The city of Akron is giving a boost to a local charity’s effort to make a mobile shower facility for people in need.
In an amended version of the capital budget introduced Monday, $75,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money was designated for Akron-based charity Forever R Children’s shower bus — a retrofitted Metro bus.
City Council is required to pass the budget by Feb. 15, so it will likely vote on it at Monday’s meeting.
Mayor Shammas Malik said that while the amount isn’t the full $100,00 that Forever R Children requested, the administration feels it’s enough money to get the bus on the street.
“We do want to make sure that we’re not setting a precedent in the capital budget for necessarily this to be our grants funding budget,” he said, “but at the end of the day, I think we have had such significant discussions as a city about the benefits and merits of this project that it was worth that.”
At-large Councilwoman Linda Omobien said she’d like to see Forever R Children become part of the local Continuum of Care, a coalition of organizations providing services to the homeless community. This would make the charity eligible for annual grants.