Toledo Housing, Community Development & Public Health Committee Reviews Renter Survey, Retaliation Ordinance, and Code Blue (September 24, 2026)

On September 24, 2026, the Toledo City Council Housing, Community Development & Public Health Policy Committee met at 20:30:00 UTC (listed on the agenda as 3:30 PM) in City Council Chambers. The committee heard presentations on the 'Our Home, Our Rights' renter survey and proposed legislation enacting Toledo Municipal Code Chapter 1766 to prohibit landlord retaliation, then received a Code Blue winter response update and public testimony. The agenda also listed a Capacity Building Institute Cohort Report Out, but that item was not covered in the recorded discussion.

Discussion Items

• Renter survey and housing conditions: Fair Housing Center staff attorneys reported that the city's tenant listening sessions drew well over 150 attendees and close to 500 survey responses. The most frequently reported tenant issues were rising rents, pest infestations, neighbor conflicts, and unhealthy living conditions. A separate Fair Housing Center survey of nearly 150 tenants who had contacted the center found that more than half indicated the highest level of concern about retaliation, stating, 'I am very concerned about retaliation.'
• Anti-retaliation ordinance: The proposed ordinance, modeled closely on Cincinnati's law, would create a presumption of retaliation when a tenant engages in a protected activity, such as requesting repairs or contacting government authorities, and the landlord then takes an adverse action such as terminating a lease or raising rent. It would shift the burden to landlords to prove legitimate good cause. Presenters said current state law is vague and requires tenants to prove retaliatory intent, and that the ordinance would not hurt responsive landlords.
• Housing Court consultation: Councilwoman McPherson asked whether Judge Howe had been consulted. The Fair Housing Center said he had not yet been contacted, and that they planned to prepare a memo for him before the committee votes.
• Code Blue update: Sandra Destano, director of United Way 211, reported that Code Blue was open for 63 days and nights during the 2025-26 winter when the real-feel temperature fell below 15 degrees. The traditional winter crisis program at St. Paul's Community Center, operated for 10 years and serving approximately 45 additional people, will not operate this year because of funding constraints, though St. Paul's will participate in Code Blue nights. Destano asked for more locations, volunteers, and funding, noting the $120,000 ask in the 2027 budget may not be allocated until March 2027. Councilwoman Kramer added that there were 65 nights last year under 15 degrees and that it costs about $300 to feed 70 people.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Sean Kellebauer, president of the board of One Matters, urged the committee to treat unsheltered homelessness as an emergency, asked what emergency funds can be used now for winter response, and proposed a fee on downtown events to fund it. He stated that six people died from cold last year, including Richard Qualpak.
• Taylor Burns, supervising attorney with Legal Aid of Western Ohio, supported the retaliation ordinance, saying it would create a rebuttable presumption if an adverse action occurs within one year of a protected activity and establish clear good-cause standards. She urged council to prioritize eviction-defense and right-to-counsel funding alongside the ordinance.
• A renter, Marsona SARS, described nine years of poor rental conditions, including broken floors, pests, and landlord manipulation, and asked for change.
• Annie Cheslakowski, intake specialist at the Fair Housing Center, supported the ordinance and described clients facing retaliation over repairs, disability accommodations, and rent increases, including a client who lost housing after requesting an emotional support animal. She noted that more than 50 percent of Toledo residents may be renters.
• Venus Chapman ('Miss V') spoke on behalf of a disabled single mother whose rent increased by $100 after each repair request once she became month-to-month; she said Toledo evictions increased 10 percent over the last year and criticized committee attendance on housing issues.
• Sonia Brown, a Toledo resident, spoke in support of Ordinance O 399-26, asking council to preserve protections for disability accommodations, fair housing activity, tenant organizing, and Housing Choice Voucher compliance, and to create a clear reporting process.
• Logan Sultas, a tenant organizer, supported the ordinance and described retaliation such as threats, evictions, unnecessary charges, legal harassment, neglected repairs, non-renewals, physical violence, and sexual violence; he urged the council to enforce the ordinance.
• Paul Radrup, of Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, supported the ordinance, saying prevention is cheaper than back-end crisis response and that the legal deck is stacked against tenants. He noted that, theoretically, a landlord could evict a tenant in about two weeks in Ohio.
• Gloria Allen, a subsidized senior housing resident, described a dispute with her property manager over a transfer request and recertification, saying she felt the manager was trying to put her out.
• Maddie Watkins, a 10-year Saxon House resident and Green Ribbon Initiative representative, described conditions after out-of-state owners bought the building in 2023, including lack of air conditioning, mold, water issues, and a tenant union. She said passing responsibility to nonprofits and churches is not the answer and urged a radical approach.
• Sandra Destano returned to public comment to note that housing calls make up 40 percent of 211 call volume and that keeping housing is the most critical issue.
• Blair Johnson, a contractor and landlord, supported tenant protections, urged the city to repurpose vacant properties for temporary shelters, modernize building codes to allow modular and container homes, and reach out to the private sector. He said there were less than 10 modular homes in Toledo.
• Kiana Walker, a Section 8 voucher holder, described receiving a $1,200 water bill and a vacate notice less than 30 days after moving in, saying her out-of-state landlord in Florida caused her family's housing instability.
• Tommy Rich said he wanted to help by baking and cooking for the community and asked for support.
• Reggie Williams, executive director of Marketplace for All People at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, supported Councilwoman McPherson's call for churches, businesses, and volunteers to help with Code Blue and asked for all hands on deck.

Key Outcomes

• No formal vote was taken; the committee received presentations and public testimony.
• Councilwoman McPherson said she will introduce a funding request for Code Blue and publicly called on churches and community centers to open as warming stations.
• The Fair Housing Center committed to create a memo for Housing Court Judge Howe and to consult him before the council votes on the retaliation ordinance.
• The retaliation ordinance, identified by a public speaker as Ordinance O 399-26 and described as enacting TMC Chapter 1766, remains before council; speakers urged passage and enforcement with dedicated eviction-defense funding.