Owning a home remains, for the vast majority of Americans, part of their American Dream. A 2023 study by Lending Tree found that 84% of those surveyed view homeownership as part of their personal ambition.
Despite this, homeownership has stagnated since 2020, and home prices have skyrocketed. In Stark County home values have jumped nearly 73% over the past decade, with the average cost rising from $122,900 in 2015 to $213,013 in 2025, far exceeding gains in household income. This double-whammy has made homeownership a dream that remains just beyond many people’s grasp, especially among low-to-moderate income households.
Community Building Partnership (CBP) seeks to change this reality, working with Stark County residents to help bring the dream of
homeownership within reach.
Created in 2004 as a fund within the Stark Community Foundation and set up as an independent non-profit organization in 2006, Community Building Partnership operates several programs designed to promote homeownership.
“One of the things I’m passionate about, is homeownership,” said Kathy Catazaro-Perry CBP Executive Director. “Only 47.5% of people in Canton are homeowners. Everyone else is paying rent.”
Catazaro-Perry said that promoting homeownership benefits both the local economy and families living in the area. She noted that extensive research has shown a strong correlation between home ownership and the stability and prosperity of local communities.
“And we are creating generational wealth for families in Stark County,” Catazaro-Perry added.
Catazaro-Perry described CBP’s broad vision as seeking to revitalize and strengthen the Stark County community. The mission is executed by leading and directing partnership-based, neighborhood specific revitalization efforts and creating community development policies and programs that promote investment and flourishment in our neighborhoods.
With a long career in both the governmental and non-profit sectors, Catazaro-Perry said the vision and work of Community Building Partnership aligns both with her past career and her character. “I’m a caretaker at heart,” she said. “I love to help people and communities, so the work we do here really fits for me.”
Overcoming Obstacles to Homeownership
CBP’s programs are specifically designed to address the most important barriers to homeownership, according to Allison Boogaart, CBP Housing Counseling & Marketing Manager.
“We provide budget and credit counseling to help people build their financial wellness with the goal of helping people become homeowners,” Boogaart said. “Our down payment assistance program helps fund their down payment and closing costs. We provide 20-23 down payment assistance grants each year. And, a big piece of what we do is to walk alongside our clients and empower them to believe they can own their own homes, that they can do this.”
Creditworthiness and up-front costs are often the stumbling blocks on the path toward home ownership. In many communities average monthly rent often nearly matches average monthly mortgage payments. In Canton, the difference between average rent and average mortgage payments is only $186 per month, according to a 2024 analysis by the Mortgage Research Network. This suggests that many people can afford to own a home if those initial stumbling blocks are removed.
Community Building Partnership’s programs extend beyond helping people into their first home. The partnership also operates initiatives to promote healthy neighborhoods, which boosts both prosperity and safety for residents. This includes a grant program that provides funds to enable low-to-moderate income homeowners to make improvements to the exterior of their homes.
“Showing pride in your neighborhood is important,” said Samantha Walters-Lewis, CBP Healthy Neighborhoods program manager. “Exterior appearance boosts people; it instills pride within them. You want your homes to look nice, that attracts businesses. It’s an economic development impact.”
CBP also offers grants to neighborhoods for local things like street parties, basketball courts and sports tournaments.
“These programs help people get to know their neighbors and who lives in their area. This fosters community and also helps deter crime,” Walters-Lewis said. “We also help people with code violation remediation, a lot of our clients are older and on social security or have a disability. At the end of the day, our focus is to help lift people in the community up, to provide what we can to help you.”
In conjunction with its other programs, the Community Building Partnership helps develop and empower grassroots leadership in Stark County neighborhoods through the Stark County Neighborhood Partnership Program, a collaborative initiative with Stark Community Foundation.
“Those that provide funding to us really value our neighborhood leadership programs,” said Catazaro-Perry. “Local leadership is critically important to developing and maintaining healthy neighborhoods. We’ve updated that program over the years to make it accommodate today’s needs.”
Community Building Partnership also promotes neighborhood revitalization through initiatives like Impact Canton, an annual clean-up and restoration day, and programming for the Aultman Core Asset Area, a partnership with the Aultman Health Foundation.
“These programs work together,” said Jessica Myers, CBP Marketing & Housing Programs Coordinator. “Often people start with one program and then transition to the other programs we offer.”
Farmers National Bank Supports CPB’s Mission 
“Funding for CBP’s programs comes from a variety of different sources,” Catazaro- Perry said. These include the City of Canton, the Aultman Health Foundation, Herbert W. Hoover Foundation, Stark Community Foundation and Deuble Foundation, along with a number of corporations and banks, including Farmers National Bank.
William Shivers, Farmers National Bank Regional President, Chief Commercial Lending Officer, is a member of the Community Building Partnership board of trustees and has worked with CBP for more than a dozen years.
“People don’t choose to be in need, but we can choose to help,” Shivers said. “CBP is all about revitalizing neighborhoods. Kudos to them for what they’re doing. There are so many people in need. This organization continues to work with the city and with other organizations to help the community.”
Shivers emphasized the dual impact of CBP’s work in the Stark County community and the lives of the individuals and families it works with. “The amount of joy and excitement people receive from these programs; people are so appreciative,” he said. “We help them realize their dreams. I’m all about opportunity. Give someone opportunity and you might be surprised by what they can achieve.”