Understanding Community Needs in Summit & Medina Counties

Jan 15, 2025

United way of Summit and Medina County offers services that meet the needs of our residents. Through community needs assessments and spending time in the community, we are confident that our services help them move towards health and stability. Join our team below as we explain the local demographics of each county and how our services support their overall wellbeing.

The Importance of Community Needs Assessment

To best serve local counties, it is important to begin with a community needs assessment. This involves identifying the needs of each county, as well as the resources available to meet those needs. Analyzing community needs can then help guide decision-making for needed services and resource allocation, all while involving community members in the process.

Our community needs assessments involve a multi-step strategy of defining a population and gathering data based on a predetermined set of criteria. We look into local demographics, income levels, homelessness needs, and more. Completing a community needs assessment is vital to United Way as it ensures we are meeting the actual needs of our community. Additionally, including our residents in the assessment process allows for their voices to be heard and gives us another perspective when planning services.

United Way Service Areas

At United Way of Summit & Medina, we find out why people are struggling and walk side by side with them, making sure they get the help they need. Our team seeks out root causes, builds connections, and offers services to meet the needs of Summit and Medina county. Through community needs assessments for our Bold Goals, we have defined different services areas for

Summit County

In Summit County, we focus services on education, youth success, financial empowerment, and health equity.

Education: During the 2015-2016 school year, just 38% of third graders were reading at grade level or above. Thanks to our laser focused services, we have already seen that number jump to 51% during the 2023-2024 school year. We continue to press on, focusing services on our student’s easiest years so they can become strong readers.

Youth Success: Our 2015-2016 assessment showed that 75% of APS students were graduating high school in four years and only 21% were college or career ready. A recent 2023-2024 study highlighted improvement, with 88% of students graduating in 4 years and 76% being college or career ready. United Way’s work continues to serve APS high school students and set them up for success.

Financial Empowerment: A 2016 study demonstrated that 42,000 people in Akron live in households earning less than Ohio’s cost of living. This shows that us financial empowerment (paying off debt, proper banking, budgeting and more) should be a major focus in Summit County.

Health Equity: In 2019, our assessment showed that the Black infant mortality rate was 15.4 per 1,000 live births while the overall Summit County infant mortality rate was 6 per 1,000 live births. Our services have already seen improvements, with Black infant mortality rate dropping to 12.5 per 1,000 live births in 2022.

Medina County

A community needs assessment of Medina County demographics demonstrated a focused need for financial empowerment. In 2021, 9,000 people in the city of Medina were living in households earning less than Ohio’s cost of living. Our services in Medina help residents work towards financial stability and success.

United Way Direct Services

The direct services offered by United Way of Summit & Medina County directly address the needs of the community, including income levels, educational support, and housing needs. Our work in Educational and Youth Services, Financial Services, and Community Support is only possible thanks to our dedicated volunteers and generous donors.

Education & Youth Services

United Way of Summit and Medina County wants to see students do more than graduate – we want to see them graduate in four years with plans for a meaningful career or college education afterward high school. This starts with helping students become strong readers at a young age and progresses to include support throughout their entire educational career. Below are services United Way offers to APS students to ensure they thrive in school.

College & Career Academies

The College & Career Academies of Akron connects students with our local business community. Through United Way of Summit & Medina, companies invest in our program which boosts graduation rates, nurtures local talent and helps kids grow into the skilled employees and business leaders our community needs. This program directly addresses Summit County demographic needs for education and youth success.

Youth United

Our Youth United program connects students to adults who can provide guidance, advice and motivation to help them become productive community members. We have witnessed that how students spend their free time has a tremendous impact on their future. That is why Youth United works to set up our youngest community members for a safe, successful future after graduation.

Imagination Library

Thanks to our partnership with the Imagination Library, children develop a love of reading for free! Upon registration, all children from ages birth to five in Summit and Medina counties receive free books every month. This program allows families the opportunity to build their very own library of books, cultivating passionate, strong readers all over the community.

Financial Services

With 51,000 Akron and Medina residents earning below Ohio’s cost of living, our financial services focus on financial empowerment and free tax assistance. The combination of these services help stabilize an individual’s finances and set them up for long term success.

Financial Empowerment Center

Our Akron Financial Empowerment Center helps local residents establish financial stability by giving them the support they need to budget and save, pay down debt and boost their credit scores. This is a tangible way that our team works to support the 42,000 Akron residents and 9,000 Medina residents living in households earning less than Ohio’s cost of living.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

Community members with income levels of less than $64,000 can access free tax assistance thanks to our dedicated volunteers. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) brings in millions of dollars to the local community, dollars to help residents build their savings, reduce debt, and in return – invest in our community. Each tax appointment brings Summit and Medina County residents one step closer to financial empowerment.

Community Support

Our community services make sure a resident’s other needs are met. From our 211 hotline and Family Resource Center to our knowledgeable Housing Services team – United Way is there. The goal of these community services is to make an often overwhelming system of social services easier to navigate.

211

211 is a free and confidential phone line that community members can call when looking for support services. Our 211 Summit County call center is open 24/7 and is staffed by trained professionals ready to provide the caring conversation a resident may need. Whether there is a prenatal need, financial crisis, or anything in between – United Way of Summit & Medina’s team is there.

Family Resource Center

Our Family Resource Centers are safe, welcoming hubs within schools that connect parents with the community resources they might need. Our team works with families to support them with health and wellness programs, financial counseling and more. Our Family Resource Centers ensure APS students are strong readers and help them graduate on-time with a plan for the future.

Housing Services

Our Housing Services team coordinates access to homeless shelters, permanent supportive housing and rent assistance for community members in need. Our case managers provide personalized services to those experiencing homelessness or facing eviction, providing the absolute need of housing. Ensuring our community is safely housed allows them to thrive at work, in school, and in their pregnancies.

Support United Way’s Mission

Our services meet the needs of residents in Summit and Medina and improve their lives. Become a part of the solution and support our services by donating to United Way today. We are proud to be more than a pass-through organization – every dollar given to United Way of Summit & Medina goes directly to our work in the community. Every donation makes a difference!

In our community. With our community. For our community.

Invest where it matters

Your donation directly benefits the people of Summit & Medina counties.

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