Dear Friends and Supporters,

As we reflect on an incredible year of growth, resilience, and service, we are proud to share our 2025 Annual Report with you.

In Fiscal Year 2024-2025, Community Support Services embraced the importance of creating space: The physical space to provide safety and stability to families in need. The creative space to celebrate artistic expression and emotional healing. The organizational space to look at the bigger picture and think strategically.

When we create space, we aren’t just opening buildings; we are opening possibilities.

For the individuals we serve, recovery is rarely a straight line, and often, the barrier they encounter is not a lack of will; it is a lack of space. If they are leaving a psychiatric facility or a jail cell, they often are entering a world with no room for them. Without a safe space, the cycle repeats.

Community Support Services provides those safe spaces that create stability and environments that encourage growth. We are proud to say that we have opened two new housing developments specifically designed as a bridge from insecurity to independence. One provides support for those transitioning from psychiatric care back into the community; the other provides a foundation for individuals newly released from jail.

In addition to the safety and stability of housing, Community Support Services celebrated 10 years of emotional and social support through Art of Recovery. We have created space for rediscovery, where our clients can become artists and shed the stigma that severe and persistent mental illness often carries.

When we create space, we are giving our community room to spread their wings and imagine bigger and better lives for not only themselves, but for their families and neighbors. We provide them the room to grow and express themselves.

Thank you for your continued support of Community Support Services. Together, we create the space for better lives.

Space for Stability

New Housing Developments Provide Support

In the fall of 2024, Community Support Services celebrated the opening and groundbreaking of two new residential facilities, providing housing options for two unique populations.

Frese Residential Center

THRIVE House

In October, CSS celebrated the groundbreaking of the future home of the Dr. Fred Frese Residential Center, a 16-bed residential step-down center located on the grounds of Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare. The $10 million facility will provide a supportive environment for those who are leaving the psychiatric hospital and transitioning back into the community.

The development is the result of a partnership between the state of Ohio and the County of Summit Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board (ADM Board) to help address the crisis response for individuals who are released from hospitalization but are not yet stabilized enough to live independently or without additional support. The goal is that, with that extra support, individuals discharged from the hospital will be less likely to end up in a crisis that lands them in an emergency department, on the streets or in jail.

CSS will staff the facility and provide services such as case management, counseling, group therapy and nursing, in addition to residential care. The center will house male and female adults from Summit, Portage, Geauga, Cuyahoga, Lake and Lorain counties. The average resident’s stay will be 60 to 90 days.

The center will include various wings, shared spaces for socializing, meeting rooms and pods of bedrooms. The design incorporates a warm, lodge-like feel that blends the earthy hues of the adjacent Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Design work was done by Hasenstab Architects, and construction will be completed by Hammond Construction.

The center is named after Dr. Fred Frese III, a psychologist and fierce advocate for those living with severe mental illness. Frese was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1968 and later went on to earn a doctorate in psychology and was appointed the director of psychology at Western Reserve Psychiatric Hospital.

The project is supported by the ADM Board through local levy funds and $2 million from the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health via American Rescue Plan Act funds. The center is expected to open in the spring of 2026.

In August, CSS opened THRIVE House, a 14-bed facility in West Akron, that provides transitional housing for unhoused individuals who are newly released from the Summit County Jail and who participate in the jail’s THRIVE (Transition. Help. Restore. Independence. Value. Empower.) program. The program pairs caseworkers with individuals struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. It supports their recovery by providing treatment, medication and connection to resources and benefits.

The THRIVE program was developed in 2022 as a collaboration between Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree and Summit Psychological Associates. THRIVE House is a continuation of that program to help prevent those with mental health and substance use disorders from falling into a cycle of incarceration and release.

CSS staffs THRIVE House and provides vocational, clinical and housing support for the residents. Clients continue working with case managers to reach their treatment goals, including finding permanent housing. Residency is voluntary, and participants typically live at THRIVE for three to six months.

Summit County Land Bank renovated the property and leases the facility to CSS. Funding for case management is provided by the Summit County Executive’s Office through opiate abatement funds, and funding for the transitional housing and on-site services is provided by the County of Summit Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board.

Space for Expression

Art of Recovery Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Community Support Services celebrated a decade of art, expression, resilience and healing with Art of Recovery’s 10th anniversary in March 2025 at House Three Thirty, a new location for the event.

As the event opened, CSS CEO and President Bob Stokes was presented with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the office of U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes commemorating 10 years of Art of Recovery.

Nearly 60 works of original client-created art were on display and up for bids by nearly 250 attendees, who also met the artists, enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and learned more about CSS’ art therapy program. A special art therapy exhibit shed light on the therapeutic aspects of creating artwork as part of mental health treatment.

The artists’ stories were showcased during a video presentation and highlighted in remarks by Expressive Arts Administrator Michelle Morton. Seven of the artists were presented with awards for their works, which were judged by local mental health counselors Christine Mehen and Hannah Mansell.

By the end of the evening, 50 works of art had been sold. The artists earned 75% of the art sale proceeds. Twenty-five percent went to the CSS Expressive Arts Therapy program.

It is our honor to celebrate these artists, and we thank them for sharing their art and their stories of hope, resilience and recovery.

Space for Growth

A Shift in Leadership

The 2024-25 fiscal year included significant changes in key CSS leadership, including the creation of a new chief operating officer position.

Leslie Powlette Stoyer, JD

Chief Operating Office

Kimberly Meals, M.Ed., LPCC-S

Chief Clinical Officer

Sean Lynch, MS, LPCC-S, LICDC-CS

Director of Quality and Compliance

Longtime mental health advocate and former CSS board member Leslie Powlette Stoyer, JD, joined CSS as chief operating officer in April of 2025. As part of this new role, Stoyer oversees all CSS operations, including the primary care clinic.

