What’s Rentful?
We believe that no one in Franklin County should lose their home or their rental income to eviction.
In Franklin County, there are still resources to help pay rent, stop eviction, or navigate a financial hardship. But those tools can be confusing and hard to find. This website provides simple, reliable, and easy-to-access links to the Central Ohio programs that keep us safe at home. This website also dispels common myths, provides eviction info customized to Franklin County, and highlights some of the places you can go to get even more help.
WhY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?
because of the affordable housing shortage, FrankLin County is facing an eviction crisis larger than any we’ve ever experienced before.
Nearly 24,000 evictions were filed in Franklin County in 2023, the highest level ever recorded. In Janauary 2024, 59% of Ohio’s renters worry they may be evicted in the coming months.
We know that evictions increase job loss, academic loss for youth, and ultimately lead to more homelessness.
Evictions also lead to neighbhood displacement, overcrowding, and unsafe housing conditions. Central Ohio is already losing housing affordability, and this eviction risk threatens to permanently alter the rich cultural and social history we built together.
Who is Rentful?
Rentful is about collaboration and transparency.
It was created through the generous and impactful support of the City of Columbus, Franklin County Board of Commissioners, the United Way of Central Ohio, the Siemer Institute, and the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio.
The resources we share are cultivated and refined by the members of the Central Ohio Stable Housing Network and feature the important work of many local service providers. These resources will change, but Rentful will remain a space for reliable and timely information on where to get help avoiding eviction.