AKRON, Ohio — Karla McDay, a social worker and community leader in Akron, believes young, unhoused adults face a specific set of challenges when it comes to moving forward. 

Lack of access to affordable housing, jobs that pay a living wage, a gap in education and family disruption add up to multiple barriers to independence.

It’s a combination of forces she’s been working to address for several decades in direct service, most recently through Harmony House, a shelter system for young adults that McDay founded and currently directs.

“Research tells us that the frontal cortex of your brain does not officially close until about the age of 26, but at the age of 18 is when people are expected to get out and function as an adult,” she said.

She said they don’t have coping skills or, sometimes, they know-how to negotiate leases or deal with landlords.

Harmony House staff provide a central intake where clients sit down with a counselor to identify their needs, from emergency shelter to transitional housing.

The dorm-like settings are designed to teach residents how to navigate living on their own. They share all common areas, have roommates and receive support education and employment counseling along with donated food and clothing.

“I feel like it’s a calling…to be able to help young people kind of navigate that road to adulthood and to self-sufficiency, is rewarding,” McDay said. “It feels good.”