Help with rent and security deposits in Akron and Summit County
Close to half the households in the city of Akron are renters, and no single office hands out the area's rent assistance — it comes separately from Summit County government, Akron area charities, the housing authority, and a nonprofit law firm. Which of them fits depends on the tenants's circumstances: a veteran, a parent with a child at home, and a tenant short on a security deposit each apply in a different place.
The help takes a few forms here. There is one-time money for back rent or a deposit when charity funds allow, there are housing choice vouchers (the program still widely called Section 8) with waiting lists run by AMHA, and Akron itself pays for free lawyers for qualifying low income tenants.
This page is a directory of the Summit County organizations that may help pay rent or cover a deposit, each listed with a current address, phone number, and website. The same contacts serve renters throughout the county — Akron, Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, and the townships.
Housing choice vouchers in Summit County
The Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority manages the county's housing choice vouchers — the benefit most renters still call Section 8 — along with public housing and other subsidized apartments. A household that reaches the top of a waiting list pays a share of its income toward rent while the voucher covers the balance at an approved private rental. Applications start with AMHA's online pre-application; the applications office answers questions at (330) 376-7872.
Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA) 100 W. Cedar St., Akron, OH 44307 Phone: (330) 762-9631 Website: https://www.akronhousing.org/homepage.html.
Rent help from Summit County government
The county Department of Job and Family Services runs Prevention, Retention, and Contingency (PRC), a benefit for Summit County families with a minor child, or a pregnant applicant, who are in a short-term crisis. PRC in some cases provides money toward housing costs, within limits based on funding and applicant qualifications, and the same office signs families up for Ohio Works First cash assistance.
- Summit County Department of Job and Family Services Russell M. Pry Building, 1180 S. Main St., Suite 102, Akron, OH 44301 Phone: (844) 640-6446 Website: https://summitdjfs.org/.
Akron charities with emergency rent funds
Catholic Charities schedules appointments for emergency financial assistance at its Summit County outreach center, where caseworkers try to assist when able with rent arrears for households about to lose their housing. Budget coaching and help applying for public benefits come alongside the money; Barberton area residents ask for extension 230. More is on the NHPB page about assistance from Akron Catholic Charities.
- Catholic Charities of Summit County — outreach center at Blessed Trinity 300 E. Tallmadge Ave., Akron, OH 44310 Phone: (330) 475-0091 Website: https://www.ccdocle.org/.
The Salvation Army reviews requests under income guidelines at its Summit County service center. It may pay a back rent balance for a household, and in some cases covers first month's rent and a deposit when moving is the only way to stay housed; funds run out at points in the year, so call before visiting.
Rental assistance through the Homeless Hotline
United Way of Summit & Medina screens callers for the rent payment assistance connected to the county's housing programs. Most of that money goes to households leaving a shelter or holding a court-ordered eviction, and a case manager works with each one; the organization's free Summit Housing Search site also lists lower cost rentals across the county. Calls go to the Homeless Hotline, with 211 available at any hour as the backup.
- United Way of Summit & Medina 37 N. High St., Akron, OH 44308 Homeless Hotline: (330) 615-0577 Main office: (330) 762-7601 Website: https://www.uwsummitmedina.org/.
Rent and deposit help for Summit County veterans
The Veterans Service Commission provides short-term county-funded financial assistance with primary living costs, rent included, and none of it is repaid. Veterans plus their widows, widowers, and dependents qualify with an honorable or general discharge and at least three months of Summit County residency.
- Veterans Service Commission of Summit County 1060 E. Waterloo Rd., Akron, OH 44306 Phone: (330) 643-2830 Website: https://www.vscsummitoh.us/.
Two agencies also run the federal Supportive Services for Veteran Families program locally, which when funding allows may cover rent, a security deposit, or moving costs for very low income veteran households. Community Support Services takes screening through 211 at its Akron center, and Axess Family Services answers a regional hotline at any hour.
Housing programs for people with HIV and LGBTQ+ young adults
CANAPI runs homeless prevention rent assistance and a tenant-based rent subsidy for Summit County households affected by HIV, plus housing programs for LGBTQ+ adults in their late teens and early twenties. Intake for most of its programs begins with a 211 call, after which staff handle the application and the landlord paperwork.
Interest-free loans and one-time rent funds
The Hebrew Free Loan Association lends without interest, on a non-sectarian basis, to Northeast Ohio residents who show a genuine need, no access to bank credit, and the ability to repay in monthly installments. An approved loan may go toward a security deposit, first month's rent, or a back rent balance.
- Hebrew Free Loan Association of Northeast Ohio 23300 Chagrin Blvd., Beachwood, OH 44122 Phone: (216) 378-9042 Website: https://interestfree.org/.
Jewish Family Service of Akron, open to Jewish and non-Jewish residents alike, in some cases provides one-time financial support during a crisis to the adults in its programs, and that support may go toward rent. Much of its work centers on seniors and family caregivers.
Free legal help for tenants
Community Legal Aid is the nonprofit law firm for low income Summit County residents, and its lawyers take tenant cases — security deposit disputes, unsafe conditions, lockouts, and eviction defense. New clients apply on the helpline or through the website.
Akron separately funds a Right to Counsel program, staffed by this firm, that works to place a free attorney with qualifying low income city tenants once an eviction is filed. What to do after a notice arrives is its own subject — the options are covered on the page about Summit County eviction prevention assistance.
- Community Legal Aid Akron Centre Plaza, 50 S. Main St., Suite 800, Akron, OH 44308 Helpline: (800) 998-9454 Akron office: (330) 535-4191 Website: https://www.communitylegalaid.org/.
Fair Housing Contact Service answers a free counseling line for tenants with questions about deposits, repairs, or housing discrimination, and it advocates for disability accommodations that keep a rental livable.
More help for struggling Summit County renters
Community Action Akron Summit administers the Home Energy Assistance Program year round, with crisis components in both winter and summer. Utility funds matter to a renter because a paid gas or electric bill leaves that month's income for the landlord, and the agency's staff also refer struggling tenants to other local programs; applications ask for lease or landlord information.
- Community Action Akron Summit 670 W. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44302 Appointment line: (330) 436-0261 Website: https://www.ca-akron.org/.
2-1-1 plays a bigger part in Summit County than a referral line usually does: the county's housing crisis system uses it as the intake number, so shelter placement, one of the veteran rent programs, and CANAPI's housing applications all start there, at any hour or by texting a ZIP code to 898-211. The direct numbers above still matter, since several agencies take applications on their own lines once a renter knows which one fits.
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