This editorial is the second in a series by the Akron Beacon Journal Editorial Board exploring the impact federal budget cuts and policies are having on this region and its residents.
When you think of homelessness in our community, what do you picture?
Whatever preconceived notions many people have about their unsheltered neighbors is most likely wrong.
As housing costs continue to rise, more people are finding themselves at risk for homelessness.
That’s not surprising, considering a renter in Ohio must earn $22.51 per hour to afford the average rent for a modest, two-bedroom apartment, according to a recent report from the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio. The report found the average Ohio tenant only earns $18.62 per hour
“A lot of what Summit County is seeing is people who are the working poor – people who are working one or two jobs,” Shana Miller, interim executive director of the Summit County Continuum of Care, told the Beacon Journal. “They have an issue with a vehicle or unexpected expense and they couldn’t make their rent. They end up living in their vehicle or house-surfing or end up in a shelter.”
In 2024, 74% of people served by Summit County Continuum of Care programs were considered newly homeless, meaning they didn’t access homeless services in the county within the previous two years.
Meanwhile, the demand for services continues to outpace availability. Last year, an average of 255 households were on a waitlist for shelter or other housing assistance programs on any given day across Summit County,
It’s a problem that’s likely going to get worse – “apocalyptic,” one local advocate for the homeless says – as safety net programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are slashed by the Trump administration.
The president’s budget proposal for the the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 includes $532 million in cuts to federal homeless assistance grants, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
The Trump administration’s plan calls for giving block grant funding to states to administer their own rental assistance programs and proposes a two-year limit on assistance, except for the elderly and people with disabilities.
A whirlwind of federal policy changes and shortened application windows for grants, combined with staffing reductions at U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, have made it challenging for groups that work to assist the homeless and prevent homelessness to do their jobs effectively.
Under the new administration, there’s no longer an appeals process when grant applications to HUD are denied, Miller said. Grant applications for community-based programs are submitted through the Continuum of Care to HUD for consideration.
Adding to the difficulties are federal policy changes that treat homelessness and mental illness as a crime and abolish “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives, resulting in a refusal to acknowledge the systemic issues contributing to homelessness.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “Discriminatory and racist housing policy and practices (including redlining) have created segregated communities and neighborhoods with underfunded schools, over-policing, and less access to economic opportunities. As a result, Black and Brown communities in particular are disproportionately exposed to poverty, poor housing conditions and homelessness.”
In Summit County, Black residents make up 50% of individuals seeking homeless services but only 14.8% of the total population.
Community AIDS Network Akron Pride Initiative (CANAPI) and the vulnerable people it serves were among the latest casualties of Trump’s anti-DEI movement.
CANAPI recently lost $331,000 in federal funding from HUD for two projects: Micah Project, which provides rental assistance to people living with HIV who are homeless; and Lavender Landing, a transitional and rapid rehousing for homeless LGBTQ people aged 18 to 29.
“These are real people that are facing real hardship, and we’re going to do everything we can to support as many as people as we possibly can, but that takes a community effort — especially if the federal government is going to be pulling funds and continue to attack this population, we really need everyday people to step up,” Megan LaConte, CANAPI’s operations director, told Beacon Journal reporter Derek Kreider.
Now is the time to speak up. Let federal lawmakers know it’s not OK to take away supports from our neighbors who need it most.
“Housing is more than a shelter issue,” Miller said. “It’s a public health issue. It’s a public safety issue. It’s a commerce issue.
“… There’s a huge hole in our society when we don’t make sure people are housed.”
Ensuring all Americans have a safe place to live shouldn’t be a political debate − it’s a basic human right.
This piece was written by Akron Beacon Journal Executive Editor Cheryl Powell on behalf of the editorial board of the Beacon Journal. Editorials are fact-based assessments of issues of importance to the communities we serve. These are not the opinions of our reporting staff members, who strive for neutrality in their reporting.
