All-In Cincinnati:
Equity Is the Path to
Inclusive Prosperity
James A. Crowder Jr.
October 2018
Supported by
USC Program for Environmental
& Regional Equity
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 2
Foreword
The story of Cincinnati is a tale of two cities. The rst
Cincinnati exemplies its reputation as the Queen City, a bright
light in the dark night run toward freedom. This Cincinnati is
considered by many to be “the northernmost southern city.”
Home to the Bengals and the Reds, Oktoberfest, and the
long-running Cincinnati Music Festival—the largest annual
weekend driver of tourism among surrounding states.
And then, there is the other Cincinnati. The city where many of its
residents do not benet from the richness that is here. The place
where the voices of those who suer compounded inequities are
often not heard. One of the most segregated communities in the
nation. A city where racism far too often prevails.
Produced in 1968, a year after waves of national civil unrest,
the Kerner Commission Report warned that unaddressed racial
turmoil would result in two nations: one Black and one White.
The State of Black Cincinnati: A Tale of Two Cities written 47
years later in 2015 conrmed that, for Cincinnati, not much
had changed.
For those of us on the All-In Cincinnati Core Team, this latest
report shook us to our core. So, at the end of 2015, a group
of Cincinnatians attended the PolicyLink Equity Summit in
Los Angeles, to learn from other advocates from across the
country about how we attack the racial and economic
inequities here in Cincinnati. We came home, armed with the
focus and drive to use our power to make our city a better
place for all. Three years later, we are excited to launch a
policy agenda for a more equitable Cincinnati.
The foundation for this agenda was already laid by the work of
courageous citizens and policymakers who birthed the
Collaborative Agreement, the Citizens Complaint Authority, the
Community Police Partnering Center, the Minority Business
Accelerator, the Wage Theft Ordinance, and the Pre-School
Promise. But we’ve barely scratched the surface of income
inequality and the mass incarceration issues facing people of
color in Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The status quo is
simply not working for the majority of our community. We
invite you to study this report with an open mind, an open
heart, and an eye toward what each of us can do to contribute
to this movement. The time for change is now. The force for
change is all of us.
The All-In Cincinnati Core Team, consisting of representatives
from the following organizations:
AMOS Project
Child Poverty Collaborative
Cincinnati Black United Front
Cincinnati Union Cooperative Initiative
City of Cincinnati Human Relations Commission
City of Cincinnati Economic Inclusion Department
City of Cincinnati Health Department
Collective Empowerment Group
Intersections
LISC of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky
Strive Partnership
Urban League of Southwestern Ohio
The Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 3
Overview
Cincinnati is an economic powerhouse, yet it struggles with
uneven growth, high rates of poverty, and an economy
dominated by low-wage jobs and few pathways into the middle
class. While communities of color account for only 33 percent
of Hamilton County’s population—up from 23 percent in 1990
1
—racial inequities persist across all indicators of community
health and well-being. To build a stronger Cincinnati,
stakeholders must start with equity—just and fair inclusion into
a society in which all, including every racial and ethnic group,
can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. Equity
seeks to counteract the barriers and systemic exclusions
(historic and current) that prevent people from realizing their
potential. Leaders in the private, public, nonprot, and
philanthropic sectors must commit to putting all residents on
the path to economic security through equity-focused
strategies and policies to grow good jobs, invest in human
capital, remove barriers, and expand opportunities for
communities of color currently being left behind.
Introduction
Cincinnati is poised for economic renewal. As home to nine
Fortune 500 companies, the region is an economic
powerhouse.
2
After decades of decline, for six years in a row,
the city of Cincinnati’s population has inched upward.
3
Several
depopulated and disinvested neighborhoods have come back
to life with rehabbed apartments, new stores and restaurants,
public art, and foot trac.
Yet across the city and Hamilton County, many residents, and
many neighborhoods, remain cut o from this new investment
and growth. Within “revitalized” neighborhoods like Over-the-
Rhine, lower wealth residents—disproportionately people of
color—often do not feel that they have been a part of the
revitalization process, or that they benet from new
investments. Many more live in neighborhoods that are still
distressed, with vacant properties and stagnant home values.
And most lower wealth residents have not seen their paychecks
grow even as housing costs have increased. These
Cincinnatians are still waiting for their opportunity to be a part
of the rising tide, and to contribute their energy and talent to
building the new Cincinnati.
Our look at the data conrms what others have already
described: inequities by race, gender, income, and
neighborhood persist across multiple indicators—from
economic inclusion to education to access to healthy and
aordable homes, transportation, jobs, and more. The greatest
inequities are found at the intersection between these
demographic and geographic dimensions: women of color in
Hamilton County, for example, face particular barriers to
accessing quality jobs that pay enough to support a family, and
we also know that nationwide women of color with children
experience the highest rates of eviction.
Cincinnati’s resurgence cannot be complete when these glaring
exclusions persist. For the city and county to prosper, everyone
must participate and benet from growth and development.
One reason for this inclusion imperative relates to changing
demographics: while Hamilton County’s population has
steadily been growing more diverse over the past several
decades, the pace of change is going to pick up. The county’s
Black, Latino, Asian, and multiracial populations will grow and
by 2040 these communities of color as a group will be the
majority. Eliminating racial inequities will become more and
more important as people of color become the majority of the
county’s schoolchildren, workers, and residents.
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 4
Advancing equity—just and fair inclusion—is both the right
thing to do and critical to securing Cincinnati’s economic
future. Research proves that inequality and racial segregation
hinder growth, prosperity, and economic mobility in regions,
while diversity and inclusion fuel innovation and business
success.
4
As baby boomers retire and the region’s workforce
grows more and more diverse, the costs of racial economic
exclusion for Cincinnati—and the value proposition of
inclusion—will continue to rise. Already, our analysis nds that
Hamilton County’s economic output could be almost $10
billion higher every year if racial gaps in income were
eliminated.
