Holmes County advances housing plan, backs Western needs assessment

Holmes County’s housing shortage has moved from a talking point to a practical concern for employers, workers and families trying to stay in the county. The Holmes County Housing Coalition has advanced its action plan, identified potential building sites, and plans to complete 1,400 surveys by late May as it looks for partners to expand affordable housing options across the county.

County and village leaders have also taken a concrete step toward a data-driven response in Western Holmes County. On Nov. 10, 2025, Millersburg Mayor Kelly Hoffee asked Holmes County Commissioners to help fund a Western Holmes County housing needs assessment, and commissioners agreed to support the project. The proposed study carries a $20,000 budget and is expected to be completed by Envision Group LLC of Cleveland.

Officials said the assessment is intended to pinpoint where housing is in short supply, what kinds are most needed, and where new development could fit in Millersburg and nearby western villages and unincorporated areas. The focus includes small and affordable homes, a category that has become central as local leaders frame housing as a workforce-retention issue. County officials said the study could strengthen grant applications, help draw developer interest and possibly lay the groundwork for a future land bank to repurpose vacant and underused properties.

The urgency is not just local. The Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s FY26 Housing Needs Assessment, released Sept. 30, 2025, said rents are rising faster than incomes, affordable rental units remain in short supply and more Ohioans are experiencing homelessness as housing instability grows. A March 13, 2025 report from the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio and the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimated that Ohio was short 264,000 affordable rental homes.

In Holmes County, that gap touches the daily work of businesses trying to hire and keep employees, along with residents who want to remain close to family and work. Holmes County Habitat for Humanity says it partners with local families to help them purchase simple, decent and affordable homes. The Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority, which serves Wayne, Holmes and Ashland counties, says it works with local agencies to provide housing assistance and support services.

With the coalition’s plan moving ahead and the Western Holmes assessment now backed by county commissioners, local leaders are betting that better data will help turn scattered concerns into sites, projects and, eventually, homes.