One number covers most of what follows. Dial 2-1-1 and United Way’s referral line will connect you to help with rent, utilities, food, medical costs, transport or shelter across Summit County. At Akron Dream Center, we believe practical help should be simple to reach. It’s answered around the clock, it’s free, and the people answering know which programmes have money left this month, which no website can tell you.
Read on for what exists, who runs it, and what to have ready when you call.
What to call first
| Need | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Anything urgent, any time | 2-1-1 |
| Rent or eviction | Summit County Continuum of Care / 2-1-1 |
| Gas or electric shut-off | HEAP and the Winter Crisis Program |
| Water bill | City of Akron Public Utilities |
| Food today | Salvation Army Community Table, weekday lunches |
| SNAP, Medicaid, cash assistance | Summit County Job and Family Services |
| Mental health crisis | 988, call or text |
Help with utility bills
Ohio runs the largest set of utility assistance programmes available to Akron households, and most people who qualify never apply.
HEAP. The Home Energy Assistance Program is a once-yearly benefit applied directly to your heating bill. It’s income-based, and the income ceiling is higher than most people assume, sitting well above the federal poverty line. Applications open in the autumn and run through the following spring.
Winter Crisis Program. Runs from November through March. This is the one that stops a disconnection or restores service that’s already off. If you have a shut-off notice in your hand between those months, this is the programme for you. It typically also covers bulk fuel deliveries and heating equipment repair for households that need them.
Summer Crisis Program. Runs June through August and covers cooling. It can pay toward an electric bill or provide an air conditioning unit or fan for households with a medical need or an older adult in the home. People forget summer assistance exists because everyone associates energy help with winter.
PIPP Plus. The Percentage of Income Payment Plan sets your monthly bill as a percentage of household income rather than as a function of usage. For a household in ongoing difficulty rather than a one-off crisis, this is the more useful programme, because it changes the bill permanently rather than paying one month of it.
Who administers this locally. In Summit County, applications go through the designated community action agency. [VERIFY current agency and application process.] The Ohio Department of Development sets the rules statewide.
Water. City of Akron Public Utilities handles water and sewer billing. Payment plans exist, and asking for one before you fall behind works far better than asking after. Some assistance funds for water bills exist through local agencies. [VERIFY.]
Before you call. Have your account number, a recent bill, proof of income for everyone in the household for the past 30 days, Social Security numbers for household members, and any disconnection notice.
Rent, eviction and housing
If you have an eviction notice, act the same day. Timelines in Ohio are short, and assistance that arrives after a judgment is worth much less than assistance that arrives before one. Call 2-1-1 and say the word eviction.
Rental assistance. Funds move between agencies and open and close as budgets allow, which is why no static list stays accurate. The referral line tracks what’s currently funded. Church-based emergency funds also exist across the city and often move faster than formal programmes for smaller amounts.
Legal help. Community Legal Aid serves Summit County and represents tenants in eviction proceedings. Having representation changes outcomes in housing court substantially, and it costs nothing if you qualify. Call them before your hearing date rather than after.
Homelessness and shelter. The Summit County Continuum of Care coordinates shelter intake. Processes differ for single adults, families with children and young people, and they shift seasonally. Call 2-1-1 for the current intake point.
Housing Choice Vouchers. The Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority administers vouchers and public housing. Waiting lists open and close, and when a list opens the window is often brief. Sign up for notification if AMHA offers it. [VERIFY.]
Food
Covered in depth on our food pantry page, and the short version:
Call 2-1-1 for anything urgent. The Salvation Army serves free weekday hot lunches at Maple Street, Kenmore, Summit Lake and Patterson Park community centres and at the Barberton Salvation Army, no appointment needed. Its Akron pantry at 1033 Bellows Street distributes monthly groceries Monday through Thursday. The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank’s Find a Program tool lists pantries by zip code, and its phone number is (330) 535-6900. For pantry hours, meal sites and where to start today, see our Akron food pantries guide.
Apply for SNAP through the Ohio Benefits portal even if you think you earn too much. People are turned down less often than they expect.
Health and medical costs
Medicaid. Applications run through Ohio Benefits and Summit County Job and Family Services. Eligibility expanded years ago to cover adults without children up to a set income, which many people still don’t know.
