Some foodbanks broke records during the government shutdown for the amount of food they handed out. SNAP benefits were suspended temporarily, and its requirements have changed. Although the need has eased slightly, food insecurity remains an issue. By the latest data, thirteen percent of U.S. households are unable to acquire enough food. Foodbanks and food rescue organizations provide a safety net for our neighbors. How are they doing it, and what kind of difference are they making? 

Interview guests: Executive Director Ohio Association of Foodbanks Joree Novotny, CEO Freestore Foodbank Kurt Reiber, Marketing and Advocacy Manager The Foodbank Inc. Amber Wright, CEO Last Mile Food Rescue Eileen Budo, and Meals on Wheels Southwest OH & Northern KY Chief Production Officer Michael Beck. 

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 Millions of people live in a medical desert, meaning they have inadequate access to healthcare, both in urban and rural settings. There are a variety of reasons why, including distance to a hospital, lack of broadband internet, lack of transportation, and a shortage of healthcare workers. Despite these challenges, there are solutions. Brick by Brick examines workforce training and school-health center partnerships.  

Interview guests: Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece, Chief Rural Correspondent KFF News Sarah Jane Tribble, Ohio Alliance for Population Heath Community Health Worker Lead Kerri Shaw, North Mason Fire Chief Beau Bakken, Retired Cincinnati Medical Director of School and Adolescent Health Dr. Marilyn Crumpton,  Fayetteville-Perry Local Schools Superintendent Tim Carlier and Director of Curriculum and instruction Jennifer Spaeth Mullis. 

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At the current rate of construction, estimates predict it will take seven years to close the housing gap. The U.S. is still short about 4 million units. The problem is hitting home. After more than a decade of inflated home prices, states, including Ohio, are realizing they can enact policies to accelerate the building process. State Representatives Dani Isaacsohn and Adam Mathews talk about it on Brick by Brick.

Interview guests: Ohio Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn, D-Over-the-Rhine and Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, talk about the state’s new pro-housing legislation they got passed.

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Residents don’t want to have development done to them and instead want to be part of it. One example involves the conversion of an old chemical plant in West Louisville, Kentucky into affordable housing. Another is in Carmel, Indiana where neighborhood ambassadors are helping residents articulate a vision for the future. Cincinnati’s Yard & Co. is behind those efforts and more. The Neighborhood Playbook, by Yard & Co., is almost a decade old, but the concepts are still resonating nationwide with citizen developers. 

Interview guest: Urban planner Joe Nickol, principal and co-founder Yard & Co.

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 The World Health Organization has set a goal of decreasing pedestrian deaths and injuries by 50-percent in five years. At least in the U.S., there’s not a lot of progress. According to 2023 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, every 72 minutes a pedestrian dies in a traffic crash. In 2023 the highest number of cyclists ever recorded were killed in crashes with motor vehicles in the U.S.: 1,155. Brick by Brick looks at the solutions of speed humps, redesigned roads and more. 

Interview guests: Cincinnati Senior City Planner Mel McVay; Dayton City Engineer David Escobar; Wayne Avenue Safety Coalition President Willie Morris IV; Western Hills HS Teacher Jeff Demaree; Madisonville Community Council Transportation Chair Kerry Devery; “Ohio’s Bike Lawyer” Steve Magas. 

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U.S. consumers spent on average $1,760 on electricity in 2023, second only to gasoline. And those residential electricity costs are expected to increase 13-18 percent by 2026. Why? Blame it on infrastructure changes needed for data centers. They supply computational power for AI and cryptocurrency and help drive up the cost as power companies pass them on to consumers. Some residents are hoping residential solar panels will save them money. 

Interview guests: Julien Dumoulin-Smith, managing director Jeffries; Andy Holzhauser, co-owner Donovan Energy; Zach McGuire, executive director Columbus Region Green Fund; Andrew Garth, executive vice president and general counsel The Port; Madeline Yozwiak, led study on the effect residential solar has on energy insecurity; Chris Heckman, Pleasant Cake, LLC; Lewis Connel, sales director Sustainergy

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Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. don’t have enough food to eat and what they do have probably isn’t the most nutritious, leading to possible health problems later in life. Food banks and food rescue organizations are helping (we’ll cover those in another podcast), but so are community markets and urban gardens. They’re working to fill the gap by providing healthy food and teaching people to grow their own food. 

