Housing agency’s closing creates void in services
By Kathleen Folkerth
SUMMIT COUNTY — Local residents struggling to pay their rent or in need of emergency home repairs have one less place to turn.
The Summit County Housing Network is no longer in existence, according to Michelle Colopy, former executive director of the organization.
“We worked very hard for
a year and a half to merge with another nonprofit,”
Colopy said. “We talked to a couple of our member
groups, but one of our funders said if you merge, you
will both lose funding. It put us in a large predicament.
We decided to close.”
That decision was made last December.
Since then, Colopy, of West Akron, has been tying up
the loose ends of the organization.
Colopy said the Housing Network
was started about 16 years ago by a group of housing
advocates working with the Catholic Commission of Summit
County and its executive director, Tom Allio.
“He saw a lot of issues
that they couldn’t deal with, so he and some housing
advocates got together to provide information to the
community, provide support and develop housing for the
poor and working poor,” Colopy said.
Vicki Nighswander provided leadership
the first decade and Colopy came on board next. Since
its founding in 1989, the
group has assisted 589 homeowners with emergency home
repairs, placing more than $900,000 into the local economy
working with local repair contractors. The organization
also presented more than 100 free home repair workshops
to teach people how to maintain their homes.
The group’s work will be
missed, according to Allio.
“The Housing Network under
Michelle Colopy’s leadership was an outstanding
asset to our community,” he said. “They
were effective advocates for public policy as well as
assisting people with minor home repairs and collaborating
with the housing community. I’m very disappointed
that this vehicle is no
longer going to be able to serve the interests of low-
to moderate-income families of Summit County.”
Colopy said the network was funded
mostly by the city of Akron and Summit County as well
as by private sources. The budget ranged between $300,000
and $500,000 a year, she added.
Residents seeking help had to
meet income guidelines, but unlike some other programs,
people of all ages were served, Colopy said.
She said changes at the federal
level had gradually led to the decrease of funds available
for the network and all nonprofits.
“With the homeless, there
was a big outpouring of concern, and then it
seemed to stop,” she said.
“The poor get poorer quietly. We don’t see
them out rallying in the streets or in bread lines,
but food banks will tell you there are more and more
people coming for food. All the agencies are running
out of money sooner and sooner, and there are always
more people to serve.”
Colopy stressed that many of
the people the network served were employed but not
making enough money to improve their housing and support
their families.
“For a person to afford
a two-bedroom apartment, they need to make $12 an hour,”
she said. “On minimum wage, you cannot live in
a two-bedroom apartment.”
Allio said the Catholic
Commission, which has begun 26
nonprofit agencies in the county during the past 30
years, has no plans to start up a new organization to
take the network’s place.
“We will continue to collaborate
with affordable housing advocates throughout the community,”
Allio said.
Colopy said the network’s
phone calls have been transferred since January to the
Kenmore Development Partnership, where she now works.
She added she has received about 10 to 20 calls a week
from people looking for help from the Housing Network.
“The money just isn’t
there,” Colopy said. “It would be nice if
there was another nonprofit, especially
in advocacy, who could bring the groups together.”
“Strong and effective advocacy
is not always appreciated, respected or adequately funded
in Summit County,” Allio said. “To a great
extent the Housing Network is a casualty of that kind
of thinking.”
In the meantime, Colopy recommends
people in need of housing assistance contact Info Line,
available by dialing 3-1-1 or (330) 376-6660.
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