The FirstEnergy Foundation is investing $140,000 in seven Ohio organizations that provide emergency shelter, housing assistance and supportive services for people and families facing homelessness, domestic violence and other housing-related challenges, the Akron-based foundation announced Tuesday.
The Ohio grants are part of the foundation’s expanded Shelter, Safety and Stability initiative, which grew from $100,000 to $500,000 in 2026 and now supports 38 organizations across five states. The program directs money to front-line groups that provide emergency housing along with counseling and support services.
The need behind the grants is spelled out in the FY 2026 Ohio Housing Needs Assessment. Nearly 11,800 people were living in temporary housing, homeless shelters or on the streets across Ohio in January 2024, the highest level of homelessness reported in a decade, and the state faced a shortage of more than 2,600 shelter beds for adults experiencing homelessness.
The assessment also found that nearly 32,000 Ohio students lacked a fixed, regular and adequate place to sleep during the 2023-24 school year, a figure housing advocates cite when arguing that shelter capacity is only part of the challenge facing families.
“The organizations receiving these grants provide more than shelter. They offer safety, support and hope during some of life’s most challenging moments,” said Amanda Mertens Campbell, vice president of external affairs and corporate responsibility and president of the FirstEnergy Foundation. “This funding will help more individuals and families access not only emergency housing, but also the compassion, counseling and support services that can help prevent future housing instability and create a foundation for long-term success.”
The foundation describes the grants as building safer, more stable lives, pairing a safe place to stay with the services that help people move toward permanent housing. The Ohio awards continue a run of community investment from the foundation this year, following earlier grants aimed at hunger relief across the state.
FirstEnergy, headquartered in Akron, serves customers across northern and central Ohio through its regulated utilities. The foundation says the expanded initiative reflects the scale of the housing problem in the communities its employees serve, and that the supported organizations will use the funding for shelter operations and client services.