The roles of governance and organizations in affordable housing outcomes for low-income households: A case study of four neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio

This multiple case study explores how and why differences in the availability of affordable rental housing occur at the neighborhood level. Privatizing affordable housing programs for low-income households has complicated and diversified the current U.S. system of affordable housing provision. Multiple players participate in affordable housing provision, including governmental and nongovernmental entities and traditional and nontraditional housing providers. In this context, based on the Neighborhood Governance Framework, this research documents and examines possible reasons for varied outcomes in affordable housing provision, focusing on neighborhoods’ historical contexts, the roles of organizations, and neighborhood governance. I selected four neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio, with different leading entities: nonprofit, for-profit, public organization, and civil society. Semi-structured interviews with staff from relevant organizations and residents highlight the opportunistic nature of the current affordable housing provision system. They also emphasize the critical roles of a dedicated leading organization, its leadership, and civil society in affordable housing provision. This study illustrates that neighborhood governance with a nonprofit organization dedicated to affordable housing provision (Community Housing Development Organization) demonstrates a persistent model of affordable housing provision, which has a shared objective of stakeholders—maintaining at least 15% of all housing units as affordable housing units.