About The Opportunity Center

In July 2012, Miami Valley Housing Opportunities purchased the four-story building at 907 West Fifth Street from the Dayton Urban League. The property is home to MVHO’s administrative offices, as well as to several additional nonprofit tenants. The Opportunity Center serves as a central location where several organizations can provide services to citizens in our community.

The Opportunity Center is the former home of the 5th Street YMCA. Opening in 1928, the building has inscribed in the exterior the names of four renowned black men: Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, William A. Hunton, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar.

(l to r) MVHO CEO Debbie Watts Robinson and TOC Asst. Bldg. Dir.  Mark Davis

The National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights 2020 Grant Program awarded funding to help preserve sites and history related to the African American struggle for equality. MVHO received a grant for The Opportunity Center.  The money awarded to this former YMCA site will go to the initial planning stages to preserve the building, including developing plans for a new HVAC and roof.

The TOC has a complete teaching kitchen. Join Access Center for Independent Living (ACIL) for their program, Kitchen Connection.  Come together once a month on Zoom to network, learn how to cook affordable meals, tips for food safety, where you can find local community resources, or about adaptive kitchen equipment for persons with disabilities.

The 2022 classes are on Wednesdays from 2-3 p.m.

The July through December 2022 schedule is as follows:

• July 27, 2022
• August 17, 2022
• September 21, 2022
• October 19, 2022
• November 16, 2022
• December 14, 2022

For more information or to sign up for a class call 937-341-5205.

The Kitchen Connection 2021 Booklet (Electronic Copy)