Interview guests: Adie Tomer, senior fellow Brookings Institute; Laura Schmidt, principal investigator NOURISH at UC San Francisco; Amarnath Gupta, NOURISH research scientist UC San Diego; Domonique Peebles, founder of Brick Gardens; Michael Schulz, co-founder and executive director Mission of Mary Cooperative; Jasmine Taylor, site director Meiser’s Fresh Grocery and Deli; Amaha Sellassie, board president of Gem City Market Cooperative 

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Housing growth in Dayton has
 typically been divided by the river and real estate developer
 Tim Forbess wants to change that. One example is the historic Longfellow School which he’s transforming into a housing community with a theatre, gymnasium, doctor’s office, dog spa and more. It’s inclusive for LGTBQ+ individuals. He’s also working on another apartment building behind Longfellow which will add even more housing to the Grafton Hill neighborhood.
 

Interview guest: Tim Forbess, CEO of G.F. Bailey, a real estate development and construction firm in Dayton.

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Geoff Milz is the Director of Development for Pennrose in Cincinnati, Ohio. His organization specializes in developing and managing affordable, conventional, and mixed income residential properties. He stresse the importance of creating more income aligned housing. 

Interview guest: Geoff Milz, Director of Development at Pennrose

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Developer Kai Lewars specializes in the “missing middle” housing some say Cincinnati so badly needs. The city made it easier to develop duplexes, triplexes, rowhouses, and more under 2024 zoning changes. Lewars finds vacant lots and works with community organizations to build them. He also is committed to building low-income housing. 

Interview guest: Kai Lewars, principal and founder Kaiker Development + Construction. 

What challenges does your neighborhood face? What’s your housing story? Provide feedback. Help guide our coverage. 

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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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Contentious debates can arise in cities around adding housing or development in neighborhoods, but what power do everyday residents have? From Dayton’s Five Oaks to Cincinnati’s Hyde Park these issues have bubbled up recently, so we want to explore solutions we all have at our fingertips to influence the trajectory of our communities. To explore this topic, we sit down with a city councilmember and the executive director of a group that empowers community councils. 

Interview Guests: Cincinnati Councilmember Mark Jeffreys and Elizabeth Bartley, executive director of Invest in Neighborhoods. 

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Housing is an extra challenge for hundreds of thousands of people, who are released from prison every year in the U.S., millions more leave local jails. The barriers they face are enormous. But some communities are working to expand access and increase supply. How are they doing it?  

Interview guests: Aisha Balogun, special project associate NYU’s Housing Solutions Lab; Tom Luettke, reentry coordinator Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Lucas County, Ohio; Kari Benz, director for human services Minnehaha and Lincoln Counties, South Dakota; Trina Jackson, director of Hamilton County Office of Reentry; David Fulcher, former Cincinnati Bengals player and creator of the MANA prison ministry program. 

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Religious organizations are some of the biggest landholders in the country and communities are increasingly looking to them to help solve the housing crisis. Some efforts are already underway but churches say they need zoning help to build on their properties. Faith-based development can take many forms. Is it making a difference?

Interview guests: 

Nadia Mian, researcher Rutgers University; Pastor Monique French, Washington Heights United Methodist Church and Community-Battle Creek, Michigan; Father Benjamin Spear-Hardy II, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church-Trotwood; Wes Young, St. Mary’s Development Corporation 

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It’s getting increasingly harder to find an affordable place to live. Sky- high rents, fluctuating mortgage rates, expensive home prices and a shortage of housing are all contributing factors. Every year there are incentives for banks to create affordable housing. How much are they doing and is it making a difference? 

Interview guests: Damon Allen, senior vice president Federal Home Loan Bank-Cincinnati; Susan Thomas, President Fifth Third Bank Community Development Corporation and co-chair National Housing Crisis Task Force, Roddell McCullough, chief corporate responsibility officer First Financial Bank; Kenya Taylor, vice president community manager Chase Bank; Elisabeth Risch, executive director Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) 

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If the U.S. builds as many homes as it did last year, experts predict it will take an average of seven and a half years to close the housing gap. How do we speed up construction? One way might be to increase the production of 3D printed houses. This technology is starting to take off in Texas and a few other states. Could it make sense in other parts of the country? 

Interview guests: Interview guests: Sandy Curth, PhD researcher who designs and builds sustainable 3D printed structures; Dr. Ali Memari, director Pennsylvania Housing Research Center and Penn State Bernard and Henrietta Hankin Chair in Residential Building Construction; John Smoll, owner Open Vision Builders 

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Vacant land owned by the government may be able to help ease the housing gap. Most of it near urban areas and transit lines, is controlled by local governments. And with the help of the Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS), communities are starting to realize they may have land to build more housing. 

Interview guest: Director of the Center for Geospatial Solutions Jeff Allenby explains how his nonprofit agency can quickly comb through reams of data to locate land for potential housing. 

