Mental illnesses are brain disorders that are biologically based medical problems. Untreated, they can cause severe disturbances in thinking, feeling and relating. This results in substantially diminished capacity for dealing with the ordinary demands of life. Mental illness can affect people of any age and occur in any family. They are not caused by bad parenting and not evidence of weakness of character.
Posted in Community, Education, Health, Neighborhoods
Tagged ADM Board, Brain Disorders, Change Direction, Citizens, emotional suffering, emotional well-being, family members, Five Signs, Homeless, Mental Health, mental illness, NAMI, nonprofit leaders, Pledge, Portage Path Behavioral Health, Senior Citizens, Students, Summit County, Veterans, wellness, Youth
Story by Chris Miller, The Akronist
Along this rough stretch of South Street, hope can be an elusive commodity, something just out of reach from the more destitute Akron residents. But at the Hope Cafe, the doors are always open to anyone, regardless of where they come from. Operated by the Akron Bible Church, this small coffee house hosts free meals, AA meetings and Bible studies, among other services for residents to whom many have turned their backs.
Posted in Community, Homelessness, Neighborhoods, Poverty
Tagged AA Meetings, Addictions, Akron, Akron Bible Church, Akron non-profit, Akronist, Bible Studies, Biker’s Sunday School, Coffee House, Community, Downtown Akron, Homeless, Hope Cafe, Neighborhood, Outreach, People in Pain, Sanctuary, South Street, Volunteers
(Editor’s note: this originally appeared in the
Love Akron Network Ford’s Focus)
By Pastor Mark Ford
The other day I almost fell out of my chair while watching a national newscast because, to my surprise, the name of a pastor friend from California was mentioned. Pastor Rick Cole, Lead Pastor of Capital Christian Center in Sacramento, was being interviewed for a human interest piece. Pastor Cole revealed to his very large congregation that he had made a decision to become homeless for two weeks and live on the streets incognito. With only a backpack, he spent 14 days sleeping in alleyways, eating what and when he could, and listening to people’s stories. He said the experience changed his life forever. For those two weeks, he climbed into the world of the invisible and ignored and personally experienced the loneliness and indignity that homeless people endure every day.
By: Katie Cassaro
South Street Ministries (SSM) has come a long way since the last time we caught up with them. Their building is hardly recognizable on the inside anymore, as they’ve remodeled it to house a community café and meeting space for recovering addicts, citizens being integrated back into society after jail/prison, or anyone just trying to stay out of trouble and improve their life.
Posted in Education, Food, Health, Homelessness, Neighborhoods, Poverty, Re-entry
Tagged Akron, Community, Education, Food, Health, Homeless, Neighborhoods, Nonprofit organization, Northeast Ohio, Poverty, Re-entry, South Street Ministries
By: Katie Sobiech
How many people do you know who would leave their comfortable lifestyle, steady job and white picket fence neighborhood to move into, arguably, one of the most dangerous areas in Akron?
A place many wouldn’t even prefer to drive through, let alone live in?
Not many, or even one, right?
Posted in Education, Food, Homelessness, Neighborhoods, Youth
Tagged Akron, Bicycles, Community, Community Development, community garden, Countless ex-offenders, Cycle of poverty, Education, Grassroots Ministry, Homeless, Inner City, Northeast Ohio, recovering addicts, South Street Ministries, Substance abuse, Summit County, Summit Lake Neighborhood, The Front Porch
Good Place Akron 