This report, and the accompanying data prole, Advancing
Health Equity and Inclusive Growth in Cincinnati, underscore the
urgency of equity for Cincinnati and outlines an agenda to put
the city on the path toward inclusive prosperity. It is based on
interviews and conversations with dozens of Cincinnati leaders,
in addition to a review of the current data, and research on
promising practices and strategies to advance equitable
development and growth.
The report is organized in three sections:
• New Demography describes the demographic shifts
underway in Hamilton County, Ohio.
• The State of Equity in Hamilton County examines how the
county is doing on measures of inclusive growth and
prosperity, looking at the county’s economic inclusion and
vitality, the readiness to participate and contribute, and the
connectedness of the county’s residents to each other and
the county’s assets and opportunities.
• Toward an All-In Cincinnati presents policy priorities to
achieve inclusive prosperity.
The good news is that leaders across the region have set a
foundation for action. Cincinnati’s inequities have been well
documented and conversations about inequality are already
happening. Policy shifts are underway. But it is time to step it
up. Cincinnati’s future depends on changing the odds for its
communities of color.
About the Data Analysis
Unless otherwise noted, all of the data and analyses
presented in this report were produced by PolicyLink and
the University of Southern California’s Program for
Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) and are
included in the accompanying prole, Advancing Health
Equity and Inclusive Growth in Cincinnati. Data were
drawn from the National Equity Atlas longitudinal
database which includes deeply disaggregated indicators
covering the 1979 – 2015 time period as well as more
recent population estimates from the U.S. Census
Bureau for 2016. The focus of the analysis was on
Hamilton County but we also examined the city of
Cincinnati and neighborhoods across the county.
Throughout the text in this report, we use “Cincinnati”
and “Hamilton County” interchangeably to describe the
county but say the “city of Cincinnati” when we are
specically describing the city. The appendix of the
prole includes additional information about methods
and data sources.
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 5
population is expected to decrease from 68 percent to 42
percent of the population while the Black population will
increase from 26 to 33 percent, the Asian population will
increase from 2 to 10 percent, and the Latino population will
increase from 3 to 9 percent.
Hamilton County’s fastest-growing racial/ethnic demographic
groups also tend to skew very young, which bodes well for the
area’s workforce vitality. The median age of White residents is 41,
compared to 25 for Latino residents and 33 for Black residents.
8
These demographic changes also mean that the county’s young
residents are much more diverse than its seniors. Today, 43
percent of young people under age 18 are people of color,
compared with only 21 percent of seniors ages 65 and over.
9
This 22-percentage point racial generation gap between young
and old has risen very quickly, more than doubling since 1980.
This large racial generation gap can have signicant
consequences when it comes to investing in services and
programming for youth, since researchers have consistently
found that White seniors are less likely to support spending on
youth when they are from dierent racial groups.
10
This is
particularly relevant to Cincinnati as the city develops a
concerted eort to combat child poverty, which
disproportionately aects children of color.
11
New Demography: A Growing and Much
More Diverse Hamilton County
Like the city of Cincinnati, Hamilton County is again
experiencing population growth after decades of decline.
Hamilton County counts about 813,800 residents as of 2017, up
from 802,000 in 2010.
5
This is down from 925,000 in 1970—but
represents an important recent upward trend.
This population increase is entirely due to the growth of
communities of color. Since 2000, the county has lost over
72,000 White residents while communities of color (dened as
all groups other than those who self-identify as non-Hispanic
and White) grew by 31,000.
6
Over the same time, the county’s
Black, mixed-race, Latino, and Asian or Pacic Islander
populations all grew in absolute numbers as well as their
population shares. The county’s small Latino population is also
its fastest-growing group.
Demographic projections reveal that these changes are expected
to continue and accelerate. Hamilton County—which was 80
percent White in 1980—is projected to become majority people
of color by 2040, four years before the tipping point for the
nation as a whole.
7
Between 2010 and 2050, the White
Source: U.S. Census Bureau; Woods & Poole Economics, Inc.
Note: Much of the increase in the mixed/other population between 1990 and 2000 is due to a change in the survey question on race.
Hamilton County is projected to become majority people of color in 2040, four years before the nation.
Racial/Ethnic Composition, 1980 to 2050
U.S. % White
Mixed/other
Native American
Asian or Pacific Islander
Latino
Black
White
80%
77%
72%
68%
63%
57%
50%
42%
19%
21%
23%
26%
27%
29%
31%
33%
3%
4%
5%
7%
9%
2%
2%
3%
5%
7%
10%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 6
Economic Vitality: Inequitable Growth Is
Deepening Racial Economic Divides
Hamilton County is experiencing economic growth—as
measured by traditional measures including growth in jobs and
economic output—but its economic growth is slower than the
national average.
12
Moreover, economic opportunities are
diminishing in the county as the number of “middle-wage” jobs
that have typically provided stepping stones into middle-class
economic security for workers with fewer means has decreased.
Since 1979, the share of middle-class households decreased
from 40 percent to 35 percent of all households, while the
share of lower income households grew from 30 percent to 39
percent.
13
The share of higher income households also declined
from 30 to 26 percent, but has increased over the past decade.
While the regional economy has recovered from the Great
Recession, many of the racial and gender inequities in
education, employment, and income have not improved and,
in fact, have in some cases worsened. To ensure a strong
economy and improved growth, the county will need to
address the following challenges.
The State of Equity in Hamilton County
Given the county’s rapidly changing demographics, ensuring
that the Black, Latino, Asian, and mixed-race communities that
represent a growing share of workers and residents are able to
participate and thrive is critical to the city of Cincinnati’s and
Hamilton County’s success. To better understand the current
state of equity, we examined how the county is doing across
three major dimensions of equitable growth.
