A solution to homelessness in Summit County

Sully has been homeless for years. Recently, he and a few others were removed, or “evicted” as they prefer to call it, by the city from the encampment they’d been staying at in a forested area behind a business called The Wash.

A sign was posted by the City of Akron on a telephone pole warning those living there to be out by Nov. 15, but it was torn down just as quickly, leaving many unaware that the city was moving in. 

“When everybody [Police and activists] showed up, we knew kind of what was happening because they posted a real quick note up there that somebody tore down. When it all came down, I knew for real, a couple of trusted people I knew told me it’s got to be real, just because I didn’t see signs happening. I was out all night the night before trying to find a spot to go to put myself where I think it would be safe. Things in our community come up missing quite often,” said Sully. “And it’s hard to collect and keep and you can’t keep a lot of stuff because you might be moved and you ain’t got no truck and cars moving you got a cart if you’re lucky. You know, we’re not trash. We’re just misplaced in this because we are hard to fit into society.” 

It is estimated that there are over 500 homeless persons in Summit County. 

Ward 8 resident and advocate Sage Lewis created tent city, a place in the Middlebury neighborhood where houseless people could seek shelter. The property was raided and shut down by Akron City Police on June 27 after a human trafficking investigation led to multiple arrests. There were also unsafe electrical cords and fire pits for burning garbage and other unsafe conditions, prompting the city to sue Lewis and shut down tent city. 

“It does matter how they do these evictions. It matters if it’s on private property or public property,” Lewis said. “They call it a liability. That’s their reasoning. But they just hate these people. That’s all.”

Prior to its closure, Sully was living at tent city. 

The main reason the city gives for the encampment evictions is simply “It’s not your property,” he said. “When it comes to private property, the private people have to kick you out. And then we developed some loopholes and stay there a little longer. Now they give away all the property, or they just come and demolish it. Now, there’s no more property.”

After the eviction, Sully and many others moved to a property also owned by Lewis. Having to constantly pack up and move from property to property is stressful and disheartening for him. 

“It’s the damnedest thing because most people plan to move or they see the eviction coming up on your housing and you know it’s going to happen– not us,” he said. “We have two weeks, you’re out there on the street, you’re trying to survive out there. Number one, because that’s the most stressful thing. To find food, clothing, and know where you’ll lay your head that night. It could change at any time. And usually does.”

The city supports community organizations assisting the homeless which includes Haven of Rest and Harvest Home, Safe Landing, and ACCESS, Inc.. There is also an Emergency Shelter Grant Program (ESGP) that assists shelters serving women, men, and women with children, victims of domestic violence, mentally ill and runaway youth, and families. There are also transitional residential programs available that provide long-term residency and support. 

A representative of the City of Akron could not be reached for comment. 

There are over 500,000 homeless people in America. Permanent supportive housing is a cost-effective solution to homelessness that combines affordable housing assistance and voluntary support services to address the needs of chronically homeless people. It’s a program designed to build independent living, tenancy skills, and connect people with community healthcare and employment services. 

It has been shown to lower public costs associated with using crisis services such as jails, shelters, and hospitals, and has helped decrease the number of chronically homeless persons by 8 percent since 2007.

“A lot of people will blame homelessness on addiction but it seems to be a stereotype. It seems to be like a chicken or the egg scenario, like what comes first? people are homeless because of bad influence,” Sully said. “Now they’re becoming homeless because of economical stuff. And they’re becoming homeless because of loss of jobs. COVID was a big thing that destroyed a lot of people’s jobs. Some have tragedy in their family like their house caught on fire. There’s a million reasons why it happens every day not just a drug issue.”