Akron veterans experiencing homelessness may soon have a new option for stable housing.
Akron City Council is set to vote Monday to approve construction of what would be named the Thompson Family Veterans Village. The property, located at Exeter Road and Ericsson Avenue, would serve veterans who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness.
The village, proposed by Axess Family Services, would be built next to Valor Home, Axess’ transitional housing facility for veterans with around-the-clock staffing. It would also be located near the Veterans Service Commission of Summit County, the Akron VA Clinic, which provides outpatient health services to veterans, and an AxessPointe Community Health Center.
“There’s this need locally and nationally for the creation of affordable, safe, good housing stock, and it just seemed to make a lot of sense to create homes for vets right by where we already have programming and services for vets,” said Matt Slater, director of development for Axess Family Services.
Plan for the veterans village
According to a Planning & Economic Development Committee document, the village would be built on land that has been vacant for nearly 50 years. It spans about 7.75 acres. The land is currently owned by the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority.
The document states the village would include 10 one-bedroom homes, each 800 square feet. Every home would have a full kitchen, combined living and dining area, laundry room, bathroom and its own outdoor area.
There will be rent, but Slater said the plan is to keep it affordable — no resident will pay more than 30% of their income. Residents will be chosen through United Way’s Coordinated Entry program, which prioritizes connecting those to stable housing who need it most.
Slater said that, ideally, construction would begin in the late summer or early fall, with some units finished by this time next year. But there are no exact plans yet.
Depending on funding, he said Axess Family Services hopes to create more housing units and potentially a community center in the neighborhood.
“We also want to make sure that it’s responsive to what is needed in Akron and Summit County, that we’re creating the right units,” he said.
Funding includes support from CEO of Montrose Auto Group — a Vietnam veteran
Slater said the project will likely cost somewhere around $3 million to $3.5 million.
Council approved up to $250,000 for the project, said Kyle Julien, director of planning for the city of Akron.
That funding comes from the HOME Investment Partnerships American Rescue Plan Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Its funds are designated for creating housing opportunities for people who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness. Council has just over $3 million of this funding, Julien said.
Slater said there is also funding from Michael Thompson, a Vietnam veteran and CEO of Montrose Auto Group, who the village will be named after. Another $1.5 million will come from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s Housing Development Gap Finance program and about $600,000 will come from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati.
“We’re really excited about what we can do with this vacant property and creating affordable, safe housing for our most vulnerable vets who need it,” Slater said at a city council meeting on May 18.
The need for veteran housing in Akron
Valor Home, which has 36 beds, is constantly at capacity, Slater said.
“There’s a lot of people who are in need of affordable housing,” he said. “Certainly, the current expenses on food, gas and all those things can make already a difficult situation possibly lead to homelessness or having to choose between food and rent and housing and healthcare.”
At the public hearing, Slater said Valor Home expanded from 30 beds to 36 beds about two years ago.
“Today, I could tell you, if we had all those [new] 10 units, we could fill them all and still have a waiting list for Valor Home,” he said at the meeting.
Julien said there is a tremendous need for low-income housing in Akron.
“We’ve got a real mismatch between availability of quality, affordable housing and people’s ability to pay,” he said. “We’re really looking for opportunities to bring what limited funding we have to projects that show promise in addressing those housing needs, and particularly when they’re dealing with vulnerable populations.”
Slater said he hopes to expand into the remaining vacant land in phases. In the meantime, Axess Family Services will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the village on June 25. The community is invited.
Julien said he doesn’t anticipate any issues getting construction approval passed.
“It’s never going to be just one nonprofit or one government entity or any one business,” Slater said of combating homelessness. “It is truly a community issue that we should be able to solve — we can solve — and need to come together.”
Lauren Cohen is a community reporting intern for the Akron Beacon Journal and Signal Akron. The position is funded through a grant from the Knight Foundation.
