Emiko Moore:

Oh, that's a great name.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Pretty cool.

Emiko Moore:

And I think this just shows what's best when a community comes together. It really does, and they're coming together and helping each other out.

Ann Thompson:

Yeah. Well, speaking of plants, in our first episode we told you about a woman whose hobby is taking care of them, and she had other hopes and dreams. Hernz, do you want to fill us in?

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Yeah, I'll have Ella tell you herself.

Ella Carre:

Hi everyone. This is Ella Carre. I'm finally moving to my place and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Ella was waiting on her home from the Port Authority after renovations were done. She was able to move in November of 2024. The retired nursing and Army vet wanted a new space for her great grandson to run around and for her plants.

Ella Carre:

I get so much joy watching just gunning around. He actually thinks he live here. I'm so happy that I get a lot of joy just washing him. He be outside lighting his bike, and I also got enough room for my plants. Too much room for my plan, so I'm happy about that.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

The Port is also making progress on the 194 properties they purchased from the out-of-state owner, Raineth. I caught up with the Executive Vice President for the Port Philip Denning, and he had a message for our audience.

Phil Denning:

We have now sold 48 of these houses. That's a lot. That's a quarter of the portfolio. We're working towards a little bit more than that, and it has been a real challenge, but it's also been really fulfilling to really make an impact on the ability of average working families in Hamilton County to get access to a house. We have another 30 that are under construction right now. We bid those out. We're going through the construction process right now, and for your podcast listeners, we have six that are listed. We would love to sell them to whomever is willing, qualified and interested.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

December of 2025 is going to make it five years since they first purchased the 194 properties, and Phil told me that in order to properly renovate these homes, it may take longer than the initial five-year estimate they initially projected.

Ann Thompson:

Okay, I want to know something. How many plants does Ella have? Because she said she has too much room for her plants.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Yeah, you got to see for yourself. Literally every corner of her home there's a plant. You know what I mean? There's no escape to it. And in her old space, they were pretty much taken up the entire living room. And now she says she has so many rooms that she has plants everywhere, plants in the living room, plants in the dining room, plants in the kitchen. There's plants everywhere.

Emiko Moore:

The air must be so clean because it helps purify everything.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

For sure, for sure.

Ann Thompson:

Well, I'm so glad that you reconnected with Ella because I really like her and I remembered her from the beginning.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

No, yeah, and it felt cool. You know what I mean? Being that she's of Haitian descent, I'm Haitian as well, you know what I mean? It was a beautiful way to start the season with her.

Ann Thompson:

We have discovered a lot of solutions in season one. Some are working, others are more challenging. For example, housing shortages are still a problem and so is affordable housing. Our team looks forward to continuing to investigate solutions and along with housing are going to layer in environmental and health stories in season number two. And we have a number of ideas that we're excited to dig into.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

And I guess I can start this off as one of our topics we'll be getting into health, like Ann said, and I'm really interested on the efforts to achieve health equity. One of the topics involves access to healthcare, and we have a lot of medical deserts in our region. There was a Health Policy Institute of Ohio that recently published a report titled Health in Rural and Appalachian, Ohio, which details a lack of internet access and a lack of transportation for a lot of people to get to medical institutions. That's a major barrier to health. Many families are in the situation where the nearest medical institution could be 40 minutes to an hour away, which is absolutely nuts. And it is not just in rural areas. Luckily, there are solutions. The Oiler School in the Lower Price Hill neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio has been partnering with an onsite health center making medical services readily available for students and families in northern Kentucky. Cincinnati Children's opened a new outpatient clinic in Boone County that has multiple resources under one roof, so parents in the area don't have to drive far out in order to get an x-ray or blood drawn. So I'm looking forward to seeing what other solutions are available and what can help achieve health equity.

