About Us
Central Ohio Housing Action Network (COHAN) provides information on upcoming eviction hearings to tenants and aims to raise awareness about Central Ohio’s eviction crisis and ongoing lack of affordable housing.
COHAN was created by a dedicated group of community organizers in response to Franklin County’s decision to resume evictions hearings in June of 2020, during the nascent COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to concerns over the impacts of eviction on health there were concerns about the racial inequities, which were highlighted over the social unrest during the weeks following the murder of George Floyd.
Housing insecurity plagues many Central Ohio families and threatens the fabric of every community. While the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted many inequities, these issues existed before 2019 and there is no vaccine or panacea that will eradicate them. We must remain committed to working for housing equity and educating tenants of their rights to manifest a future where everyone agrees that housing is a human right.
Since June of 2020 COHAN has built a network of over 375 volunteers (and counting) who have provided contactless delivery of material to over 15,000 local tenants facing eviction. This material contains information on obtaining hearing date and time from the Franklin County Municipal Court, what to expect in court, and the importance of attending the hearing. It also contains contact information for other organizations including IMPACT Community Action (rental assistance), the Legal Aid Society of Columbus, and crisis hotlines.
If you believe that eviction is violence and housing for everyone benefits everyone, join us today. You can help out by volunteering for an easy (contactless) shift delivering “Know Your Rights” materials to your neighbors in crisis. If this doesn’t work for you please contact us at COHousingActionNetwork@gmail.com or on social media - we have many other opportunities.