CONVERGENCE Columbus
CONVERGENCE Columbus is a cross-sector partnership and multi-year initiative to increase Black, minority, and first-generation homeownership in Columbus and Franklin County. It began as a community research project to better understand the structural barriers that were blocking fair access to homeownership in our region. That study identified four key factors:
Information Gap. Myths and misconceptions continue to discourage aspiring homeowners.
Trust Gap. Central Ohio residents lack faith in traditional financial institutions.
Resource Gap. We don’t yet have the right combination of lending tools and homeownership supports.
Market Gap. Starter homes are scarce and limited housing inventory is pushing up prices.
CONVERGENCE Columbus members are organized into workstreams designed to tackle each of these barriers, with volunteer groups meeting monthly to expand community education, create innovative mortgage programs, preserve and support existing homeowners, and bolster the supply of affordable for-sale homes. A research team evaluates and tracks progress.
If you are ready to join CONVERGENCE Columbus or have an idea to close our homeownership gaps, contact us!
Bloom614
Bloom614 celebrates, supports, and brings transparency and guidance to every step of the homeownership journey for Columbus’ Black and minority communities (that means the fair housing stuff isn’t buried in a footnote, compliance with federal, state, and local laws is front and center!)
It is a comprehensive, public resource for aspiring homebuyers and existing homeowners that was created by CONVERGENCE Columbus’ Outreach & Education workstream.
It offers customized and localized tools made for Columbus residents, including a mortgage readiness quiz, a homeownership journey map to visualize the path ahead, an app to search down payment programs, practitioner profiles to build a professional team, and preservation resources to sustain the dream.
Contact us to learn how you can share this resource, or how you can create your own Bloom614 profile.
homeownership Education for the next generation
For way too long, the road to homeownership began on a Saturday morning, in the back of a high school gymnasium at a cattle call “housing fair” with hundreds of other residents fighting to get ahead. Not exactly dignified or bespoke.
Bloom614 wants to revolutionize how Ohioans kickstart their homeownership journey. That’s why we’re hosting celebratory, interactive, small-group conversations that build both knowledge and community.
Because who says you can’t learn about mortgage loans while also building a gingerbread house? Or talk to an independent real estate agent while making a wreath to hang on the first door you ever own? Have an idea for the next Bloom614 event? Let’s brainstorm it!
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![A family of three in a bright living room, with a large window showing an outdoor view. The woman is holding a young child, and a man stands beside them, all smiling and interacting.]()
Watch the "Case for Change" Video, 2022
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![Two men smiling and talking outdoors near a white car, with trees and fall foliage in the background. One man has a beard and is wearing a white sweater, the other wears a gray knit cap and a yellow sweatshirt.]()
View the Housing Professionals Survey, 2022
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![Two people smiling and talking in a bright room with large windows, one man and one woman standing near a countertop with a cardboard box.]()
Read the HMDA Data Report, 2023
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![A man and woman smiling and talking near a wooden door with glass panels, in a bright room with a window and greenery outside.]()
Watch the Growing Homeownership Fund Launch, 2024
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![A diverse group of three people, two women and one man, having a discussion while sitting on a sofa during a meeting.]()
View the ADU Innovation Sprint Report
Who CONVERGENCE IS
CONVERGENCE Columbus is a coalition of 120+ organizations
It is housed at the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio and
was originally launched by the Mortgage Bankers Association, the Ohio Housing Finance
Agency, and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University.
We express our deepest thanks to Huntington National Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and Fifth-Third Bank for their cornerstone support of this initiative. CONVERGENCE is a trademark of the Mortgage Bankers Association. To learn more about the national movement, visit the Mortgage Bankers Association website.
Convergence Columbus relies on community support to sustain ahaco’s administrative support.
See how your gift can help keep this work moving forward.
Visit our Donation page to support this project or contact our team to share ideas for support.
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AHACO staff facilitate workstream meetings, complete coalition assignments, design and execute the impact plan, maintain coalition tools like Bloom614, and provide leadership to the project. Foundational donations from Huntington Bank, Fifth Third, and JPMorgan Chase built a solid foundation. Your organization can join these iconic founders with a $100,000 operating gift to support a full year of homeownership innovation with CONVERGENCE Columbus.
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Contact AHACO to explore project-specific grantmaking opportunities. Past examples have included funding for new down payment initiatives, housing counseling innovations, and the next generation of homebuyer education and public outreach.
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Joining AHACO’s Strategic Advisory Council provides flexible support for a variety of affordable housing initiatives, including CONVERGENCE Columbus, and also opens an all-access pass for your organization to join AHACO’s movement and engage with our team and committees.
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CONVERGENCE Columbus is an all-volunteer coalition of local leaders who are driving homeownership forward. There’s a home for everyone in our workstream meetings, and we need all our skills and talents to close the homeownership gaps.