Well Community Development Corporation

Creating economy:fewer than 1% of residents both live and work in the neighborhood while employers in middlebury have thousands of unfilled jobs and the area's unemployment rate is consistently double that of greater akron. In addition, there are few spaces or incentives for entrepreneurs to establish new businesses that could increase commerce and job creation in middlebury.to combat this reality, the well's creating economy initiative aims to bridge the gap between the job skills of residents and the needs of local employers, encourage the adaptive reuse of our current assets to support entrepreneurship, and engage with anchor institutions. The well cdc offers several programs to support this initiative:- akron food works (afw) supports food entrepreneurship by helping entrepreneurs create, incubate, and elevate their food businesses. Afw removes barriers to those wishing to enter the food sector by offering a licensed physical space for food preparation with commercial grade equipment, on-site training and technical assistance, and by connecting entrepreneurs to sales opportunities to grow their business. The well can also offer afw businesses opportunities to lease affordable quality spaces within our commercial development projects.- 647 coffee operates as a successful social enterprise, with the coffee shop creating a sense of place for neighbors and serving as the front porch to the well cdc and the middlebury neighborhood. Profits are returned to the neighborhood by supporting the well's community development programming.- career development is a partnership of 20+ community-based organizations and employers that deliver a collaborative, trauma informed approach to workforce development that removes barriers to quality, living wage jobs. The program supports upward economic mobility and financial resiliency for women who have not had the resources to pursue an education or career including those without high school diplomas or who have criminal backgrounds.- commercial redevelopment of existing, often blighted, spaces in middlebury by the well preserve the bones of the neighborhood while creating entrepreneurial and employment opportunities within those spaces. Development projects currently include 647 e market st, 221 beaver st, 911-917 e. Market st, and 816 e market st as of 2024, the well cdc had supported over 150 akron food works kitchen users, engaged 238 women from the career development program with graduation rates recently exceeding 80%, and continued serving as a source for entrepreneurial opportunities, economic mobility, and social cohesion through 647 coffee, upgraded commercial spaces, and school and community-based programming.

Supporting place:mason clc, the prek-5th grade elementary school serving middlebury, has a 50+% student mobility rate. To combat this reality, the well cdc seeks to develop deeper social cohesion within middlebury, not only to decrease the transiency rate, but to connect people to the place they live and to each other through the built environment. The well's akron hope program builds relationships and invests resources in students, families, and teachers to increase engagement and family stability in a place where the community naturally gathers. Akron hope partners with mason clc to provide classroom tutoring, community connections, and holiday outreach events.in 2024, the well cdc held 10 community connection events and supported over 700 students through programs at mason clc as well as helen arnold clc, a similarly situated school in akron's inner core, and also hosted 2 large scale neighborhood wide family friendly events.

Other program services - operations