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Massillon's Affordable Housing: Three Decades of LIHTC Development in an Industrial City
CATEGORY
Affordable Housing
DATA
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
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Affordable Housing
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
Massillon, Ohio, has a notable Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funded affordable housing inventory. The city's LIHTC program has produced 272 total units, with 200 designated as low-income units. Given the estimated 16,492 housing units in Massillon, LIHTC-funded affordable housing comprises approximately 1.65% of the city's housing inventory.
Massillon has received $1,775,917 in project tax credits through the LIHTC program. With approximately 6 projects, this equates to an average of $295,986 in federal funding per project. The average federal funding per unit is $6,529. Massillon's share of Ohio's total LIHTC funding is 0.42%, indicating a modest portion of the state's affordable housing resources.
The city's involvement with LIHTC-funded affordable housing began in 1994 with the Massillon Senior Apts project and continued through 2020 with the completion of the Mayflower Apartments. This 26-year span demonstrates a sustained commitment to affordable housing development. The 2010s saw the most affordable housing activity, with projects such as Massillon Senior (2011) and Yorkview Apartments (2016) being completed. This decade marks a period of increased focus on affordable housing in the city.
The LIHTC-funded housing in Massillon includes a variety of unit types: 25 one-bedroom, 90 two-bedroom, 34 three-bedroom, and 57 four-bedroom units. This diverse range of unit sizes suggests an effort to accommodate various household compositions within the affordable housing stock.
Over the past decade, Massillon's population has remained relatively stable, with approximately 43,000 residents. The median income has shown a general upward trend, increasing from $44,449 in 2013 to $53,730 in 2022. This rise in median income may indicate a changing economic landscape in the city. Racial demographics have remained fairly consistent, with the white population representing the majority at around 87-90% throughout the decade. There has been a slight increase in the percentage of residents identifying as two or more races, rising from 1% in 2013 to 5% in 2022. The city's most recent LIHTC project, the Mayflower Apartments, was completed in 2020, aligning with the period of relative demographic stability and income growth.
Massillon's LIHTC-funded affordable housing inventory represents a small but significant portion of the city's housing stock. The city has maintained a consistent approach to affordable housing development over more than two decades, with increased activity in the 2010s. The diverse range of unit sizes in LIHTC projects suggests an effort to meet varied housing needs. While the percentage of affordable housing units is modest compared to the total estimated housing inventory, it represents an ongoing commitment to providing affordable options in a city with stable demographics and rising median incomes.