Stoyer comes to the role on the heels of her retirement from NAMI Summit County where she was executive director. Prior, she served as NAMI Summit County’s co-executive director for more than 10 years. Stoyer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a concentration in management from Cedar Crest College and earned her Doctor of Law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. She previously practiced law with a concentration in corporate and real estate litigation.

CSS also has a new chief clinical officer, Kimberly Meals, M.Ed., LPCC-S. In August of 2024, Meals assumed the role following the retirement of Linda F. R. Omobien, who served CSS for 36 years. Since joining CSS in 1998, Meals has held numerous positions, most recently serving as the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) director and compliance officer. Prior to CSS being awarded a CCBHC grant, Meals was the director of quality and compliance.

With Meals’ promotion, Sean Lynch, MS, LPCC-S, LICDC-CS, stepped into the role of director of quality and compliance. Previously, he served as forensic manager since April of 2019. Lynch joined CSS in 2013 as a case manager. Since then, he has held several positions in the agency, including clinical supervisor and assertive community rehabilitation specialist for those with severe mental illness and substance use disorders.

Space for Support

Individuals Seen:

4,626

Days in Residential Treatment:

11,236

Individuals Seen in Primary Care:

1,655

New Active Cases:

908

Total Primary Care Encounters:

4,653

New Referral Cases:

1,211

CSS Awarded Three-year Accreditiation

Community Support Services received a three-year accreditation by the international accrediting body CARF for all of its programs. This is the seventh consecutive three-year accreditation CARF International has awarded CSS. By pursuing and achieving accreditation, CSS has demonstrated that it meets international standards for quality and is committed to pursuing excellence.

The accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be given to an organization and shows our organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a three-year accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable and of the highest quality.

CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process and continuous improvement services that center on enhancing the lives of persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF International, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. For more information about the accreditation process, pleasevisit the CARF website.

Support From Our Donors

We’re able to help our clients achieve more because of the generosity of these wonderful donors.

*Community Support Services Board Member

$10,000 and up
Bombas, Inc.
Clonrock Foundation

$5,000 - $9,999
Anonymous Donor
Peggy & Kevin Gaffney
GPD Group, Inc.
Tricia & Greg Griffith
Klein’s Pharmacy
Peg’s Foundation
Reymann Foundation
SeibertKeck Insurance Partners

$2,500 - $4,999
PNC Bank
River Valley Paper Company
Robert Stokes
Wealth Impact Advisors

$1,000 - $2,499
Akron Community Foundation
Terry Dalton
Shayne Donald
Jennings Heating & Cooling
William Lowery
North Hill Needle Crafters
Smith & Godios, Inc.
Thomas L. & Margaret M. Gower Fund
Leslie Powlette Stoyer
Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich
Thompson Electric, Inc.
TRIAD Communications
Joanna Tucker*
David R. & Cheryl L. Venarge Fund

$500 - $999
Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority
Nancy & Kevin Fallon
Michael Gaffney
Neal Donald Horrigan
Jaime Iceman*
Paul Jackson*
James E. Merklin
Oriana House
Dr. Eileen Schwartz
Deborah Skelton
Summit County Department of Job & Family Services
Thompson Electric, Inc.
Joanna Tucker*

Up to $499
A&A Vending Co.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The Bath Church
Laura Bonko
Craig J. Brenner
Ray & Marty Capotosta
Michael Casseday
Katie Cassenhiser*
CHC Addiction Services
Cleveland Cliffs
Joseph C. Conley
Cuyahoga Valley Management, Inc.
LuAnne Decker
Kathy Dubose*
Claudia Marie Dulac*
Nora Faul
Food Rescue US
Rebecca Freund
Keith & Tricia Gaffney
William J. Ginter
Goodwill Industries
Laura Jo Hawk*
Hilton Garden Inn – East Akron
Lisa Hine
Stephanie Hollinger
Michael A. Holyfield
Monty & Kathy Johnson
Kaye & Mark Julian
Phu Lam
Stephen & Kathleen Lamarre
K. Matthew Longmire*
Teresa Maynard-Pais
Michael McGlinchy
Karen McNatt
Kimberly Meals
Jamie Messenger*
Yvonne Miller
Megan Minotti*
Staci Nevels*
Jon Novak*
Janet & Mike Pera
Joseph W. Pineiro
Portage Path Behavioral Health
Progressive Insurance Foundation
Mitchell Ray
Christina Rhodes
Lesley Richard*
Mary Ann Roese
Matthew Roy
Christa Smith*
John & Nancy Sommer
Geoffrey* & Carmen Swanson
Vicky Joan Urbano
Maureen Van Duser
Latrice Walters
Shaleeta A. Washington*
Bonnie Lass Wojno
Marissa Ziltch

Financials Fiscal Year 2025

Revenue Total Agency Revenue $43,302,592

44.1% Patient Services
45.5% Other Revenue
9.3% Government Grants
1.2% Earned Income

Expenditures Functional Expenses $39,558,159

36.9%Primary Care Center (including 340b)
18.7% CPST
12.3% Residential
10.2% G & A
9.7% Med/Som
4.1% Comm Residential
2.5% CCBHC
2.4% Employ/Voc
2.0% Intensive Treatment Services
1.0% Diag Assessment
0.1% Crisis and Other

Download Financials

Since 1988, Community Support Services has worked to build communities of hope where mental and physical health are treated equally. CSS provides health care and hope for more than 4,000 individuals living with severe and persistent mental illness each year.

Space For healing