Move to PROSPER: Affordable Housing in Central Ohio
Move To Prosper (MTP) is a community network member of Nationwide Children’s Hospital located in Columbus, OH. Their mission is to make affordable rental housing available in neighborhoods that offer access to opportunities, such as good schools, safe neighborhoods, employment and other indicators of opportunities”. MTP is creating equity and economic stability for single mothers by providing them with the opportunity to raise their children in safer, higher-resourced neighborhoods in central Ohio. An initiative of The Ohio State University and community partners, the program was developed by a diverse team of social work professionals, doctors, lawyers, real estate developers, sociologists, landlords, and social service providers.
MTP provides three years of partial rental support and comprehensive life coaching - which is based on a Mobility Mentoring®-informed approach, and monthly programs to empower families to gain economic stability and live fulfilled lives. By enabling families with children to move into higher-resourced neighorhoods with coaching support, MTP believes that participants will see a host of educational, social, wellness, and trauma reduction benefits, including but not limited to improved mental health for parents and children, improved school attendance and educational outcomes, improved child behavior, and increased family stability.
The life coaching component of MTP programming helps participants navigate systems to achieve improved health and financial stability and gain support to pursue new career goals, which will enhance overall workforce quality. Participants are given more opportunities to learn and then practice saving money for an emergency fund through the MTP coaching and program model. After having access to resources that meet their basic needs, they can increase their education, get certifications, and focus on their jobs, ultimately increasing their income. MTP also approaches their work with a two-generation approach to working with families. Monthly programming includes a section for the adult participants on teaching some of the concepts they are learning to their children.
In 2018, MTP piloted the program with 10 families as an initiative of The Ohio State University’s (OSU) City and Regional Planning program and its community partners. While the program is designed to be three-years of support and coaching, a fourth year was added to the pilot due to the pandemic’s arrival in the middle of the second year.
The 10-family pilot is due for completion in June 2022 however, early results are showing tremendous success. MTP’s pilot families’ average increase in earned income was 58%, or about $17,000 per household, and overall, the women added $150,000+ per year to their income. That will allow 80% to stay in their current apartments and pay full market rent themselves when the supports end in June. MTP participants often describe the program as a hand-up, not a handout. Their coaches have empowered them to think differently about their capabilities. The rent support has allowed them to catch up on bills, start a savings account, and build emergency reserves.
If you’re interested in learning more about Move to PROSPER and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, you can check out February’s webinar here on the portal!