Ann Thompson:

So things are already happening.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Yeah

Emiko Moore:

I look forward to hearing some of, some of the stories that I'm interested in include community gardens. I really love the ideas of communities coming together, making fresh food. We have a lot of areas where there's food deserts, and if you don't have access to a lot of the fresh fruits and vegetables, it can compound a lot of other health issues down the line. Also, food insecurity, food. There's a lot of food rescue efforts that are happening. We have so much food waste in this country and we also have a lot of hunger. So I just think if we can really rescue the foods that are available and make sure that they're not wasted, that's a big thing for me. Infant mortality is a big problem in the Cincinnati, Dayton area. Nationally. We've got a huge numbers here in this area. So it would be interesting to look into some of the programs, including the doula programs. Doulas are people who guide and support those women through their pregnancy. So we can see how well those kind of things help with this area. Even care for the mothers and children after they give birth. So that, and maybe even sustainable fashion because there's a lot of waste and pollution with the fashion and clothes industry that we have today. So might be some stories.

Ann Thompson:

Look, all of those sound really interesting. Well, in an episode that we're loosely calling zip coded to death, we're going to be digging into data to find out why certain neighborhoods or cities have numbers where people are dying much sooner than people in other parts of, let's say the same city. And we want to find out, well, what can be done and can we make changes? Along the same lines, our houses could be killing us.

So especially during COVID, we heard of the sick building syndrome. So things in our house, the closed quarters in our office, buildings, what is making us sick and how can we improve those? And yet another episode, we may be looking into property taxes. A few years ago we saw our property taxes just jump up dramatically causing some people to ask why. And also people wondering, well, can it be figured out differently? Maybe it's based on the services that you use. So as part of that episode, we want to know are property taxes equitable? And also what about appraisals and what are the solutions in that space? And Brick By Brick will be investigating those solutions and more.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

Yeah, a lot of exciting stuff. The zip coded to death, I think there's so many ways that we can feature that because we can feature that with health, with environment, and with housing. So season two, here we go.

Emiko Moore:

That's right. And so many of these stories are so interconnected, so we have a lot to uncover. Looking forward to it.

Ann Thompson:

Yeah, lots of potential solutions. We better get busy. Thanks guys.

Emiko Moore:

Thank you.

Hernz Laguerre Jr.:

No problem.

Ann Thompson:

We want your ideas. So go to our website at thinktv.org and cetconnect.org to give us your feedback. And please share out the podcast and check out our TV series. Season two of the Brick by Brick podcast begins September 3rd. Until then, we're releasing a series of bonus episodes focusing on local developers.

Tim Forbess:

So because Longfellow is the neighborhood anchor, we can leverage that asset to help bring back the whole neighborhood.

Geoff Milz:

We do a lot of work before any kind of application or before any kind of design to make sure that what we intend to build is going to be a good fit for that community. So we go to places where we're wanted.

Kai Lewars:

For me, my favorite part of the home building process is probably seeing the impact it makes in people's lives

Ann Thompson:

Hear their thought processes, their challenges, and how they're serving the community. Those episodes will be hitting your podcast feed every other week, starting July 27th through August 20th on Brick by Brick. Until then, we'll be off catching up on vacation and marking the July 4th holiday. We hope you can do the same. That's our show. If you like what you hear, please rate and review our podcast. It makes it easier to find. We hope you learned something, and if you did, please tell your friends and family about it. For Hernz Laguerre Jr. and Emiko Moore, I'm Ann Thompson. We'll be back soon with more solutions. Take care.

Our show is produced, hosted an edited by me, Ann Thompson with reporting and story editing from Hernz Laguerre Jr. and Emiko Moore. Our Executive producer of Mark Lammers. Our show consultant is Gloria Skurski. Audio sweetening provided by Mike Schwartz. Zach Kramer runs the lights and cameras. Derrick Smith is our production specialist and Jason Garrison is our production manager. Kellie May heads up our marketing and promotions, along with Mike Shea and Bridgett Dillenburger. Elyssa Stefenson handles the website and Steve Wright is our designer. Bill Dean and Andres Kruza are the engineers for the show and our Chief Content Officer is Colin Scianamblo. Our music is from Universal Production Music. Brick by Brick: Solutions for a Thriving Community is a production of CET and ThinkTV, Southwest Ohio PBS member stations.