Medina Community Leaders Confront Affordable Housing Crisis

Business and nonprofit owners, church leaders and other members of the Medina community gathered at Heartland Community Church on Sept. 25 to address the growing need for affordable housing in Medina County. The Medina Interfaith Coalition for Affordable Housing (MICAH) organized the event, which focused on better accommodating individuals working in local manufacturing, retail and service industries.

One of the church leaders involved with MICAH is Jennifer Webb, director of stewardship and communications at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. She described how the organization got its start in 2022.

“We gathered because each of the churches recognized a critical need arising in our community for the people that we serve to have a place to live,” she said. “All of us churches have encountered people coming to us needing help with rent, needing a place to live, and it was becoming apparent to all of us that, with the rising costs of housing, the people who work in our service industries, in our manufacturing plants, in our healthcare industries can’t afford to buy a house or even rent an apartment in our community. So, it becomes an economic issue for our businesses, for our community.”

Webb said the goal of the gathering was to continue the conversation about how to meet the needs of residents who need assistance, ensuring those who are vulnerable are not forgotten as Medina develops.

“We’re not talking about homelessness,” she explained. “This is for people who are working and need a place to live.”

One way MICAH hopes to help is through the proposed construction of an apartment complex managed by the Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority, similar to those the authority operates in Wadsworth.

“Our hope is that we can eventually find property and be able to raise money toward building a 45-unit apartment complex that could be managed by the Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority and provide this housing for people who are working in these fields,” Webb said.

The first to speak at the gathering was Medina County Commissioner Steve Hambley. He pointed to the formation of the Medina County Land Bank in March 2024 as one success in addressing the problem.

“It’s about economic development,” he said. “It’s about assisting our people. It’s providing those places where people can live and work and thrive and taking a look at those properties and those opportunities, and with those tools, getting it back on the tax rolls.”

Also addressing the issue was Tom O’Connell, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Medina County. He noted the opening of an emergency housing shelter in February as another step forward. Since then, he said, 16 households have exited the shelter with a lease agreement, 32 households have found alternative housing and 22 guests have obtained meaningful employment.

Sandridge Crafted Foods well-being coordinator Cheryl Todd discussed barriers to housing, including high rent, past mistakes and transportation issues. She used real-life examples of past employees to illustrate how these challenges affect hiring.

Medina County Economic Development Corporation executive director Bethany Dentler emphasized that the issue persists despite Medina’s strong economy.

“Home prices keep rising because demand stays hot while supply stays tight,” she said. “We’ve got limited listings of existing homes. Most new home builds are skewed toward the higher priced single-family product.”

The Rev. Henry Pearce of Medina Presbyterian Church, who founded MICAH, delivered closing remarks before speakers answered questions from attendees.

Webb said she hopes participants left inspired to act in their own communities.

“As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to provide for those who are more vulnerable,” she said.