• Economic vitality: How is the county doing on measures of
economic growth and well-being?
• Readiness: How prepared are the county’s residents for the
21st century economy?
• Connectedness: Are the county’s residents and
neighborhoods connected to one another and to the county’s
assets and opportunities?
30%
39%
40%
35%
30%
26%
1979 1989 1999 2014
Lower
Middle
Upper
$33,962
$82,303
$87,012
$35,904
The county’s middle class has declined.
Households by Income Level, 1979 and 2014
Source: Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Universe includes all households (no group quarters).
Note: Data for 2014 represent a 2010 through 2014 average. Dollar values are in 2014 dollars.
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 7
• Racial barriers to good jobs and fair pay. While the overall
unemployment rate in Hamilton County is lower than the
national average, workers who are Black, Latino, or with
multiracial backgrounds face much higher rates of
unemployment than White workers. The unemployment rate
for Black workers in Hamilton County (17 percent), is almost
three times that for White workers (5.6 percent).
14
In
addition, although unemployment declines as education
levels increase, African Americans face the highest rates of
unemployment at all education levels, signaling that
employment discrimination continues to play a role.
15
For
example, among those with a bachelor’s degree or higher,
Black workers are still more than twice as likely as Whites to
be unemployed.
16
Black workers also earn lower wages than
their White counterparts at every education level. Among
college-educated workers, Black workers earn $6/hour less
than their White counterparts ($23 compared with $29).
17
• Working poverty, particularly for women of color. The
share of workers who are considered working poor (dened
here as working full-time for an income below 200 percent of
the federal poverty level) is both on the rise in the county
and is higher among communities of color. Working poverty
is particularly a problem for Latinos, with more than one in
ve Latino workers working full-time with family income
below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Women,
particularly women of color, are also disproportionately
represented among the working poor.
Nationally, women are nearly two-thirds of minimum-wage
workers, and 40 percent of all households with children under
age 18 include mothers as the sole or primary source of
income.
18
Similarly, nearly half of low-wage women workers are
women of color.
19
In Ohio, 19 percent of working Black women
and 19 percent of working Latina women between ages 25 and
64 are classied as working poor, compared to only 8 percent
of White women in the same age group.
20
8.6%
5.4%
17.6%
18.1%
6.4%
10.2%
All
White
Black
Latino
Asian or Pacific Islander
Mixed/other
Source: Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Universe includes the female civilian noninstitutional population ages 25 through 64 who
worked during the year prior to the survey (excludes group quarters).
Note: Data represent a 2010 through 2014 average. Data for some racial/ethnic groups in some years are excluded due to small sample size.
In Hamilton County, Black and Latina women are the most likely to be working full-time and still economically insecure.
Female Working-Poor Rate by Race/Ethnicity, 2014
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 8
Readiness: Educational and Health Barriers
Are Holding People of Color Back
In addition to being able to access good jobs and rising
incomes, Cincinnati’s current and future workers must be
adequately prepared to participate in—and build—the next
economy. Given today’s knowledge- and technology-driven
economy, this means gaining a college education or another
postsecondary certicate or credential. Several community
leaders in the education and health sectors interviewed for
this analysis spoke specically about the need to increase the
number of students engaged in STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and math) education. Hamilton County is
showing some signs of progress: more of the county’s youth
are getting high school diplomas and the number of 16-to-24-
year-olds who are not enrolled in school and lack a high
school diploma fell by 40 percent from roughly 7,000 in 2000
to 3,000 in 2014. While the number of “disconnected youth”
who are neither in school nor working dropped slightly from
approximately 13,000 in 2000 to 12,400 in 2014, there is still
racial inequality. Only 37 percent of all youth are people of
color, but are 56 percent of disconnected youth.
21
The future of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is contingent
upon the ability of its youth to power its economy in the years
to come. Unfortunately, a signicant segment of Hamilton
County’s workforce lacks access to the education needed to
take advantage of the technological and information-based
jobs of the future. According to the Georgetown Center for
Education and the Workforce, 41 percent of all jobs in Ohio
will require an associate’s degree or higher by 2020.
22
Currently, only 23 percent of Latino immigrants, and 25
percent of U.S.-born Black working-age residents in Hamilton
County have that level of education.
23
If the Cincinnati region
is to remain a competitive site for Fortune 500 companies,
the region’s education and workforce training systems must
support and increase the ability of people of color to succeed
in jobs of the future.
23%
25%
40%
42%
49%
50%
65%
70%
41%
Hamilton County could face a skills gap if it does not increase educational attainment among growing segments
of the workforce.
Share of Working-Age Population with an Associate’s Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity, 2014, and Projected Share of
Jobs that Require an Associate’s Degree or Higher, 2020
Source: Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce; Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Universe for education levels of workers
includes all persons ages 25 through 64.
Note: Data for 2014 by race/ethnicity and nativity represent a 2010 through 2014 average for Hamilton County; data on jobs in 2020 represents
a state-level projection for Ohio.
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 9
Connectedness: A Shortage of Healthy,
Aordable Housing Options
Housing is the foundation for opportunity. The location and
quality of a home that one can aord aects not only the living
space, but also determines the quality of schools for children,
health and safety for families, the length of commute for
workers, and more. Unfortunately, the number of housing units
aordable to low-income households in Hamilton County has
not kept pace with the number of households in poverty, which
has increased by 40 percent since 2000.
24
More than half of all
renter households in the region are housing cost-burdened,
meaning that they are spending more than 30 percent of
income on housing costs. The high housing burden also
impacts homeowners, with 25 percent of homeowner
households cost-burdened. This lack of aordable housing in
Hamilton County disproportionately impacts Black residents.