Free and low-cost clinics. Federally qualified health centres in Akron charge on a sliding scale based on income and see patients regardless of insurance status. [VERIFY current locations.]
Prescriptions. Manufacturer assistance programmes cover many expensive medications for uninsured and underinsured patients. Your pharmacist can tell you which ones apply to what you’re taking, and this conversation saves people hundreds of dollars a month.
Behavioural health. Summit County ADM Board funds mental health and addiction services across the county, including services for people without insurance. Crisis support runs through 988 by call or text, and through local crisis intervention services.
Dental. The hardest need to meet locally, and the one that most often ends in an emergency room visit that treats pain without fixing the problem. Ask 2-1-1 about sliding-scale dental clinics and about periodic free clinic events. [VERIFY.]
Work, income and training
Ohio Means Jobs Summit County handles job search support, training funds and connections to employers. Training grants exist for specific in-demand fields and go unused every year because people don’t know to ask.
The Ohio Benefit Bank and free tax preparation. Filing a return is how people claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is the largest single cash transfer available to low-income working households in the country. VITA sites across Akron prepare returns free during tax season. A household that qualifies and doesn’t file leaves thousands of dollars behind.
Childcare assistance. Publicly funded childcare through Job and Family Services makes work possible for parents where the maths otherwise doesn’t work. Income limits apply and have shifted upward in recent years.
Transport. METRO RTA runs the county bus network with reduced fares for seniors, people with disabilities and some income-qualified riders. Getting to a job is the barrier that ends more employment than any other in this county.
Clothing, furniture and household goods
Thrift and free stores. Salvation Army and Goodwill run retail operations, and several churches run free clothing rooms where nothing is charged and nobody screens you.
Furniture. Households moving out of shelter or into a first apartment need beds and basics. Programmes exist that furnish apartments and they run on donations, so availability varies. Ask 2-1-1.
School supplies and winter coats. Seasonal drives run in August and in late autumn. Watch for them rather than waiting until the need is urgent, because they distribute on fixed dates.
Baby supplies. Diapers aren’t covered by SNAP, which surprises people and puts real pressure on households with infants. Diaper banks and church programmes fill the gap locally. [VERIFY current providers.]
Four situations, and what to do in each
Generic lists are hard to act on. These are the shapes most requests take.
Your hours got cut and rent is due in nine days. Call 2-1-1 first and ask specifically about rental assistance with funds available now. Call your landlord the same day and ask for a written payment arrangement, because a landlord who knows what’s happening behaves differently from one who gets silence. Apply for SNAP the same week, since freeing up the grocery budget is money toward rent. If a court filing arrives, contact Community Legal Aid immediately.
Your gas got shut off in January. The Winter Crisis Program exists for exactly this and runs November through March. Gather your ID, Social Security numbers for the household, 30 days of income for everyone and the disconnection notice, then apply through the local community action agency. While you wait, ask 2-1-1 about warming centres, and don’t heat a home with an oven or a generator indoors.
You’re a parent working full time and still can’t cover groceries. Apply for SNAP, since the calculation deducts housing and childcare costs and working households qualify more often than they expect. Apply for publicly funded childcare through Job and Family Services. File your taxes through a free VITA site to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit. Use a pantry in the meantime, because paying rent with money you’d have spent on food is a rational move rather than a failure.
You’ve just left a shelter and have an empty apartment. Furniture programmes exist and run on donations, so ask 2-1-1 early rather than when you need a bed tonight. Set up utilities in your own name and apply for PIPP Plus at the same time, which fixes the bill at a percentage of income from the start rather than after you fall behind. Check whether a household goods or starter kit programme is running.
For older adults
Programmes for seniors sit in a different system from the general ones above, and people bounce between agencies before finding the right door.
Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging coordinates services for older adults across the region, including home-delivered meals, congregate dining, in-home care assistance and caregiver support. [VERIFY current programme list.] Starting here saves time compared with calling individual providers.
Homestead exemption. Ohio reduces property taxes for qualifying homeowners aged 65 and over and for people with disabilities. Apply through the Summit County Fiscal Office. This is a permanent reduction, not a one-time payment, and eligible homeowners miss it every year.
Medicare help. Ohio’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program provides free, unbiased counselling on Medicare choices. Advice that isn’t attached to a sales commission is worth seeking out during open enrolment.
