LeBron-backed I Promise affordable housing complex opens for 50 families in Akron

Gloria James stood in the modern kitchen inside a unit in the new I Promise Housing development and couldn't help but think of the past.

Not far from the sleek housing complex for 50 I Promise families on Maple Street in Akron is the city's Spring Hill neighborhood where she struggled to make ends meet as a single mom.

The old place is a far cry from the modern units the partner families will call home with granite countertops, air conditioning and access to modern technology like high-speed internet.

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Community leaders gathered Thursday afternoon to officially cut the ribbon to the $16.1 million apartment complex where some families have already started to move in.

James said a lot of "dreams" have come true over the years, including seeing her son, LeBron, become an NBA superstar who brought a championship to Cleveland while he was a member of the Cavaliers.

But none of those more personal dreams are bigger and more fulfilling than seeing the work of her son's namesake foundation improve the lives of Akron school children and their families through the I Promise program.

Shortly after the I Promise School opened not far from the new housing complex, James said, it became pretty clear that the solutions to help the kids in class and on a path to a high school diploma required helping them outside the classroom too.

"Families voiced a need for a place they could call home," she said.

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That's where the East Akron Neighborhood Development Corp. (EANDC) stepped in and through a number of partners, including Huntington Bank, put together the financing and government and private backing to build the affordable housing complex by the Akron Zoo.

EANDC President and CEO Cheryl Stephens said it took four years − including navigating a global pandemic − to make it a reality.

"Housing for everyone is part of the American dream," she said.

Other partners in the project included the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, Premier Bank, Ohio Capital Corp. for Housing, and Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati to create what is being called the first-of-its-kind affordable housing development to provide long-term housing for at-risk families.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said sometimes it is the city's job to get out of the way and help from the sidelines to get beneficial projects like the I Promise Housing to come to fruition.

He said the housing will pair nicely with the foundation's other ventures like the House Three Thirty entertainment and job training facility and the planned West Market Street HealthQuarters.

"You can't get something like this done without a lot of people helping," he said.

Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: LeBron James foundation helps provide a home for 50 I Promise families