Federal cuts have strained Summit County’s ability to provide food for residents in need, County Executive Ilene Shapiro said Wednesday during her 2026 State of the County address. But at the same time that federal and state edicts have limited some services, Shapiro said, county residents and officials can take it upon themselves to serve the community and help move the area forward.
“It will be people who determine the future of Summit County,” Shapiro said to a crowd of hundreds at the John S. Knight Center in downtown Akron. “…The future of Summit County will not be written for us. It will be written by us.”
One way the county is doing that is through the creation of a $45 million Summit Health and Safety Innovation Fund, which Shapiro announced at a similar event in 2024. The fund, which is intended to pay for innovative solutions to addiction and other health challenges, is expected to begin making grants next summer, Shapiro said.
Additionally, a $5 million Summit County Community Empowerment Fund will provide grants to support minority and disadvantaged communities that were harmed by the opioid epidemic. That fund will open grant applications in November, Shapiro said.
Both funds originated from the $110 million settlement the county received from companies that made and marketed prescription opioids.
Donna Skoda, a senior administrator with the county who is helping shepherd the two funds and the retired Summit County health commissioner, said after Shapiro’s speech that the money could pay for supportive housing or other best practices that could affect the social determinants of health. She said the funds are exciting for the impact they could have in the area; the county’s contribution will be treated as an endowment that will continue to grow.
“The money will live forever,” Skoda said. “It’s really intended to be a game changer.”
Tracy Carter, the president and CEO of the Trailhead Community Health Foundation, said the county funds are complimentary to the work her organization, which was formed by the sale of Summa Health, intends to do. She called the details Shapiro shared about the funds’ progress “exciting announcements.”
Artificial intelligence helping non-emergency callers get answers
Shapiro’s focus on the impact residents can make in Summit County comes as artificial intelligence is gaining influence over our everyday lives, she said. While the technologies are remarkable, Shapiro said, they’re still just tools.
The county is using those tools to answer non-emergency calls to the Summit Emergency Communications Center and answer questions about fireworks, trick-or-treat times or other community events. She said the AI-assisted technology, called AVA, answered 83 percent of the 190,000 non-emergency calls the communications center received in a year and resolved 65 percent without the need of a dispatcher.
That lets dispatchers focus on answering emergency calls, Shapiro said, and serve residents quickly and effectively.
Carter called AVA, and the way humans and technology worked together for the county, “inspiring.”
In her speech, Shapiro shared a litany of county government successes. They include the near completion of the 135-mile Summit Connects fiber network, the creation this year of the Summit County Pro Bono Collective to pair volunteer lawyers with residents in need of assistance, and investments in downtown buildings like the Polsky Building and the Ohio Building, the seat of Summit County government.
Additionally, she praised the Polymer Industry Cluster for the funds it continues to bring in and said sewer infrastructure projects in Peninsula and Boston Township will allow the county to continue to grow.
Federal cuts affecting housing, food
But the county faces challenges, too. In the past, Shapiro said, she had spoken about the ways Summit County had benefited from a strong economy and the sense that momentum was on our side.
“Today, the conversation is a bit different,” she said. “The winds have shifted, and we find ourselves navigating powerful headwinds. Economic uncertainty, rapid technological change and a political environment that seems to grow more dynamic and unpredictable by the day.”
That dynamic has affected residents in many ways, she said. Housing availability and affordability remain a challenge, she said, and an economic and workforce issue. While the county could use more federal dollars to support housing, Shapiro said that, in the past year, Summit County has invested $5 million in federal funding to improve more than 350 homes.
Federal cuts have created new barriers to people’s ability to access food aid, she said, weakening access to programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. In every month in 2026, she said, fewer people accessed the benefits than they did last year, including a 19 percent reduction in July compared to the previous year.
“This likely means more families and more vulnerable individuals will not have enough food,” Shapiro said. “Folks, this is serious.”
Greta Johnson, Shapiro’s assistant chief of staff and communications director, said the county was operating with fewer Job and Family Services staffers due to federal cuts. Because of new verification requirements, she said, calls are taking longer. That means fewer people are receiving help.
“People are scared,” she said. “People are worried about benefits.”
Story of Summit County has not been one of waiting
The county has worked to help residents who are at risk of losing benefits through participation in a Benefit Bridge program, Shapiro said. Summit County’s success with the program, she said, led to it being selected to help create an Ohio Works First pilot program. That program is intended to help residents at risk of losing benefits they needed to survive as they move into jobs that may pay more, but not enough to cover their expenses.
Summit County was also selected for an Adult Protective Services innovation grant, meant to help older adults stay in their homes, and for a federal grant meant to connect those affected by substance abuse with resources.
The future remains uncertain as the economy evolves and technology continues to reshape the world, Shapiro said. But she urged people to vote, reminding them that democracy needs residents to keep speaking out.
“Our future does not depend on the direction of the wind,” she said. “It depends on the strength of the people holding the wheel. The story of Summit County has never been one of waiting for permission or rescue or waiting for someone else to determine our fate.”
Laura Duda, the vice president of strategy and engagement for Stark State College, said Shapiro’s speech was “inspiring, as always.”
“We’re charting the course and defining our success,” she said.