Prescription costs. Medicare Extra Help lowers drug costs for people with limited income. Manufacturer programmes cover the rest.
For veterans
Summit County Veterans Service Commission provides emergency financial assistance to veterans and their families, along with help filing claims for federal benefits. Assistance can cover rent, utilities, food and transport, and the office exists specifically for county residents who served.
Claim filing is worth doing even for veterans who assume they don’t qualify. Service-connected disability ratings get missed, and a rating that goes unclaimed for years represents substantial money that never arrives.
VA healthcare. Eligibility has widened in recent years. Veterans who were told no in the past should ask again.
For immigrants and refugees
Federal changes over the past year removed food benefits for some categories of legally present non-citizens, including certain refugees and green card holders in the country under five years. That shifted more households onto local food programmes.
Food pantries do not check immigration status. Neither do the hot meal programmes. If your benefits ended, the local emergency food network remains open to you.
International Institute of Akron works with immigrants and refugees on resettlement, employment, English classes and legal services, and is the right first call for anything involving immigration status. [VERIFY current services.]
North Hill holds a large share of the city’s immigrant population and its food and community programmes stock a wider range of staples as a result.
Language. 2-1-1 can arrange interpretation. Ask.
For families with children
School-based help. Akron Public Schools and the districts across Summit County run more support than a family handbook suggests: meals, supplies, coats, and in some buildings a food pantry or clothing room on site. School social workers and family liaisons know what’s available locally and can refer you without a formal application. This is the fastest route for a parent who doesn’t have time to work a phone tree.
Childcare. Publicly funded childcare through Job and Family Services is the programme that makes work viable for parents at the income levels where childcare otherwise eats the entire second wage. Income limits have moved upward in recent years, so a family turned down before may qualify now.
Diapers and infant supplies. SNAP doesn’t cover diapers, formula beyond WIC provision, or wipes. That gap hits infant households hard, and local diaper banks and church programmes exist to fill it. Ask 2-1-1 rather than assuming nothing is out there. [VERIFY current providers.]
WIC. Nutrition support for pregnant people, new parents and children under five, run through Summit County Public Health with different income limits from SNAP. Families denied SNAP frequently qualify for WIC.
Summer. Losing school meals over the summer holidays puts real strain on households that manage during term time. Summer feeding sites operate across the city, and the school district publishes locations before the break. [VERIFY current programme.]
Avoiding the people who prey on this
Financial difficulty attracts predators, and Akron is no exception.
Nobody legitimate charges you to apply for assistance. HEAP, SNAP, Medicaid, rental assistance and every programme in this article are free to apply for. A company charging a fee to file your application on your behalf is taking money you need for the thing you’re applying for.
Utility scam calls spike in winter. Someone calls claiming to be from the gas company, says your service will be cut off within the hour, and demands payment by gift card or wire transfer. Utilities don’t do this. Hang up and call the number printed on your bill.
Payday and title lending. A short-term loan against a car title solves nine days and creates nine months. If you’re weighing one, call 2-1-1 first, because the assistance you’re not aware of costs less than the interest.
Rent-to-own. The total price paid over a contract term is often several times retail. Furniture programmes and thrift stores cost nothing or close to it.
Anything requiring a gift card. No government agency, utility, court or landlord accepts payment in gift cards. That request is always a scam, without exception.
A calendar for the year
Some programmes only open at certain times, and missing the window costs a year.
Autumn. HEAP applications open. School supply and coat drives run. Open enrolment for Medicare and for health insurance marketplace plans.
November to March. Winter Crisis Program operates. Demand at pantries and shelters runs highest. Holiday assistance programmes take applications well before December, often with deadlines in early November.
January to April. Tax season and free VITA preparation, which is how households claim the Earned Income Tax Credit. This is the single largest sum of money most eligible families will receive all year, and filing is the only way to get it.
June to August. Summer Crisis Program for cooling. School meals stop and summer feeding sites open. Youth programmes take enrolments in spring for summer places.
Any time. SNAP, Medicaid, PIPP Plus, food pantries, 2-1-1. These don’t run on a season.
