Better Block Sparks up Change, Reinventing an Akron Neighborhood on May 16th

Story By: Katie Sobiech

Something new is coming to Akron on May 16th – Neighbors Day in Akron – gets closer.  Something we’ve never seen before – a big, bright, vibrant idea that will revitalize life on our streets. Better Block, a neighborhood development effort, was created by forward thinkers who are now blazing a new trail.

This could be a glimpse of the future…

Team Better Block works with cities, developers, and stakeholders to create quick, inexpensive, high-impact changes that improve and revitalize underused properties and highlight the potential for creating great “Complete Streets”. (www.teambetterblock.com)

A Closer Look

Story by Scott Myers and Katie Cassaro

  Last week we looked at some statistics about homelessness in Summit County from the Continuum of Care’s 2013 Point in Time Count.  Let’s look a little more closely at a few more statistics.

Total Number of Homeless Individuals in Summit County

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

824 740 820 859 857 813 862 870

  Until 2014 the numbers seem to depict a pretty stable system with some random variation.  20103 and 2013 show essentially the same number, as do 2009 and 2012.

  On the other hand, the two highest counts occurred in the two most recent years.  Does this indicate a trend?

Homeless in Summit County – an overview on Homelessness

As of 2013, the number of homeless individuals living in Akron/Barberton and Summit County totaled 862 (Source: Point in Time Count 2013 Report).

This includes the total number of homeless persons in emergency and transitional shelters, safe havens, and the unsheltered.

–  19 of these 862 individuals were unsheltered, living outdoors

–  107 were living in emergency shelters that gave them a   temporary place to stay.

–  171 were living in transitional housing, also temporary.

–  572 persons over the age 24 were homeless.

Of the total homeless population, 114 of these individuals were considered to be chronically homeless.

Feeding the future of America, One backpack at a time

By Dorothy Markulis

 

The ubiquitous backpack

It is truly everywhere. Children trudge home from school toting them with a heavy load of items – books, clothes, games and other useful items.

But for some in four community learning centers in Akron, the backpack is a lifeline, saving the elementary students from hunger.