09/08/2026
A group of Cleveland stakeholders representing the city, land bank and area nonprofits toured the Greater Shorb Neighborhood last week to learn about Canton For All People’s strategy on building housing at a neighborhood level.
“With the housing crisis that everyone is experiencing, we are desperately looking for ways to provide real opportunities for working families to have a place to call home,” said Stephanie Howse-Jones, Ward 8 Cleveland city council member.
Stephanie oversees St. Clair and Superior neighborhoods where there are more than 2,000 vacant lots and the highest amount of residential vacancy in the City of Cleveland, she said.
She and the others sat in for a listening session before viewing the constructed homes. Don Ackerman, executive director of Canton For All People, shared the strategy for revitalizing northwest Canton.
When Canton For All People formed in 2021, one in five lots were empty. Home values in the neighborhood had plummeted, and crime pressed on.
In three years, Canton For All People has taken empty lots and built 38 single-family homes. Through our construction company, Build Ohio, we have 14 additional homes under construction throughout Canton, Alliance and Youngstown.
We established Build Ohio to meet the demand of the work because we receive requests regularly from municipalities across the state of Ohio to expand our efforts and begin housing development strategies in their communities.
Our partnerships with Hartville Hardware, local architects, engineers, and the trades have made our work possible. Through federal funding, we've been able to lower the price of newly constructed homes to buyers while helping potential homeowners get mortgage ready.
“Right now, in Canton, by the time I complete a house and receive the limited subsidies I have on a house, it’s more cost effective for someone to buy a house than rent,” Don told the group.
