Randy Tucker and Sharon Coolidge | Cincinnati Enquirer

An earlier version of this story misstated what the study said about FC Cincinnati's role in West End displacement.

More than 4 in 10 West End residents risk losing their homes as a result of rising rents and real estate prices as the neighborhood, adjacent to gentrified Over-the-Rhine, risk displacement.

The's the result of a study released Thursday on housing in the Cincinnati neighborhood.

After years of little to no investment in the historically black neighborhood, it has been thrust into the spotlight as the site of the new FC Cincinnati stadium.

The study, paid for by the team as part of its written agreement to invest in the neighborhood, didn't directly address how the stadium would impact people living there now. Instead, it's a snapshot of current issues. And they're numerous. All told, 1,592 West End households were at some risk of displacement, according the study.

The solution:

• There is a need for 550 rental units that a family of four earning $65,000 or less could afford.

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• There is a need for 148 homes for a family of four earning $100,000 or more.

"Overall, this new study shows that, if the West End is going to retain its cultural legacy as a thriving center of economic and ethnic diversity... (it) requires all stakeholders at the table," said Alexis Kidd-Zaffer, executive director of Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses.

To help, the Port is investing $727,000 this year to stabilize six properties, four of them market rate, two for Habitat for Humanity families. It's revitalizing the Regal Theater and using a $5 million loan fund to help small business thrive in the neighborhood.

The study was initiated as part of a Community Benefits Agreement between The Port and FC Cincinnati and the West End Neighborhood Association.

Meis architects, FCC Cincinnati

The study found the majority of West End residents live in subsidized housing, and therefore are protected from gentrification. But those subsidized properties need to be protected.

"If we just sit back and let things happen, we all know what that's going to look like,'' said Laura Brunner, president and CEO of The Port, alluding to the rapid pace of displacement that could occur if speculators were allowed to buy up most of the available housing.

Brunner acknowledged a need for more affordable housing in the West End. The Port, she said, is working to stem the tide of gentrification by building more market-rate homes and apartments.

"The study highlights what we have believed; that the West End has experienced disinvestment for decades," said FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding. "We recognized that housing was an issue in the neighborhood before we began out project, which is why we contributed $150,000 for this study to guide future redevelopment in an equitable way."

What the study found:

Of all 3,579 total occupied housing units in the West End, about 27% of those households were "extremely threatened'' by displacement.

The households were comprised of low-income renters earning less than $31,350 a year who simply could not withstand a major rent increase, according to the study.

Another 17 percent of West End households potentially facing displacement were middle-income renters earning $31,350 to $50,150 a year, and homeowners with incomes ranging from $18,000 to just over $50,000 a year.

Those households were labeled "very threatened'' or "threatened'' because they could better withstand an increase in rents or property taxes than the extremely threatened group.

All told, 1,592 West End households were at some risk of displacement, according the study.