Brown Hosts Annual OH-11 Housing Expo Connecting Constituents with Housing Resources

Warrensville Heights, OH – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) hosted her 3^rd Annual OH-11 Housing Expo Saturday at Tri-C Corporate College East in Warrensville Heights. 

The Housing Expo featured federal and local government agencies, community organizations, financial institutions and lenders, offering current and future homeowners tools, financial guidance, and expert resources. The event also featured breakout sessions on resources for seniors, navigating federal resources and agencies, property taxes, building wealth, mortgage assistance, home repair, and more.

The Expo featured an expert panel titled “The Money Side of Housing: Loans, Resources, and Opportunities” featuring Dorothy Curtis, Vice President of Community Development at DollarBank; Lydia Pope, Housing Counselor at NID Housing; and Chanel Starks, Senior Program Officer, LISC Cleveland. At the Expo, Lydia Pope, Cleveland City Councilman Richard Starr, and the YWCA of Cleveland were also honored for their contributions to improving access to housing in Northeast Ohio. 

The expo main panel was also streamed here.

“Too many families in Northeast Ohio want to own a home, need housing assistance, or are worried about lead in their home, but they don’t know where to go or what to do. Our Housing Expo provided a one-stop-shop - connecting people with agencies, experts, resources, and information. As I fight for new legislation to lower housing costs and improve lead removal efforts in Washington, we are also laser-focused on tackling these issues locally, starting with events like this one,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown. “Thank you to all the agencies, speakers, and participants who made this event such a success.” 

Earlier this week, Brown announced her Safe and Affordable Housing Agenda, a new comprehensive legislative package to strengthen lead paint and pipe abatement, build more affordable housing to lower costs, and renovate and improve existing HUD-assisted housing. Brown’s Safe and Affordable Housing Agendaincludes two bills to lower housing costs, build more homes and protect affordable housing, and two bills to improve federal lead abatement programs and grants so that more federal funds can flow to cities like Cleveland for lead removal. 

Congresswoman Brown’s Safe and Affordable Housing Agenda

The Housing Supply Fund Act (HSF): The Housing Supply Fund Act is legislation to encourage the building of more affordable housing by filling financing gaps that are holding back construction. The legislation would establish a competitive program within Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund to address financing gaps that prevent otherwise viable housing projects from moving forward. The bill authorizes flexible financing tools including loan loss reserves, revolving loan funds, guarantees, risk-sharing loans, and affordable housing mortgage funds to support the development, preservation, rehabilitation, financing, or purchase of housing while leveraging private and local capital.

The Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act (AHPP): The Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act is legislation to maintain and preserve existing HUD-assisted housing. This legislation establishes a new HUD preservation authority to provide targeted financing and intervention tools for distressed HUD-assisted multifamily properties at risk of deterioration, foreclosure, or loss of affordability. The bill is designed to help preserve affordable housing, facilitate responsible ownership transitions, and protect existing federal housing investments serving seniors, working families, and vulnerable residents.

The GET THE LEAD OUT Act of 2026: The GET THE LEAD OUT Act of 2026 would create a new federal grant program to replace lead pipes, fixtures, and taps. The legislation would create a broad federal framework to address lead in drinking water and housing by funding removal of lead-based pipe and tap hazards, establishing training and certification requirements, directing federal standards and state programs, and integrating lead plumbing remediation into major housing programs. Brown’s legislation creates new authorities and financing mechanisms to drive national action on residential lead plumbing hazards.

The Removing Existing Pipes with Lead and Advancing Clean Environments (REPLACE) Act: The REPLACE Act improves existing lead paint and lead pipe removal programs within the federal government. This legislation would amend existing HUD and Safe Drinking Water Act authorities to strengthen lead-paint hazard remediation in housing, improve local implementation capacity, and better coordinate paint and pipe removal efforts. 

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