What to have ready before you apply for anything
Assembling this once saves you repeating it at every agency:
- Photo ID for every adult in the household
- Social Security numbers for everyone, including children
- Proof of income for the past 30 days for all household members, or a statement if there is none
- Proof of address, usually a lease or a utility bill
- The bill, notice or court paper relating to your specific problem
- Birth certificates for children, for some programmes
Keep digital copies on your phone. Agencies ask for the same documents repeatedly and the second application always goes faster than the first.
What nobody tells you about applying
Funding runs out mid-year. Programmes with fixed annual budgets exhaust them, often by summer. Applying early in a funding cycle beats applying when the need is worst.
Being turned down once means nothing. Rules change, budgets refresh, and a different caseworker reads the same file differently. If circumstances shift at all, reapply.
Ask what else you qualify for. Caseworkers process what you asked about. A household applying for HEAP often qualifies for SNAP, Medicaid and PIPP Plus and never gets told, because nobody asked.
Written notices carry deadlines. Appeal windows for benefit denials are measured in days. Open the mail.
Persistence is the difference. The households that get help are rarely the ones in the worst circumstances. They’re the ones who called back.
Volunteering and giving
Volunteer. Pantries, tutoring programmes, shelter meal services and neighbourhood clean-ups all run short of people. A few hours monthly, repeated, matters more than a single large day of service.
Give money rather than goods. Agencies buy wholesale, know exactly what’s short this week, and can move cash where the need is. Donated goods arrive as whatever people had spare.
Mentor. The programmes that change trajectories over years rather than weeks depend on adults willing to show up consistently for one young person. This is the hardest ask and the one with the longest returns.
Advocate. Local decisions about housing, transport and social services get made in rooms that hold very few residents. Showing up to a council meeting is free.
The Akron Dream Center
We work in Akron on immediate relief for practical needs like food security, and on the longer work of equipping, empowering and mentoring people toward a better future. Our address, phone number and contact details sit at the bottom of this page. If you need help, ask. If you want to serve alongside us, we’ll find you something to do.
FAQ
Where can I get help paying my electric bill in Akron?
Start with HEAP, the state’s annual heating assistance benefit, and the Winter Crisis Program if your service is off or facing disconnection between November and March. For ongoing difficulty rather than a one-off crisis, PIPP Plus caps your monthly payment at a percentage of household income. A Summer Crisis Program runs June through August for cooling. All are income-based with limits higher than most people assume, and applications go through the local community action agency.
What is 2-1-1 and what does it cover?
United Way’s free referral line, answered around the clock, covering food, rent, utilities, shelter, medical costs, transport, childcare and legal help across Summit County. Operators know which programmes currently have funding, which no website can tell you accurately. It’s the single most useful number in the county for anyone in difficulty.
I got an eviction notice. What do I do?
Act the same day. Call 2-1-1 and use the word eviction, and contact Community Legal Aid, which represents tenants in Summit County at no cost if you qualify. Assistance that arrives before a court judgment is worth far more than assistance that arrives after, and Ohio’s eviction timelines are short. Attend every hearing, since failing to appear removes most of your options.
Do I have to be a member of a church to get help?
No. The faith-based organisations in this list, including ours, serve anyone who comes. Nobody will require you to attend anything, sign anything doctrinal, or answer questions about belief in order to receive food, clothing or assistance.
How do I apply for SNAP in Ohio?
Through the Ohio Benefits portal online, or in person at Summit County Job and Family Services. Apply even if you think your income disqualifies you, since eligibility thresholds are higher than most people expect and the calculation accounts for housing costs and other deductions. Processing takes up to 30 days, and expedited processing exists for households with very low income and resources.
What help exists for someone working full time and still short?
More than most people realise. SNAP eligibility accounts for housing and childcare costs, not just gross pay. PIPP Plus caps utility payments by income regardless of employment. Publicly funded childcare exists for working parents. And filing a tax return through a free VITA site claims the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is the largest cash benefit available to working households and goes unclaimed by thousands of eligible families in Ohio every year.
How long does assistance take to arrive?
It varies by programme and by how much money is left in the relevant pot. SNAP takes up to 30 days, with expedited processing for households with very low income and resources. Crisis utility assistance can move within days when a disconnection notice is involved. Rental assistance depends entirely on current funding and can take weeks. Apply for everything you might qualify for at once rather than sequentially, because waiting on one answer before starting the next application costs you the time you don’t have.