Housing Department - Our Programs

The City of Canton offers a wide variety of programs to help residents maintain clean, safe, stable homes in our city neighborhoods.

Mortgage Document Review

Predatory lending is not a thing of the past.  Too many borrowers get caught up in the excitement of purchasing a new home that they forget to read the fine print.  Our Mortgage Document Review service will assist home buyers by reviewing their closing documents to check for irregularities or illegal practices.  Should any predatory lending practices be discovered, we will refer the case to the prosecutor's office.  Our goal is to make sure that borrowers are not being subjected to inflated appraisals, unnecessary fees, and other predatory practices.

Down Payment Assistance

Home ownership is the foundation of strong neighborhoods.  Down Payment Assistance is available for first-time home buyers who qualify under guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  This collaboration of Stark County Out of Poverty Partnership, Inc. and the City of Canton aims to help renters become homeowners.  Selected participants will be allowed to apply their down payment ($4,999 maximum) toward the purchase of any home in the city under this program.

Homeowner Rehab Program

The City of Canton has one of the oldest housing stocks in the state.  Instead of tearing down our historic neighborhoods as they fall into disrepair, we want to work with those homeowners who want to restore their homes and help return our city to its former charm.  Homeowners must earn a low- to moderate-income salary to qualify, and are responsible for bringing all portions of the property up to city building code specifications as a condition for being awarded funds.  Lead paint hazards must also be addressed once the grant has been awarded.  Grants are available for up to $25,000 in this program.

Emergency Repair Program

More often than not, home repair emergencies come at a time when they are least expected.  For this reason, funds are not always available to make what are usually critical repairs to a home.  To help people caught in these situations, this program provides emergency grant funds for critical repairs (those requiring immediate action within 24-72 hours in order to protect the life, health, or safety of the inhabitants).  Grants are available for up to $5,000 in this program.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act HPRP Program

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided funds for the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. These funds will provide financial assistance and services to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless and help those who are experiencing homelessness to be quickly re-housed andstabilized. The funds under this program are intended to targetindividuals and families who would be homeless but for this assistance.

The funds will provide for a variety of assistance, including:short-term or medium-term rental assistance and housing relocation andstabilization services, including such activities as mediation, credit counseling, security or utility deposits, utility payments, moving cost assistance, and case management.

Click here to see our proposed substantial ammendment. Public comments can be made via email at or in writing to:

City of Canton
Office of Development
Attn: Fonda Williams
218 Cleveland Ave. SW
Canton, Ohio 44701

For more information about any of the programs above, contact Fonda Williams in the Housing Department at (330) 489-3040.