Akron Mayor Shammas Malik described Unify Akron’s nine housing recommendations in May as perfect timing for future collaboration. Six months later, he updated residents on efforts to advance the proposals.
During Unify Akron’s progress report event on Thursday evening, Malik outlined three planned city actions that align with parts of the group’s housing recommendations:
- Establish a housing docket in Akron Municipal Court.
- Launch a publicly accessible housing code violations database.
- Reinstate administrative hearings to strengthen housing code enforcement.
Malik also addressed other recommendations during the event held at The Well CDC in Akron’s Middlebury neighborhood.
- Criminal history protections in housing: The City of Akron’s law department is preparing legislation to implement Issue 12’s housing protections. The charter amendment, which passed Nov. 3, is expected to take effect on Dec. 3. City Council is required to adopt legislation by March 3, 2027.
- Tiny homes: Akron’s first tiny home community in East Akron is under construction through a partnership with Axess Family Services and Thompson Family Veterans Village — $250,000 from the city will go toward 10 of these homes for veterans experiencing homelessness.
- Comprehensive zoning reform: Two pieces of legislation have been approved, including eliminating minimum lot size requirements.
- Dedicated housing funding: In collaboration with the Development Finance Authority, the city is exploring the creation of an affordable housing loan fund. An update is expected by May 2027.
- Home repair assistance: Malik said the city is exploring options for a sustainable home repair assistance program, including potential funding sources and partnerships.
- Down payment assistance: Akron Dreams, a new down payment-assistance program launched by the city in August, provides $7,500 to eligible first-time homebuyers. The $300,000 committed to the program is expected to help about 35 families. The first participant closed on a home in October.
“We believe that everything in this recommendation can become a part of our city,” Malik said.
When will new housing plans begin?
Many of the housing initiatives are expected to begin in 2027 or be included in the city’s 2027 operating budget.
The new housing docket in Akron Municipal Court will begin in the first quarter of 2027. The housing docket will focus on evictions, landlord-tenant disputes, unsafe living conditions and other housing-related cases.
Malik’s 2027 city budget will include funding for a new magistrate position dedicated to housing.
“We’ve heard you,” said Administrative/Presiding Judge David Hamilton, who has been working with the city to establish the housing docket. “And we’re taking the charge to make this a better community for the litigants that come through Akron Municipal Court.”
“We want to give people hope. We want to give people opportunities for better housing, for fair housing,” Malik said.
“Together,” the mayor said, “these efforts will help us strengthen our code enforcement, address problem properties, and ensure safer, better quality housing in our neighborhoods.”
The city also announced additional housing initiatives.
- The Public Code Violations Database is an online resource that allows residents, prospective homebuyers, renters, real estate professionals and property owners to access housing code violation information. Access to the database will launch Friday, Nov. 13.
- The city reinstated administrative hearings and will now call them Commissioner Hearings. These will provide another opportunity to address unresolved housing code violations, impose potential penalties and hold negligent property owners accountable before cases reach the court.
All of the recommendations were accepted except recommendation No. 8. Recommendation No. 8, which is repair loans for local homeowners, is being explored because the City of Akron is figuring out what a sustainable home repair and assistance program could look like. Audience members that consisted of delegates, elected officials and community members erupted in applause, cheers and pom-poms shaking in the air after each recommendation was announced as accepted.
How the housing proposals were created
Unify Akron, an organization that hosts civic assemblies and civic tables to help solve community problems, randomly selected 65 Akron residents — referred to as delegates — to discuss the shared issue of housing.
Over several months, delegates listened to varying points of view and debated solutions.
During Thursday’s event, delegates Kevin “Smitty” Smith and Wendy Duke reminded audience members of the process. He’s hopeful these conversations will lead to results.
“Oftentimes there’s a report written and submitted to city government,” Smith said. “Plans get ratified, and people have discussions, and ultimately things go on the shelf. In this particular instance, it will be different.”
“Tonight, we’re going to get our answers.”
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How delegates landed on housing, all 9 recommendations
Members of the cohort voted on the following proposals, which received at least two-thirds of the group’s votes:
- Dedicate a group of judges to staff housing-related cases.
- Create civil housing citations classified in a space between a fine and outright criminal prosecution.
- Create a comprehensive database of code violations and more aggressively enforce repeat offenders.
- Designate criminal status as a protected class in housing discrimination cases. The proposal would require landlords to consider the nature of an applicant’s criminal history and how long ago an offense occurred.
- Zoning reform: Permit the construction of tiny homes in the city, part of a comprehensive policy overhaul.
- Create a dedicated housing revenue fund.
- Start a fund for low-cost repair loans for local homeowners who cannot access bank funding for emergency repairs.
- Establish affordability programs that help with down payments.
Successful measures were endorsed by 93% of the cohort, or 56 out of 60 delegates.
Two issues, however, did not secure the necessary votes. Delegates voted down initiatives to hire more housing inspectors and create a fund dedicated to the building and preservation of homes.
The delegates concurred that the most tumultuous topic of their discussions was the methodology of funding, such as who to tax and why. Ultimately, these financial concerns tanked those issues’ chances of passing.
Next steps for Unify Akron
Carla Chapman, managing director of Unify Akron, emphasized how the Unify Akron cohort of delegates found a new way to address decades-old issues.
“The point is not to make recommendations; [it] is to make real, tangible progress toward our shared goal,” Chapman said.
Thursday’s progress report won’t be the last.
In six months — next spring — Unify Akron and community members will gather for another update. For the next two years, the organization will collect information through listening sessions, one-on-one conversations and an online submission forum.
“It is rare residents and city leaders [are] on the same stage,” Chapman said. “Starting from a shared goal and being honest about what’s working and what’s not working yet, and then what comes next.”
“That’s not politics; that’s real collaboration, and that’s the kind of democracy we need in Akron and in our country.”
