Montgomery County, which has about 80 foster care group homes, contains less than 5% of Ohio’s population.
Many people believe that lax local zoning regulations are one of the main reasons why this area has a disproportionate share of foster youth group homes and other residential facilities.
The city expects to propose new zoning changes to regulate group homes at a plan board meeting in October, says a memo from Steve Gondol, Dayton’s director of planning, neighborhoods and development.
Gondol has asked City Commission to vote Wednesday to approve a 180-day moratorium on the acceptance and processing of applications for building permits, zoning, occupancy and conditional use requests related to group homes. It is being presented as emergency legislation to take effect immediately.
Zoning administration has approved or is in the process of approving 10 new group homes in West Dayton, Gondol’s memo states.
Gondol said the city has received 20 additional inquiries about group homes.
“New group home applications are being submitted to avoid potential regulatory changes,” he wrote.
Montgomery County has about 80 groups homes licensed by the Department of Children & Youth.
Hamilton County (home to Cincinnati), Franklin County (home to Columbus), Cuyahoga County (home to Cleveland) and Lucas County (home to Toledo) have about 85 combined.
Group homes have been a burden on law enforcement and the court system, according to the city.
The Dayton Police Department said it responded to nearly 3,000 calls for service at foster group homes in 2023 — which was up 75% from 2022 and more than triple the number of service calls in 2021.
Many youth in local group homes hail from other parts of the state. That means they are often hours from their families, friends and communities.
City leaders say they worry about the health and safety of youth in group homes. They also believe an oversaturation of these facilities is causing harm to the community.
About the Author
