Neighborhoods

Ohio Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan and several community leaders gathered in front of a dilapidated house on the South Side this morning to discuss new legislation aimed at reining in the abuse of land contracts. 

Land contracts, also known as rent-to-own or lease-to-own agreements, have been used by several out-of-state companies in the city of Youngstown and drawn the ire of community leaders. “A growing number of dishonest firms are using this practice to trap trusting buyers into predatory situations,” said Lepore-Hagan of Youngstown, D-58th. Ian Beniston, executive director of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, worked with Lepore-Hagan on the legislation which is modeled after legislation in other states. “This is part of the wreckage they leave for the cities to clean up,” Beniston said of the South Side home. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here. 

MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS: The Greater Warren-Youngstown Urban League will present “Getting the Word Out: Marketing Your Business,” a Minority Business Assistance Center Workshop, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Urban League’s main office, 290 W. Market St., Warren. Admission is free, but requires registration by calling 330-394-4316.

PHANTOMS CHOOSE 898 MARKETING: Canfield-based 898 Marketing has been named the Youngstown Phantoms 2017-18 marketing partner. The firm will handle strategic marketing, planning, social media management, video production and advertising schedule for the USHL hockey team.

CHAMBER PRESENTS PUCO VICE CHAIR TROMBOLD: Beth Trombold, vice chairman, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, will address the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber’s Government Affairs Council 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the Maronite Center in Youngstown. Trombold is also past president of the Organization of PJM States, which regulates access to the nation’s power grid. She is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners, where she serves on the Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment. She is chair of PJM’s Independent State Agencies Committee that focuses on transmission needs within PJM. She also serves on the Financial Research Institute advisory board at the University of Missouri. Reservations may be made online at RegionalChamber.com, by calling 330-744-2131, Ext. 1212, or emailing MaryBeth@regionalchamber.com.

HONOREES SELECTED FOR 25 UNDER 35: The Mahoning Valley Young Professionals, in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, will recognize its 2017-2018 Honorees for the 25 Under 35 Awards during a ceremony Feb. 8 at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown. The program, in its 13th year, honors Mahoning Valley young professionals for excellence in their professional field and commitment to their community. Three honorees will be distinguished for special accolades as MVP Award winners. Honorees are selected by a panel of judges formed by CFMV, MVYP and community leaders. The nominations are judged on education, professional and community service categories. They are: James Anderson, ADO Health Services; Angelo Babbaro, Portfolio 22; Ian Beniston, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.; Courtney Boyle, MS Consultants Inc.; Joshua Boyle, Public Library of Youngstown; Sarah Braun, Eastern Ohio Education Partnership; Patrick Brine, Mercy Health Youngstown; Billie Daugherty, Ohio Living Home Health & Hospice; Jack Daugherty, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.; Shannon Dudash, Briarfield Health Care Centers; Jessica Foster, Cohen & Co.; Jim Freeze, Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries; Jereme Frey, Confluence Advisors; David Griswold, Youngstown State University; Olivia Hiznay, Mercy Health Youngstown; Lauren Johnson, Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber; Nils Johnson, Johnson & Johnson Law Office; Adam Keck, Modern Methods Brewing Co.; Annissa Neider, MS Consultants Inc.; Jessica Ann Oates, Comprehensive Behavioral Health Associates; Mark Oles, Cardinal Mooney High School; Dean Palombaro, Austintown Local Schools; Lucas Politsky, Youngstown State University; Karen Raghanti, Cohen & Co.; Dr. Jessica Reiter, Community Medical Associates; Emily Rusu, Jet Creative; Courtney Stryffeler, Mercy Health — St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital; and Andrew Thompson, Thompson Insurance Group. To read the full story from the Tribune Chronicle, click here.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

On October 11, the Burton D. Morgan Foundation awarded YNDC with a $30,000 grant for to support microenterprise programming and the Mahoning Valley is for Entrepreneurs initiative.

Thanks to the Burton D. Morgan Foundation for their continued support!

Monday, October 23, 2017

On Monday, October 23, the YNDC Tree Corps began planting trees in vacant lots along the Glenwood Avenue Corridor.

Holes were dug and prepared last week for all 125 trees to be planted. As of Tuesday, October 31, all 125 trees have been planted. The tree planting is part of the Glenwood Neighbors Initiative, a series of improvements focused on the Glenwood Avenue Corridor. The Glenwood Neighbors Initiative has been supported by grants from the Lipscher Charitable Trust, the Robert H Reakirt Foundation, and the Ruth Beecher Charitable Trust. 

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

On Saturday, October 21, thirty-four volunteers began rehabilitation of the historic 4-unit building at 2906 Glenwood Avenue during the Idora Neighborhood Workday.

