By Dawson Fishman
Welcome to January in Northeast Ohio, the coldest month of the year! As we enter the new year, it is important that everybody has access to the resources they need to endure the freezing weather. The most important of these resources? A home with reliable heating.
For many people, especially the unhoused, the cold poses serious health risks. Exposure to extreme cold can lead to dangerous conditions such as frostbite and hypothermia. These conditions disproportionately impact poor minority communities in Cleveland due to segregation, wealth inequities, and an unequal distribution of energy access. As a result, these communities often experience higher rates of energy insecurity, or the inability to acquire stable heating, cooling, electricity, and gas due to economic hardship.
In a study published by the National Library of Medicine, researchers found that disadvantaged households in segregated neighborhoods, especially those with children, face energy insecurity at a higher rate than other communities. In these homes, people often have to choose between purchasing food and heating their residence. Some may even resort to unconventional, and somewhat dangerous, methods such as using a stove or oven to heat the home.
Energy insecurity threatens housing stability. Recently, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne told Cleveland Magazine, “Utility bills are a layer in the stack of monthly expenses for any resident, and as utility bills rise, that potentially makes [individuals] more food and housing insecure.” As utility bills rise, many of our most vulnerable neighbors grow increasingly energy insecure, contributing to a kind of cascade of housing instability.
Using the 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, researchers Jennifer Laird and Diana Hernández found that energy insecurity affects Black homeowners disproportionately when compared to White homeowners. Although renters on average experience greater energy insecurity than homeowners, the reverse is true for Black homeowners. With homeownership comes the responsibility to maintain the physical structure and energy efficiency of a residence. Due to centuries of state-sanctioned discrimination and continued discrimination in jobs and housing, Black families often struggle to pay for home maintenance. This is certainly the case in Cleveland.
Where we live affects virtually every aspect of our lives: the quality of our schools, income, and even life expectancy. In Cleveland, majority non-white communities are disproportionately affected by energy insecurity and housing instability. The effects of these issues are worsened when people face discrimination. The Fair Housing Act protects individuals from discrimination in housing based on a host of protected classes.
At The Fair Housing Center, we believe everybody has a right to stable and safe housing, regardless of their background. In 2024, we received 478 complaints of discrimination, twice the number of complaints we received in 2020. Of these complaints, 54.4% were based on disability status and 19.9% were based on race. When people face discrimination in housing, it often makes a bad situation worse. For example, a landlord may allow a home’s heating system to fall into disrepair in retaliation against a tenant that had a child, which constitutes unlawful discrimination based on familial status.
Winter conditions, especially in Northeast Ohio, are more than an inconvenience—they are a threat to health, housing stability, and long-term life outcomes. Nobody should be forced to choose between having a meal or having heat, nor should they live in a dangerous, discriminatory environment. At The Fair Housing Center, we work to ensure that discrimination does not determine who gets to stay warm and who does not. Everybody has a right to a warm place to retreat from the cold and a stable home free from discrimination.