Sixty-one percent of Black renter households are housing
cost-burdened, as are 39 percent of Black homeowner
households. A major reason for the sizeable share of housing
cost-burdened households is that housing costs in the region
have increased, while wages have remained stagnant. Rents in
Cincinnati are rising at a faster pace than any other major
metropolitan area in the Midwest.
25
In fact, the eviction rate in
Cincinnati ranks among the 10 highest eviction rates for
metropolitan areas across the country.
26
Limited access to safe and aordable housing options forces
many residents to move further away from high-opportunity
neighborhoods and commute to work. As one elected Hamilton
County ocial interviewed for this analysis noted, job centers
have shifted away from downtown Cincinnati and the public
transit system hasn’t reacted to that reality. Unfortunately, very
low-income African Americans are the most likely to need to
use public transit. Sixteen percent of Black workers who earn
less than $15,000 per year rely on public transit, compared to 4
percent of White workers in the same income bracket. This
disparity has signicant implications given the number of jobs
in the region that are inaccessible via public transportation. A
recent study conrmed that some 75,000 jobs in Cincinnati are
unreachable by public transit.
27
Source: Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Universe includes all renter-occupied households with cash rent.
Note: Data represent a 2010 through 2014 average.
51.8%
45.4 %
60.5%
43.7%
39.1%
49.1 %
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
25.4 %
23.1 %
38.5 %
25.9 %
24.8 %
35.4%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
More than half of renter households and a quarter of homeowner households in the county are housing cost-burdened.
Renter Housing Burden and Homeowner Housing Burden by Race/Ethnicity, 2014
All
White
Black
Latino
Asian or Pacific Islander
Mixed/other
Renters
Homeowners
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 10
Disinvestment and awed planning have created Cincinnati
neighborhoods that are not conducive to the well-being of
residents. For example, a growing body of research shows that
the long-term success of children is hindered when they are
raised in neighborhoods of concentrated disadvantage—
characterized by poor housing, inadequate public
infrastructure, and high rates of unemployment.
28
In fact,
poverty has been shown to genetically age children compared
with their peers living above the federal poverty line.
29
People
of color in Hamilton County face greater health challenges,
including higher rates of both obesity and diabetes, compared
with their White counterparts.
30
Similarly, the average Black
resident of Hamilton County has more exposure to air pollution
than residents of 83 percent of census tracts in the United
States.
31
This contributes to the fact that Black residents are
more likely than White residents to have asthma.
32
In addition,
data show that Black residents are more likely than White
residents to have a heart attack.
33
The county’s limited
supermarket access (LSA) areas—or communities where
residents must travel signicantly farther to reach a
supermarket compared to residents in well-served areas—are
also home to higher shares of people of color compared with
other neighborhoods.
34
This is a contributing factor in the 71
percent of Black Hamilton County residents who are
overweight or obese.
35
Toward an All-In Cincinnati:
Policy Implications
Hamilton County’s growing, diverse population is a major
economic asset that will help the county compete in a global
economy, but this will only occur if the county’s leaders invest
resources equitably to ensure that all of its residents can
connect to good jobs and contribute their talents and
creativity. Hamilton County’s rising inequity and racial gaps not
only hinder communities of color—they impede the whole
region’s economic growth and prosperity. According to our
analysis, if there were no racial disparities in income, GDP
would have been $9.9 billion higher in 2014. Unless racial gaps
are closed, the costs of inequity will grow as Hamilton County
becomes more diverse.
Our analysis suggests focusing on the following goals to
promote more equitable growth in the county.
$68.3
$78.2
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
$60
$70
$80
$90
Equity
Dividend:
$9.9 billion
The Cincinnati metro area’s GDP would have been $9.9 billion
higher in 2014 if racial gaps in income were closed.
Actual GDP and Estimated GDP without Racial Gaps
in Income, 2014
GDP in 2014 (billions)
GDP if racial gaps in income
were eliminated (billions)
Source: Integrated Public Use Microdata Series; Bureau of Economic Analysis.
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 11
Grow good, accessible jobs that provide
pathways to the middle class
Developing on-ramps to good, family-sustaining careers is
essential to building an “all-in” economy.
• Ensure public investments in community infrastructure
such as roads, transit, sewers, and construction projects
create training and job opportunities for the
underemployed and unemployed, with emphasis on
women of color. This can be done by geographically
targeting investments in neighborhoods where
unemployment and poverty are high, by promoting the
negotiation of community benets agreements on large,
publicly subsidized development projects, and by
implementing local and targeted hiring and training
strategies. For example, in 2014, the Revive Oakland
coalition was able to ensure that the $800 million
revitalization of a shuttered army base would also create
economic opportunities for local residents. As a result, half
of the 3,000 jobs created through the project (1,500
construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs) will go to
Oakland residents. In Cincinnati, the concerted mobilization
of residents resulted in a $6 million community benets
agreement to address the impact that the impending FC
Cincinnati soccer stadium will have on the city’s West End
neighborhood.
36
The soccer stadium community benets
agreement will establish a youth soccer program, build local
capacity for aordable housing development, and support
entrepreneurship training for West End residents.
37
In
addition to exploring community benets agreements,
advocates should also ensure that developers are conforming
to their HUD Section 3 hiring requirements as housing
development and construction in Hamilton County
continues.
• Support the expansion of businesses owned by people of
color, especially women of color. A well-crafted, race-
conscious targeted city and county contracting program can
create employment opportunities for people who are jobless
because people-of-color-owned rms tend to hire more
employees of color and people living in the community.
However, the 2015 City of Cincinnati Disparity Study
conrmed that African American business enterprises were
not used proportionately on all prime construction contracts,
prime professional services contracts, or prime supplies and
services contracts.
38
The Minority Business Accelerator
(MBA) launched by the Cincinnati Regional Chamber, and the
Cincinnati Minority Business Collaborative are encouraging
examples of positive steps that Cincinnati has taken to
address this concern. Community leaders should ensure that
these groups are adequately funded and that city and county
procurement strategies take advantage of their expertise.
