Neighborhoods

Friday, December 15, 2017

Angel and Maipe Cruz recently moved into their new home at 3011 Kiwatha Road in the Indian Village Neighborhood and sat down with us to talk about their homebuying process and what drew them to the area.

Both longtime residents of Youngstown, Angel and Maipe said the home's proximity to Mill Creek Park was very appealing. They are also the first REVITALIZE Home Mortgage (RHM) borrowers to purchase a home. RHM provides a first-mortgage financing source with flexible underwriting criteria for borrowers who don't meet requirements for conventional banking products. “It was amazingly easy,” said Angel of the loan process, “and friendly and helpful...supportive. I didn’t have one bad experience at all.” Cruz also went through YNDC’s FREE HUD-approved Housing Counseling program in order to qualify for the loan. Angel has some advice for new homeowners, saying to be patient and diligent. Congratulations, Angel and Maipe on your new home!

Monday, December 18, 2017

On Saturday, December 16, nineteen volunteers helped organize
and clean the inside of the Youngstown Playhouse.

Volunteers from the Boulevard
Park Block Watch, Cohen & Company, Freedom Church, Friends of the Mahoning
River, St. Mark's Victory Lutheran Church, Tabernacle
Evangelical Presbyterian Church/Hope for Renewal, YNDC, Youngstown Playhouse, YSU
Honors College, and YSUscape removed 17 cubic yards of debris, 12 cubic yards
of trash, and 5 cubic yards of scrap metal. Special thanks to Hope for Renewal
for providing refreshments. We would like to thank all the volunteers for their
hard work!

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

On Monday, December 18, YNDC became a member of the Alliance For Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods (ACTION). 

ACTION is a grassroots community organization which seeks to unite faith groups, schools, neighborhood organizations, tenant councils, and other non-profits to work for social justice.  It is ACTION’s mission to create a safer community, improve the quality of education, provide a voice for young people, support the rights of immigrants, and strengthen communities in Mahoning Valley (Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana County).  ACTION is based on the premise that residents themselves hold the solutions to the problems that face their communities.  ACTION’s organizing approach involves training and developing local leadership, identifying common common issues and goals.

YNDC looks forward to being an effective member of ACTION and working with all members to improve the quality of life for residents of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. 

TRIPS and tours

ACTION and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation are sponsoring a free bus trip to Columbia, S.C., to confront Vision Property Management about its housing practices in the city. The bus will depart from St. Edwards Church, 240 Tod Lane, Youngstown, at 4 p.m. March 3. Reservations can be made by calling 330-480-0423 or by filling out the form at http://ow.ly/ZHAO30hcqXO. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

YNDC is seeking general contractors to complete owner-occupied
and vacant home repair and rehabilitation projects in 2018.

Interested
contractors should return completed contractor application to YNDC. The
application can be downloaded here. Interested parties can also request an
application via fax, mail, or email by contacting Katie at 330.480.0423. Additional
information regarding contractor requirements can also be found here. 

Friday, December 22, 2017

On Tuesday, December 5, the Schwebel Family Foundation awarded a $1,000 grant to YNDC for REVITALIZE Youngstown.

The grant award will be used to continue Neighborhood Action Plan implementation including vacant home board ups, vacant lot improvements, vacant home rehabilitation and other public space improvements. Many thanks to the Schwebel Family Foundation!

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Neighborhood Action Teams, composed of neighborhood leaders, residents, YNDC, the Mahoning County Land Bank, the City of Youngstown, churches, and other institutions, collectively accomplished significant results in 2017. 

Thirteen action teams across the city demolished 256 properties, boarded and cleaned up 196, brought 92 into compliance, and repaired or rehabilitated 43.  Team members raised $1,325,830 in grant funds, coordinated 28 community workdays, planted 287 trees, made significant improvements to 5 parks, and held one Better Block event. Over the past three years the teams have accomplished a huge amount. Please download the Neighborhood Action Team report below. REVITALIZE.

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

On Wednesday, December 27, a ribbon cutting was held to open the fully rehabilitated historic Crandall Park pavilion constructed in 1930. 

Funding for the rehabilitation was provided by a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the City of Youngstown.  The facility is now ADA-accessible, HVAC systems upgraded, roof and windows replaced, masonry repaired, and bathrooms renovated.  The pavilion will be open for parties, picnics, and meetings in 2018. REVITALIZE.

A newly renovated park pavilion in Youngstown is once again open for park visitors.

The pavilion at Crandall Park now has a new roof, upgraded windows, restrooms and appliances. 

New walkways and entrances also make it accessible for everyone, including wheelchairs. 

To read the full article from WFMJ, click here.

The Western Reserve Health Foundation and the Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation have approved grants totaling $348,605 to 10 area health initiatives.

During what’s termed the second grant cycle of the year, the Western Reserve Health Foundation awarded $282,108 and Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation $66,497.

The Western Reserve Health Foundation and Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation are affiliate funds of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.

The largest grant from the Western Reserve Health Foundation was $99,660 to Fresh Coast Communities. It will leverage investments in Youngstown’s stormwater infrastructure by giving the city insight into the benefits of a green strategy for managing stormwater runoff. Additionally, Fresh Coast will use its Youngstown Green Infrastructure Plan process to consider and set priorities for the impact of future green infrastructure, a goal of Western Reserve Health Foundation.

Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley received a grant of $35,400 from the Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation to establish a Peer Recovery Program at St. Joseph Warren Hospital. This program, modeled after Anchor Recovery in Providence, R.I., links individuals  at the emergency department as the result of a drug overdose with specially trained and certified peer recovery coaches .

Additional grants from the Western Reserve Health Foundation are:

• $5,000 to Boardman Township for the project Reinvigorate Market Street, a multimodal feasibility study intended to provide data in support of traffic lane reduction.
• $12,500 to Economic Action Group for Downtown Better Block, a model for how urban planning and community engagement can create a healthy and vibrant downtown.
• $40,000 to Mahoning County District Board of Health for its collaboration with the YWCA of Youngstown on The Coming H.O.M.E. Project (housing opportunities for mothers expecting).
• $24,948 to Mercy Health Youngstown for an expansion to its Stepping Out Program, designed to improve health outcomes of those with limited access to fitness and recreation areas and activities.
• $100,000 to Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. for improvements to the built environment and fitness programming at four Youngstown parks.