Building for Tomorrow : Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority

More Than Just Housing

Building for Tomorrow (BFT) is a nonprofit subsidiary of the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority. Our work provides residents of AMHA with the tools they need to reach their potential and to move beyond assisted housing and other public assistance.

At Building for Tomorrow, we know that housing is the foundation of poverty alleviation. But housing alone can not lift individuals out of poverty.
Change happens when individuals have access to things such as education, basic needs, childcare, self-sufficiency resources, community support, quality of life services, job training, transportation, and other catalytic services. And while AMHA is able to start the process by remaining committed to providing quality, affordable housing to Summit County residents, they are not able to provide the supportive programming to sustain it.

That’s why Building for Tomorrow, AMHA’s non-profit subsidiary, believes in offering programs, wrap-around services, and resources to empower our residents to move forward and lift themselves out of poverty.

2/25 residents in Summit County live in AMHA Subsidized housing. This is over 40,000 individuals throughout the county. In fact, 17% of Summit County children ages 0-5 live in our housing. Our residents are your neighbors, your friends, your family, and your community. As the largest landlord in Summit County, BFT is uniquely suited to serve the region’s most vulnerable populations.

Our Current Priority Areas:

Early Childhood Education

Digital Literacy

Community Building

Health and Wellness

Financial Self Sufficiency

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Early Childhood Education

17% of 0-5 year olds in Summit County are in AMHA Housing. Our Early Childhood Initiative provides 2 home visitation programs that prepare kids for kindergarten, hold community events that encourage childhood development, facilitate maternal depression support groups, and make community referrals for our families with young children.

Community Building

BFT manages the Reach Opportunity Center at Summit Lake, a community learning center that hosts Headstart and APS classrooms, community classes, and more! We also hold community building events throughout our properties to facilitate stronger relationships, encourage community watch groups, and connect residents with community resources that help strengthen our neighborhoods.

Digital Literacy

Nationwide, only 54% of households in public housing have access to reliable high speed internet. AMHA’s ConnectHome Akron initiative bridges the digital divide by connecting residents with high speed internet access, low-cost digital devices, and digital literacy training. With more opportunities for digital literacy, our residents become better prepared for job searches, reaching educational goals, and participating in our increasingly digital world.

Health and Wellness

BFT addresses health disparities and social determinants of health for people in poverty & encourages healthy lifestyles by facilitating health and wellness events, exercise classes, community gardens, and contributing to nationwide health and housing initiatives.

Financial Self Sufficiency

BFT is committed to empowering AMHA residents to manage, save, and optimize their finances responsibly. We support two AMHA service coordination programs, hold regular financial empowerment events, and refer residents to external financial resources such as United Way's Financial Empowerment Center.

Building for Tomorrow

Our work is driven by individual donors who care deeply about Summit County. Your dollars go towards keeping our priority areas funded. It currently costs over 1.2 million dollars annually to provide BFT services to AMHA residents, and we couldn't do it without our amazing donors, volunteers, and residents.

To apply your donation to be used across programs, click here:

BFT & AMHA

How We Coexist

Although BFT is the nonprofit subsidiary of AMHA, as a government entity, the housing authority is unable to raise funds for supportive programs that residents need to succeed. As a result, BFT relies on foundations, community organizations, and individual donors in order to be able to continue the important work of poverty alleviation.

What is In-Kind giving?

In-kind giving means giving goods or services instead of monetary funds. In this case, AMHA gives staff time “in-kind” resulting in AMHA employees who work with AMHA and BFT interchangeably.