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Responding to a study in 2023, Northern Kentucky is trying to increase their housing stock. Local leaders and non-profits collaborated to create a menu of options called Home for All: Northern Kentucky Housing Strategies. We look at some of the 50 solutions included and talk to stakeholders about the next steps.

Interview guests: 

Tara Johnson-Noem, Executive Director at Northern Kentucky Area Development District; Mayor Ron Washington, Covington Kentucky; Stephanie Stiene, Director of Financial Wellness and Volunteer Engagement; Judge/Executive Gary W. Moore, Boone County; Brent Cooper, President & CEO at Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; Colton Simpson, Deputy Judge Executive in Grant County, KY; Seth Cutter,  Vice President of Public Affairs - CVG Airport; Sharmili Reddy, Executive Director of Planning and Development Services of Kenton County; Wonda Winkler, President & CEO at Brighton Center, Inc.; Bradie Bowen, Covington KY Resident (Former teacher and administrator for 22 years)

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More than half of Americans say they would consider living in a tiny home, defined as large as 600 square feet. As traditional homes get more expensive the interest is increasing. Also, many see tiny homes as a possible solution to homelessness. Local efforts are underway to create villages of them.

Interview guests: Alam Graham, CEO Mobile Loaves & Fishes (Community First Village) in Austin, TX; Juan (John) Perez, Co-Founder and President Vista Village in Columbus, OH; Debbie Watts Robinson, CEO Miami Valley Housing Opportunities; Earl Crossland and Larry Plum, Co-Founders Tiny Homes for Humanity in Cincinnati; Clermont County Commissioner Bonnie Batchler

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The federal government gives developers the equivalent of $10 billion a year to build low-income housing in the form of a tax credit. Without this government subsidy, known generally as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), there would be a lot fewer affordable units. There are limitations, including the funding. Is there a better way to do it?  

Interview guests: Anthony Orlando, PhD, associate professor of finance, real estate and law at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona;  Roger Valdez, director of The Center for Housing and Economics; Ryan Gleason, executive director Ohio Housing Council; Mary Burke Rivers, executive director Over-the-Rhine Community Housing; and Ben Eilerman, director of real estate Over-the-Rhine Community Housing. 

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An effort to improve one man’s suburban Dallas neighborhood is now spreading across the country, even touching South Bend, Indiana. Incremental developer Monte Anderson coined the term “gentlefication,” valuing people and buildings as he envisions what an area could look like. He’s teaching other cities how to do it.

Interview guest: South Dallas community developer, landlord, and “town maker” Monte Anderson helps others find their “farm.”

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The U.S. housing stock is old and getting older and its deterioration is causing health, safety and financial concerns. Saving it is cheaper and more sustainable than building new. But preservation is still expensive. How do we preserve housing before more low-cost rental units are lost? 

Interview guests: Executive Director Ohio Community Development Corporation (CDC) Association Torey Hollingsworth, Dayton Housing Inspection Division Manager James McDaniel, Chairperson Dayton Home Repair Network Aileen Hull, and CMHA CEO Greg Johnson

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Over time, property is almost guaranteed to go up in value. That’s a problem if you have a limited income and want to buy a house. Unless the house is in a community land trust (CLT) which retains ownership of the land and restricts the resale price of the home. CLTs are slowly gaining steam across the US and there is evidence this model is working.  

Interview guests: Civil rights activist who helped start the first US CLT Shirley Sherrod, Executive Director Atlanta Land Trust Amanda Rhein, Executive Director Yellow Springs Home, Inc. Emily Seibel and Renting Partnerships founder Margery Spinney. 

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Ask ten people what a thriving community looks like to them and you will likely get ten different answers. But usually at the top of the list is access to affordable housing and healthcare. With 2025 approaching, Brick by Brick went searching for answers, talking to adults and teens. Interact for Health reports on roadblocks and successes for Southwest Ohio. In Dayton plans are underway for a wellbeing index, and a Middletown neighborhood is already seeing improvements after the installation of a community garden.

Interview guests:
Interact for Health Vice President Ashlee Young, Founder of Dayton’s Collaboratory Peter Benkendorf and Middletown Connect Program Manager DeAnna Shores.

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Thousands of people in Cincinnati and Dayton either can’t find a home they can afford or can’t afford the one they live in. Both cities are taking steps to address the housing crisis. What are they doing and is it enough? Brick by Brick hosts two city leaders, from Dayton and Cincinnati, to talk through possible solutions. 

Interview Guests: Cincinnati Councilmember Jeff Cramerding and Dayton City Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss. 

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