The secret is tenant selection, and finding good tenants in the program. 

A whole working business with properties, a booking site and a brand that creates loyalty.

What would be considered the easiest program for small hard money lenders to use to track loans and history and sending out 1098 's?

I will not name every program out there because this would be a very large reply post.

I know of one particular loan program in Columbus (I'd need to see if they service Dayton) that offers 0% down for owner-occupants.

It also keeps to a nationalistic conservative agenda, and without capitalism, it is just cuts to programs, and no investment into other areas. 

If you don’t have a large down payment saved up, don’t worry—there are plenty of options available . . .”A trusted lender will go over the various loan types with you, any down payment requirements on those, and down payment assistance programs you may qualify for.

And with brokerages now offering new agent programs where they will pay 100% of the expense to get licensed, there is literally no reason not to. 

And have you looked into the link below, the Invest Southwest program?

FHA is for sure not going to be an option for him, last option is purchasing from an investor with owner financing, or lease to own program where he will not need traditional financing.