Cleveland Housing Network, Inc. (CHN) was established in 1981 to respond to the challenges of redeveloping Cleveland’s aging housing stock, increasing the supply of safe affordable housing and providing homeownership opportunities for low-income families who had little or no chance of owning a home through the traditional mortgage industry.

In 1987 CHN became one of the first organizations in the nation to link the Low Income Housing Tax Credit with a lease-to-purchase option, enabling CHN to begin developing homes on a large scale for homeownership opportunities.

The Lease Purchase program allows low-income families the ability to lease a home at an affordable rate with the option to gain significant equity upon purchase after 15 years of responsible residency. The Lease Purchase program is now replicated across the nation and retains its place as CHN’s flagship program.

Over the years, we have added programs and services to support the families we serve and to meet the challenges of our city—training and education, energy conservation and weatherization, and safety net and support services.

Today, CHN is Northeast Ohio’s largest community development organization and energy conservation provider.

Each year, we serve over 20,000 households representing more than 50,000 adults and children. We are able to reach such scale through the many collaborations and partnerships we have developed through our deep track record spanning three decades.