Tom Hardesty
The Summiteer

Summit County is considering ways to improve housing availability in the county, and it wants residents’ input to help tackle the issue.

The Summit County Executive’s Office and Summit County Lank Bank are sponsoring a new community housing initiative called the Summit County Housing Research Collaborative to facilitate discussion about various housing needs, from affordability to zoning and everything in between. The SCHRC is a community-driven effort to better understand the state of housing in the county, identify needs, establish priorities and develop recommendations.

Over three months, residents, professionals and other stakeholders will have several opportunities to attend listening sessions and share their insights and opinions about different housing topics. Information from these sessions will be used to develop a report containing priorities and recommended actions.

The first in-person listening session was held March 12, with others scheduled for March 26, April 16 and April 30 at the Ohio Means Jobs Center at 1040 E. Tallmadge Ave. in Akron. There will be additional listening sessions focused specifically on the homeless population May 7 at the American Red Cross at 501 W. Market St. in Akron. Sessions will run for approximately 90 minutes, with multiple sessions each day. The sessions are open to the public.

To learn more and register to participate, visit https://co.summitoh.net/SCHRC. METRO RTA will provide free bus rides for individuals in need of transportation; riders will need to show a paper or digital copy of the event flyer.