• Leverage the economic power of large anchor institutions,
such as hospitals and universities, for equitable
community economic development. These anchors can
develop intentional strategies to hire jobseekers facing
barriers to employment, create on-the-job training
opportunities, and purchase more goods and services from
local and people-of-color-owned businesses that provide
local jobs. For example, the Uptown Consortium is a coalition
of anchor institutions in the Cincinnati region with an
intentional focus on the inclusive development of the
interchange at the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive
and Interstate 71.
39
Thus far, the Consortium has successfully
been able to get developers to commit to hiring 25 percent
of women and minority contractors, suppliers, and
construction workers.
40
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 12
Increase the economic security and mobility
of vulnerable families and workers, especially
women of color facing barriers to employment
Neighborhoods and cities thrive when their residents have
sucient incomes to buy goods and services from local
businesses, and invest in their homes and neighborhoods.
• Increase the availability of apprenticeships, career
academies, and other education and training supports
that provide work experience and connections to keep more
youth on the track to graduation, college, and family-
sustaining careers. For example, Cincinnati Arts and
Technology Studios uses arts education to engage at-risk
youth and provide them with skills, credentials, and pathways
to employment. Apprenticeship opportunities can also be
tied to construction projects or companies that receive
public subsidies. Iowa, for example, established the
Apprenticeship and Training Act in 2014, allocating $3
million to expand apprenticeship programs throughout the
state. Since then, Iowa has been among the top states to
register new apprenticeship programs with the federal
government.
41
• Raise the oor on low-wage jobs. Ohio recently raised the
minimum wage to $8.15, and $4.08 for tipped employees.
Tipped workers face poverty at twice the rate of the rest of
the workforce.
42
Given that about three-quarters of tipped
workers in Ohio are women, increasing the minimum wage
would immediately help a signicant number of women and
their families get closer to economic security. Currently,
seven states (Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana,
Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) require employers to pay
their tipped workers at least the regular minimum wage,
regardless of how much is earned in tips.
43
In these states,
the poverty rate for all women is 13 percent lower than in
states that perpetuate the current federally mandated tipped
minimum wage.
44
Advocates and policymakers should also
consider passing living-wage ordinances to set wage
standards for city employees, government contractors, and
companies receiving public subsidies, to ensure that public
spending creates good family-supporting jobs. For example,
Dallas passed a living-wage ordinance for city sanitation
workers in 2015. The wage is based on geographically
specic data related to the cost of childcare, health
insurance, housing, transportation, and estimated family
spending on food.
45
• Prohibit employers from asking about salary history as
part of the job application process. An employer’s reliance
on salary history will eectively perpetuate historical
patterns of bias and discrimination. Eliminating inquiries into
salary history seeks to level the playing eld and empower
women to be able to negotiate higher pay. New York,
Philadelphia, San Francisco, and the state of Massachusetts
have already successfully passed such legislation.
46
• Implement sectoral workforce strategies that connect
workers with lower education levels to high-quality
training programs that lead to gainful employment in
growing sectors of the economy. Such approaches are a
win-win for employers who need access to skilled workers as
well as workers seeking employment. One notable example is
the job-training program that the Mississippi Low-Income
Child Care Initiative (MLICCI) has developed to help women
gain access to higher wage employment opportunities.
MLICCI has employed an innovative approach to layering
existing subsidy programs such as Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) and Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (WIOA)) to be able to provide childcare for
mothers participating in job-training programs leading to
higher wage employment opportunities. By addressing the
potential barrier presented by the need for childcare, MLICCI
has been able to achieve higher program retention rates and
better position participants for success.
47
Cultivate homegrown talent through a strong
cradle-to-career pipeline
Ensuring that all young people in the county, including African
Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, and immigrants, can
access a good education that leads to a career is critical for
developing the human capital to power the Cincinnati region’s
economy in the future.
• Eliminate overly harsh “zero-tolerance” school discipline
policies and replace them with strategies focused on positive
behavior support and restorative justice in order to lower
suspension and expulsion rates and reduce the number of
disconnected youth. Los Angeles Unied School District
eliminated zero-tolerance policies in 2013, because of, in
part, the disproportionate impact on students of color.
48
As a
result, the district has seen a 53 percent decrease in the
number of students suspended.
49
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 13
• Strengthen the K-12 public school system by ensuring
sucient and equitable funding for schools attended by
lower income students. For example, bilingual education and
other language access strategies can help youth who are
English-language learners excel in school. However, it is not
enough to only address in-school time; high-quality
afterschool and youth development activities that provide
learning opportunities outside of the school day are also
critical ingredients for academic success. The Cincinnati
Public School System is already on the right path with the
passage of the District Equity Policy (Board Policy No. 2255
– Equity and Excellence in Education).
50
This equity policy
provides a useful framework for helping the school district
create a robust education pipeline that equips low-income
children with the skills they need to succeed in a 21st
century economy.
Create healthy, opportunity-rich
neighborhoods for all
All neighborhoods throughout the county should provide their
residents with the resources they need to thrive and access to
healthy homes. Housing hazards including lead paint, pests,
and mold can aect the health of families. Advocates should
work to better understand the types and extent of health issues
impacting communities of color, and expand the resources
available to address them.
• Expand use of community health worker model. An
important mechanism for advancing health equity for
residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods across the county
has been the community health worker model. Community
health workers (CHW) are residents trained to assist other
community members in accessing health and supportive
services through the provision of education, role modeling,
outreach, home visits, and referral services. Research has
documented that integrating CHWs into multidisciplinary
health teams is an eective strategy for improving the
control of hypertension among high-risk populations.
