Choice Neighborhoods

We had the privilege to sit down with Christina Hodgkinson, local community leader and Director of Resident Service of Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA), and Vice President/Secretary of Building for Tomorrow to talk and celebrate Akron receiving the national Choice Neighborhoods grant.

The Choice Neighborhoods grant supports programs that work towards neighborhood transformation by revitalizing housing and public spaces—and for Akron, the grant focused on the AMHA housing along Summit Lake’s shore.

In 2020, 50 applicants applied for the Choice Neighborhood grant, and 11 were awarded across the country, including Akron, which received $450,000 for its planning process.

AMHA led the grant with the City of Akron as the co-applicant. Part of the grant included matched or leveraged dollars, and thanks to GAR Foundation, Huntington Bank, County of Summit, Knight Foundation, and Akron Civic Commons, the team hit its goal.

As with all Akron Civic Commons work and projects, residents continue to have an intentional and centralized voice in this process.

“Historically, the residents of the neighborhood have shared that things have been ‘done to’ and not ‘done with’ them or ‘things have been promised and never delivered,’” shares Hodgkinson. “We wanted to ensure that if the Housing Authority or the Akron Civic Commons team is involved, the residents wouldn’t feel that way again. We want residents and neighbors to feel they were listened to and that true change does come from people who live in it every day. They are resilient residents and an inspiration to the work that I do, personally. They make me want to do the work because of their spirit.”

Behind the scenes, Hodgkinson and her team did an incredible amount of work and research to even apply for the grant. They also had community leaders and residents of the neighborhood submit letters. 

Resident Sandra Saulsberry shared: 
“I’ve been a resident of this community for 38 years,” says Sandra Saulsberry. “I came into this community as a young mother, wife, and renter; now, still a wife, grandmother, great-grandmother, and now a homeowner. This community was once thriving and the Choice Neighborhoods process gives me hope that through this program, the Summit Lake community will thrive once again for families who currently live here and those who will come in the future…. I’m truly honored to be invited to be involved in planning for the transformation of Summit Lake.” 

Resident Jamara Ackles shared:
“I have been a resident of the Summit Lake apartments for one year and eight months. I am a Community Health Worker at Akron Children’s Hospital partnered with the Jobs Plus program at the Reach Community Center. My job focuses on the community of Summit Lake and surrounding zip codes and I am considered an ambassador for the community to educate on health and provide information. I am excited that the Choice Neighborhood Grant has come to our neighborhood that has been overlooked for so long. Our neighborhood could be great with a lot of improvements that this grant could (potentially) provide. I am excited to see what (they) would do for my neighborhood. Many of us love it here despite the challenges we face and would love to see others appreciate what we have for so long.”

Resident Grace Hudson shared:
“To support the Choice planning process, I am committed to working with AMHA by serving on the steering committee,” said Grace Hudson, another longtime resident of the neighborhood and Akron Civic Commons neighborhood fellow. She is also a 2017 graduate of the Neighborhood Leadership Institute of Summit County and a 2019 graduate of Akron Better Fellows.

Once the grant had been received, AMHA and Akron Civic Commons communicated with the residents, and a critical next step was to bring a small task force of people—from neighborhood leaders to housing complexes—to talk about the process and get more residents to sit in on advisory groups.

“When Akron Civic Commons came along, AMHA got involved as a core partner extremely early. When we first began, no one knew what to expect because the concept was so new. We were invited and we wanted to invest even more because it would only help our residents and improve the neighborhood. So we got involved and learned the Akron Civic Commons way...I have been lucky enough to be a part of that process from the very beginning. [We have] been intentional and more vocal at the housing authority to make sure we’re putting resident-centered, building relationships with residents by listening to them. The Akron Civic Commons encourages us to be intentional and meeting residents’ needs by looking at various aspects of what we do.” 

And while the planning process for this grant is underway, it’s always welcome to new community residents looking to make a difference in the lives of neighbors. For more information, please visit AMHA at AkronHousing.org.