Volunteers from the Cub Scouts, CUP EPC, DEFEND, Fitch High School, Friends
of the Mahoning River, Progress Mahoning Valley, Prince of Peace Lutheran
Church, St. Mark’s Victory Lutheran, Tabernacle Evangelical Presbyterian
Church/Hope for Renewal, UPS Freight, Us to U.S., YSU, YSU Honors College, and YSUscape removed old furnaces, ductwork, and water heaters from the basement, restored the storefront facade to its original brick construction, repaired drywall, installed doors, painted the rear porch, pulled staples, and cleaned up the yard. The building is being rehabilitated by YNDC partner organization Hope for Renewal. Special thanks to Hope for Renewal for providing refreshments. 

Wednesday,
October 25, 2017

Year-to-date
REVITALIZATION Recap for October, 2017:

10,239 unique
cuts made by grass cutting team

1,402 volunteers
at 20 workdays

31,050 linear feet of sidewalk scraped

4,313 cubic yards of debris removed

186 new clients
enrolled in housing counseling

16 vacant unit
rehabilitations completed

1,468 students attended
58 Safe Routes to School Events

The Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods is demanding city officials and other community leaders take action to bring full-service grocery stores to the city and enact legislation to protect residents from predatory land contracts.

Speakers at ACTION’s annual public meeting Sunday at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Youngstown, titled “Continued Conversations on Racism,” called on whichever Youngstown mayoral candidate is elected to “within two months” present a plan to bring grocery stores to areas of the city that are designated “food deserts” because their residents live a mile or more from a full-service grocery store. Minister Ted Brown said about 17,500 of Youngstown’s some 65,000 residents live in food deserts, which he said is a product of structural racism. “Big-box stores won’t build in the inner city because of ‘white flight’ to the suburbs, leaving blacks and other people without the means to move,” said the Rev. Mr. Brown. The definition of structural racism is policies and practices put into place by institutions, people, businesses and others that create racial inequality, he said. Systems and practices still exist that place people who live in the inner city at a disadvantage, and it is purposely done, he said. “We are trying to create equity for all,” Mr. Brown said. Also on the agenda Sunday was a call to action to close the loopholes in “exploitative rent-to-own home land contracts.” Among the loopholes are lack of property appraisals and high interest rates and buyers are not required to make repairs, said Ian Beniston of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. A Youngstown resident told his personal story about involvement in a bad land contract. In 2008, he and his wife decided to buy a house. They were not able to finance it through regular banks and instead went the land-contract path to homeownership. The couple made a “substantial” down payment and their monthly payments of $1,500 a month. However, in 2011, after never missing a payment, they found an eviction notice on his door. He learned that the owner had never made a mortgage payment on the home; in fact, the home was in foreclosure the day the owner sold it to him. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here.

Monday, October 30, 2017

On Saturday, October 28, twenty-one volunteers helped clean
and board up homes on the North Side as part of the Make a Difference Day
workday with YSUscape.

Volunteers from The Jambar, YSU Hockey, YSU Honors
College, and YSUscape removed 40 cubic yards of debris and trash, 20 cubic yards
of brush, and 64 illegally dumped tires. Special thanks to YSUscape for
organizing and recruiting volunteers. 

Monday, October 30, 2017

On Sunday, October 29, residents, elected officials and candidates, and congregational leaders from across the city attended the Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods (A.C.T.I.O.N.) public meeting at Mt. Zion Baptist Church to discuss ongoing issues with predatory land contracts and food deserts.

YNDC Executive Director Ian Beniston and Housing Director Tiffany Sokol joined State Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan and Atty. Patricia Dugan from Community Legal Aid to discuss the dangers of entering into predatory land contracts and some strategies to address loopholes in the Ohio Revised Code that allow many out-of-state companies to take advantage of low-income citizens. City resident Craig Gilchrist shared his own shocking experience with a predatory land contract agreement. His home was in foreclosure from the beginning of his contract and he was not aware until he received an eviction notice on his door after never missing a $1,500 monthly payment. Rep. Lepore-Hagan urged attendees to call their lawmakers at 1-800-282-0253 to demand a second hearing for HB 368, which she introduced earlier this month. The Fair Lending through Land Contracts Act would require land contract purveyors to correct code violations and pay any outstanding fees before entering into an agreement with a buyer, among many other reforms.

 The Youngstown Foundation has awarded more than $922,000 to local organizations in the third quarter, including $232,611 in awards from the Hine Memorial Fund. 

In unrestricted fund awards, Compass Family & Community Services was granted $65,000, while five organizations – Associated Neighborhood Centers, Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown, City Club of Youngstown, Paisley House and Youngstown Symphony Society – were given $20,000 each. Also receiving money were Big Brothers Big Sisters, $10,000; Easter Seal Society, $10,000; Estruscan Press, $5,000; Fresh Coat Communities, $15,000; Help Network of Northeast Ohio, $15,000; and Score, $7,500. Three organizations who will use the money to support children diagnosed with disabilities received grants from the Hine Fund: Students Motivated by the Arts, $41,915; Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., $16,500; and Potential Development’s Operation Search & Help program, $174,196. To read the full story from the Business Journal, click here.