51
Similarly, CHWs have also played an integral role in Cradle
Cincinnati’s ability to reduce infant mortality in Hamilton
County to the lowest rate on record.
52
• Facilitate active engagement by all racial and ethnic
communities in local planning processes by implementing
best practices for multicultural engagement (e.g., translation
services, provision of childcare during meetings, etc.). This
approach has already been implemented successfully in
redevelopment eorts in Austin, Chicago, and San Jose.
53
Increase access to high-quality, healthy
aordable homes and prevent displacement
The city and advocates should explore strategies that promote
aordable housing options for low-income residents in a tight
housing market. Resolving any lingering racially discriminatory
housing and lending practices such as those outlined in the
2014 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing is critical to
expanding opportunity for all. In addition, eorts should be
considered to protect aordable housing that is threatened by
mismanagement and disrepair such as the units in the Alms
Hill Apartments.
54
• Identify and support the creation of new sources of
municipal funding for aordable housing maintenance
and development. The Ohio Housing Trust Fund was
created 25 years ago and has provided approximately $700
million for aordable housing development, homeless
assistance, and other essential programs. Unfortunately, this
resource has not been able to support the development of an
adequate number of aordable housing units to meet the
current demand. There are at least four counties in Ohio
(Cuyahoga, Franklin, Montgomery, and Lucas counties) that
have created separate local housing trust funds to meet the
growing demand for aordable housing options.
Policymakers should consider the Cincinnati Aordable
Housing Trust Fund operational framework developed by
Aordable Housing Advocates.
55
• Incentivize aordable housing by instituting regulatory
waivers. Several jurisdictions such as Oakland, California,
have explored ways to expedite permitting and waive certain
regulations (e.g., parking requirements associated with inll
housing) to create a more hospitable landscape for
developers seeking to create aordable housing.
56
• Expand and streamline collaboration. Stakeholders should
consider facilitating a collaboration between nancial
institutions, local philanthropy, and other intermediaries in
order to create new nancing tools for aordable housing
development. Community development nancial institutions
could also play a critical role in supporting the development
of aordable housing through predevelopment loans and
grants, construction loans, and permanent nancing. This
same collaboration could also help create products that make
low-interest home purchase and home-improvement loans
available in targeted neighborhoods, specically those that
have been underserved by nancial institutions.
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 14
• Expand the use of inclusionary zoning. Housing
developments located downtown as well as those along
transit and streetcar lines should be prioritized in order to
maximize construction of new aordable units. Montgomery
County, Maryland, is the oldest example of inclusionary
zoning in the country. Since launching the program in 1974,
more than 12,500 units have been produced.
57
While transit-
oriented development and inclusionary zoning present
opportunities to benet low-income residents, any aordable
housing development in downtown should not be prioritized
over other neighborhoods in dire need, or in high-
opportunity neighborhoods lacking in housing opportunity.
In addition, anti-displacement strategies should be
incorporated into development plans (both residential and
commercial) in areas targeted for revitalization.
• Just cause eviction protections and rent control, along
with other measures to protect tenants from retaliation,
should be considered to help prevent displacement. For
example, New York City guarantees an attorney to all
residents with housing court cases. While this resource
required an initial outlay of city funds for legal services, there
are cost savings in the long run by keeping families out of
shelters and preserving aordable housing units.
• Housing advocates should consider a rent escrow account
program similar to the REAP15 in Los Angeles that directs
rents to cover maintenance and repairs when property
owners repeatedly fail to do so.
Expand democracy and justice
Given the county’s rapid demographic shifts that are being
driven by the growing diversity of the youth population and
increase in the number of immigrants of color, it is important
for local leaders in every sector to proactively take steps to
ensure that there are opportunities for communities of color to
participate in decision making and leadership. Strategies to
build diverse leadership include the following.
• Create a durable countywide equity network of leaders
across race, age, gender, issue areas, and geography to
advance equitable growth strategies and policies. This eort
could build on successful local eorts such as the racial
inclusion curriculum of the Undivided program at Crossroads
Church, or the group of individuals engaged through the
Collaborative Agreement to improve public safety and
community-police relations.
• Support the expansion of existing equitable leadership
development programs. Increased funding for programs such
as Public Allies has the potential to grow the pipeline of
leadership for people of color, especially women of color in the
city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Public Allies
Cincinnati prepares young leaders from underrepresented
backgrounds to advance social justice and equity. The program
engages and activates the leadership capacities of young
people through a 10-month apprenticeship and training
program, and the completion of a team service project.
58
• Expand eorts to reconcile racial injustice. As the city
explores ways to advance racial equity, leaders should
consider strategies to address past racial injustices. Prior to
the 2001 civil unrest stemming from the police shooting of
an unarmed Black man, the City of Cincinnati and the
Fraternal Order of Police entered into a Collaborative
Agreement with the Black United Front to improve relations
between the community and police. While progress has been
made since the Collaborative Agreement was signed, there is
still much room for improvement. It is critical that all parties
remain committed to understanding and addressing implicit
bias and racial proling.
Conclusion
Community leaders in the public, private, and nonprot sectors
are already taking steps to connect its more vulnerable
communities to educational, economic, and healthy housing
opportunities, and these eorts must continue. To secure a
prosperous future, the Cincinnati region needs to implement a
growth model that is driven by commitment to equity.
Concerted investments and policies for, and developed from
within, communities of color will also be essential to ensure the
region’s fastest-growing populations are ready to lead it into
the next economy.
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 15
Acknowledgments
PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional
Equity (PERE) at the University of Southern California are
grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for their
generous support of this project. This policy brief and the
accompanying data prole, Advancing Health Equity and
Inclusive Growth in Cincinnati, are part of a series of reports
produced in partnership with local community coalitions in
Bualo, Fresno, Long Island, Cincinnati, and Sacramento. This
brief lifts up policy solutions to advance health equity, inclusive
growth, and a culture of health while the prole features
additional health indicators to build a data-backed case for
equity. These communities are also a part of the All-In Cities
initiative at PolicyLink, which supports community leaders in
advancing racial economic inclusion and equitable growth.
The prole was written by Ángel Ross at PolicyLink; the data,
charts, and maps were prepared by Sheila Xiao, Pamela
Stephens, and Justin Scoggins at PERE; and Rosamaria Carrillo
of PolicyLink assisted with formatting, editing, and design.
Rebecca Flournoy assisted with development of the framework
presented in the prole.
We also thank the Greater Cincinnati Foundation for their
partnership. The analyses and recommendations in the report
were informed by interviews with key city and county leaders,
and a local advisory committee convened by the Greater
Cincinnati Foundation, Interact for Health, and the United Way
of Greater Cincinnati. We are grateful for the time and
leadership of our local partners and all that they do to build a
more just and equitable Cincinnati.
©2018 PolicyLink. All rights reserved.
PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing
racial and economic equity by Lifting Up What Works
®
.
www.policylink.org
Author Biography
James A. Crowder Jr. is a senior associate at PolicyLink. He
researches and develops policy and community engagement
strategies to create more equitable economic outcomes for
low-income families and communities of color.
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 16
Notes
1 PolicyLink and PERE, Advancing Health Equity and Inclusive
Growth in Cincinnati, (Oakland, CA: PolicyLink and PERE,
2018), pg. 23.
2 City of Cincinnati website, accessed on August 3, 2018,
http://choosecincy.com/Economic-Development/Strategic-
Advantages/Fortune-500-Companies.aspx.
3 Chris Wetterich. City of Cincinnati’s Population Continues
Growth Streak. Cincinnati Business Courier. May 25, 2017,
https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/05/25/
city-of-cincinnati-s-population-continues-growth.html.
4 See the list of studies here: “The Economic Case for Equity
and Inclusion,” National Equity Atlas, http://
nationalequityatlas.org/about-the-atlas/resources.
5 United States Census Bureau website, accessed on August 6,
2018, https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/
hamiltoncountyohio/PST045216
6 PolicyLink and PERE, Advancing Health Equity and Inclusive
Growth in Cincinnati, (Oakland, CA: PolicyLink and PERE,
2018), pg. 21.
7 Ibid, pg. 25.
8 Ibid, pg. 27.
9 Ibid, pg. 26.
10 David N. Figlio and Deborah Fletcher, “Suburbanization,
Demographic Change and the Consequences for School
Finance,” working paper (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau
of Economic Research, 2010), http://www.nber.org/papers/
w16137.pdf.
11 PolicyLink and PERE, Advancing Health Equity and Inclusive
Growth in Cincinnati, (Oakland, CA: PolicyLink and PERE,
2018), pg. 44.
12 Ibid, pg. 31.
13 Ibid, pg. 40.
14 Ibid, pg. 35.
15 Ibid, pg. 36.
16 Ibid, pg. 36.
17 Ibid, pg. 37.
18 Maria Shriver, “The Female Face of Poverty,” The Atlantic,
January 8, 2014. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/
archive/2014/01/the-female-face-of-poverty/282892/
19 National Women’s Law Center, Chartbook: The Women in
the Low-Wage Workforce May Not Be Who You Think,
accessed on November 7, 2017, https://nwlc.org/resources/
chart-book-women-low-wage-workforce-may-not-be-who-
you-think/
20 National Equity Atlas. Percent Working Poor by Race/
Ethnicity and Gender: Ohio, 200%, 2015, accessed on
August 6, 2018, http://nationalequityatlas.org/indicators/
Working_poor/By_gender:40271/Ohio/false/Poverty_
Level:200/Year(s):2015/
21 PolicyLink and PERE, Advancing Health Equity and Inclusive
Growth in Cincinnati, (Oakland, CA: PolicyLink and PERE,
2018), pg. 66.
22 Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce;
Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Universe for
education levels of workers includes all persons ages 25
through 64.
23 National Equity Atlas, Current Educational Attainment and
Projected State/National-Level Job Education Requirements
by Race/Ethnicity and Nativity: Ohio, AA degree or higher,
2015, accessed on August 6, 2018, http://
nationalequityatlas.org/indicators/Education_levels_and_
job_requirements
24 “Housing Aordability in Hamilton County: An Analysis of
Households, Housing Aordability, and Housing Subsidy in
Hamilton County and Cincinnati, Ohio.” LISC of Greater
Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky and Community Building
Institute at Xavier University, February 2017, http://www.
lisc.org/media/ler_public/a1/16/a116fbab-4be3-4704-
98e6-83f633b7d893/asset_upload_le30_13212.pdf.
25 Randy Tucker, “Been Evicted? You Have a lot of Company.
Study Finds Cincinnati Area Has High Eviction Rate, Driven
By Escalating Rents and Poverty,” Cincinnati Enquirer,
October 26, 2017, https://www.cincinnati.com/story/
money/2017/10/26/escalating-rents-and-widespread-
poverty-pushed-cincinnati-into-top-10-metro-areas-were-
residents-fac/798150001/.
26 Sarah Holder, “Where Evictions Hurt the Most,” CityLab,
October 30, 2017, https://www.citylab.com/
equity/2017/10/where-evictions-hurt-the-most/544238/.
27 Jason Williams, “Study: 75k Cincy Jobs Unreachable by
Transit,” Cincinnati Enquirer, November 5, 2015, https://
www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2015/11/05/study-75k-
cincy-jobs-unreachable-transit/75214956/.
28 Barbara Sard and Douglas Rice, “Creating Opportunity for
Children: How Housing Location Can Make a Dierence,”
(Washington: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2014),
http://www.cbpp.org/les/10-15-14hous.pdf.
29 Marisa Taylor, “Poverty ‘Ages’ Genes of Young Children,
Study Shows,” Al Jazeera America, April 7, 2014, http://
america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/4/7/genetic-eect-
povertydisadvantagedchildren.html.
30 PolicyLink and PERE, Advancing Health Equity and Inclusive
Growth in Cincinnati, (Oakland, CA: PolicyLink and PERE,
2018), pg. 73.
31 Ibid, pg. 71.
32 Ibid, pg. 78.
33 Ibid, pg. 80.
All-In Cincinnati: Equity Is the Path to Inclusive Prosperity 17
34 Ibid, pg. 68.
35 Ibid, pg. 74.
36 Cameron Knight, “So What’s in FC Cincinnati’s Community
Benets Agreement with the West End?,” Cincinnati
Enquirer, May 23, 2018, https://www.cincinnati.com/story/
news/2018/05/22/so-whats-fc-cincinnatis-benets-
agreement-west-end/632258002/.
37 Ibid.
38 City of Cincinnati website, Disparity Study Final Report July
2015, https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/manager/assets/File/
City%20of%20Cincinnati%20Disparity%20Study%20
Final%20Report%209-27-2015.pdf. pg. 11-3 – 11-7
39 Bob Driehaus. Way Beyond Happy Talk: Developers and
Uptown Demanding Jobs for Minority and Female Workers.
WCPO Cincinnati, accessed on August 6, 2018, https://
www.wcpo.com/news/insider/way-beyond-happy-talk-
developers-and-uptown-demanding-jobs-for-minority-and-
female-workers.
40 Ibid.
41 Angela Hanks and Ethan Gurwitz, How States Are Expanding
Apprenticeship, Center for American Progress, February 9,
2016, https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/
reports/2016/02/09/130750/how-states-are-expanding-
apprenticeship/
42 Caitlin Dewey, “Maine Tried to Raise Its Minimum Wage.
Restaurant Workers Didn’t Want It,” Washington Post, June
27, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/
wp/2017/06/27/maine-tried-to-raise-its-minimum-wage-
restaurant-workers-didnt-want-it/?noredirect=on&utm_
term=.dcbda215b2b2.
43 National Women’s Law Center and Restaurant
Opportunities Centers United, “Raise the Wage: Women
Fare Better in States With Equal Treatment for Tipped
Workers,” October 2016, https://nwlc.org/wp-content/
uploads/2016/10/Tipped-Wage-10.17.pdf.
44 Ibid.
45 Stephen Young, “City of Dallas Contracts More Expensive,
But Better Workers Are Sticking Around Thanks to Living
Wage,” Dallas Observer, February 23, 2017, http://www.
dallasobserver.com/news/city-of-dallas-contracts-more-
expensive-but-better-workers-are-sticking-around-thanks-
to-living-wage-9211282.
46 Joshua Sabatini, “SF to Prohibit Employers From Asking For
Salary History to Close Gender Wage Gap,” San Francisco
Examiner, June 8, 2017, http://www.sfexaminer.com/sf-
prohibit-employers-asking-salary-history-close-gender-
wage-gap/.
47 Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative, Coupling Child
Care with Pathways to Nontraditional, Higher Paying Work:
Bridging Mississippi’s Skills and Wage Gap, June 2017, http://
www.mschildcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/child-
care-and-work-training-FINAL.pdf. pg. 2.
48 Teresa Watanabe. “L.A. Unied Bans Suspension for ‘Willful
Deance,’” Los Angeles Times, May 14, 2013, http://articles.
latimes.com/2013/may/14/local/la-me-lausd-
suspension-20130515.
49 Howard Blume. “Big Drop in Number of California Students
Who Are Suspended, Expelled,” Los Angeles Times, January
15, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-
california-schools-suspended-expelled-20150114-story.
html.
50 Cincinnati Public Schools, Equity Policy, accessed on
October 4, 2017, https://www.cps-k12.org/about-cps/
board-of-education/equity-policy.
51 National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion, Addressing Chronic Disease through Community
Health Workers, April 2015, pg. 2. https://www.cdc.gov/
dhdsp/docs/chw_brief.pdf.
52 Cradle Cincinnati 2017 Annual Report, accessed on January
18, 2018. http://www.cradlecincinnati.org/wp-content/
uploads/2017/04/Cradle-Cincinnati-2017-Annual-Report-
Compressed.pdf.
53 Urban Land Institute, “Involving the Community in
Neighborhood Planning,” ULI Community Catalyst Report
Number 1, September 2004, http://uli.org/wp-content/
uploads/2012/07/Report-1-Involving-the-Community-in-
Neighborhood-Planning.ashx_.pdf.
54 Monroe Trumbly. “Walnut Hills Residents Face Losing Their
Aordable Housing From HUD,” Cincinnati Enquirer,
September 22, 2017, https://www.cincinnati.com/story/
news/politics/2017/09/22/walnut-hills-residents-face-
losing-their-aordable-housing-hud/693155001/
55 Aordable Housing Advocates website, accessed on January
17, 2018. http://aordablehousingcincinnati.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/07/City-of-Cincinnati-White-Paper.
pdf.
56 Kalima Rose and Margaretta Lin, A Roadmap Toward Equity:
Housing Solutions for Oakland, California (Oakland,
California: PolicyLink, 2015) https://www.policylink.org/
sites/default/les/pl-report-oak-housing-070715.pdf
57 National Low-Income Housing Coalition. “40 Years Ago:
Montgomery County, Maryland Pioneers Inclusionary
Zoning,” May 16, 2014, http://nlihc.org/article/40-years-
ago-montgomery-county-maryland-pioneers-inclusionary-
zoning.
58 Public Allies Cincinnati website, accessed on January 18,
2018, http://publicallies.org/cincinnati.
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