Neighborhoods

For most people, the Rust Belt is a symbol of closed factories, vacant downtowns and decreasing population.

The term was popularized by politician Walter Mondale in 1984, and it applies to the areas with a manufacturing-based economy that have been losing population starting with the 1980s. Trump brought the Rust Belt back in the spotlight by using it as an example of the U.S.’s fall from past greatness. And since his election, the term has become more widespread in the media. The cities in Rust Belt experienced decline mostly for the same reasons. The rise of Wall Street and the Reagan presidency’s war on unions led to the loss of many manufacturing jobs, destroying the balance of the middle class. Powerhouses such as General Motors or Chrysler couldn’t keep up with the shifting technology landscape and turned out to be inefficient. Starting with the diminishing steel and iron industries and the 1973 oil crisis, things turned from bad to worse. Each town and city along the Rust Belt faced and continues to face a unique set of challenges. While big cities such as Cleveland or Detroit have already told their stories, smaller cities lurk behind their shadow and often get overlooked. A study from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy tracks the struggles and successes of 24 smaller towns in order to accurately depict the image of the nation’s legacy cities. To read the whole article from Commercial Property Executive, click here.

Valley residents receiving public assistance to put groceries on the table have access to fresh food at several area farmer's markets this summer.

A list of farmer's markets accepting SNAP, EBT, or the Ohio Direction Card published by the state Office of Family Assistance includes two markets in Trumbull County and one in Mahoning County. Customers can shop at farmers' markets in Youngstown, Warren, and Howland for a healthier alternative of fresh, wholesome, locally grown foods. The Downtown Youngstown Farmers Market at the B&O Station on Mahoning Ave. is open to the public once per month. The market is an on-going partnership between the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) and Mercy Health - Youngstown. Individuals using SNAP can "double-up" their produce purchase up to $30. The first market will take place on June 13, 2018, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the B&O Station located at 530 Mahoning Ave. in Youngstown and will happen the second Wednesday of each month from June through October. To read the full story from WFMJ, click here.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

On Thursday, June 7, 2018, the City of Youngstown awarded HOME and CDBG funds to YNDC for multiple housing and neighborhood improvement projects:

HOME44 Owner Occupied Rehabilitation - $257,047

HOME44 Strategic Acquisition and Rehabilitation - $150,000

CDBG44 Limited Repair-  $229,700

CDBG44 REVITALIZE - $25,000

Many thanks to the City of Youngstown, City Council, and Mayor Brown for the support!

By noon, the first Youngstown Farmers Market at B&O Station downtown had nearly been picked clean.

Saralee Greenfield, a nutrition educator with Mercy Health, was outside the station checking in participants enrolled in the hospital’s fresh fruit and vegetable subscription program. As they approached her table she apologized that the selection was meager. “There’s not a lot left, we were almost sold out within the first hour,” Greenfield said. “I had people waiting in line this morning at 8 a.m.” The market — the result of a partnership between the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and Mercy Health — opened at 10 a.m. While selling out was good for vendors, the event’s sizeable turnout — there were more than 300 people throughout the day — is a reminder of the troubling reality that many residents of the county rely on food assistance programs. The market is funded by a $1.5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant meant to address food insecurity. The dollar-for-dollar grant was matched in large part thanks to funding from Mercy Health and is meant to ensure that poor individuals receiving food assistance can afford healthy food. Tom Hetrick, the YNDC’s neighborhood planner, said cost is a major barrier to people eating healthier. “We’ve done surveys in Youngstown and Warren where we asked people if they ate at least five fruits and vegetables a day. Most said no, and when we asked why, they said cost was the biggest factor. They simply couldn’t afford to regularly buy fresh produce,” Hetrick said. “I think there’s a misconception that everyone that doesn’t eat healthy does so by choice, when that often isn’t the case.” The farmers market and other YNDC and Mercy Health programs — such as the Produce Perks program at the Cornersburg Sparkle Market — “double up” individuals’ food assistance, effectively giving them twice the purchasing power when they buy healthy food and produce. To read the full article from The Vindicator, click here.

The Downtown Youngstown Farmer’s Market at the B&O Station on Mahoning Avenue is open.

The place is popular, especially since the majority of the city is considered a food desert – a place where little or no fresh food can be purchased. The farmer’s market is a great way to help change that, even if it’s only for a day each month. Purchases are even more cost-effective if you have SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. “The fact that we can use our SNAP cards to come down here and have it doubled means I can get some fresh fruit along with some herbs to grow in my window, which means the world to me,” said Eve Hagan, shopper. The market is convenient being so close to downtown and the bus station. Many in the city are forced to travel to Boardman or Liberty to find fresh produce, and many times those items in a retail setting can get expensive. “This is wonderful because you can buy fresh herbs there at $3 each. Some of them were two for $5. You go to the grocery store to buy fresh herbs and it is pretty pricey, Hagen said. With the farmer’s market being one of only a few places in Youngstown where you can get fresh produce, they sold out in minutes. To read the full story from WYTV, click here.

The Downtown Youngstown Farmers Market at the B&O Station on Mahoning Avenue is open.

The place is popular, especially since the majority of the city is considered a food desert – a place where little or no fresh food can be purchased. The farmers market is a great way to help change that, even if it’s only for a day each month. Purchases are even more cost-effective if you have SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. “The fact that we can use our SNAP cards to come down here and have it doubled means I can get some fresh fruit along with some herbs to grow in my window, which means the world to me,” said Eve Hagan, shopper. The market is convenient being so close to downtown and the bus station. Many in the city are forced to travel to Boardman or Liberty to find fresh produce, and many times those items in a retail setting can get expensive. “This is wonderful because you can buy fresh herbs there at $3 each. Some of them were two for $5. You go to the grocery store to buy fresh herbs and it is pretty pricey, Hagen said. With the farmers market being one of only a few places in Youngstown where you can get fresh produce, they sold out in minutes. To read the full story from WKBN, click here. 

The Western Reserve Port Authority is talking with Kent State University about using space at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport for a training program.

Maureen McFarland, director of Kent State’s aviation program, is expected to visit the Vienna Township airport in July to “have a conversation about utilization of our airport,” John Moliterno, WRPA executive director, told board members Wednesday. “We’re happy to entertain them and have them come here and talk about how we can partner potentially with Kent State,” he said at a meeting of the port authority’s aviation and economic development committees. The airport’s assets would likely be used for a drone program for Kent State University at Trumbull, said Lance Grahn, dean and chief administrative officer of the campus. “This is at present an exploratory process,” Grahn said during a phone interview following the meeting. The discussions are part of an effort to look at how the university campus in Champion Township can more effectively serve the Mahoning Valley. Discussions with KSU have been going on for a couple of years, Moliterno said. Among the airport’s assets that it could offer the aviation program are a Federal Aviation Administration control tower, longer runway and National Weather Service Station. “We’ll certainly put this on the table as a way in which to bring the world-class aviation program from Kent State to Kent State Trumbull,” Grahn said. He also was pleased to learn that there might be a building available at the airport the would be “a perfect place for a drone technology or drone maintenance program,” he said. Grahn envisions connections with the Youngstown Air Reserve Station and the 910th Airlift Wing, which shares facilities with the airport, as well as America Makes, the Youngstown Business Incubator and the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics and its aviation maintenance program. During the economic development committee meeting, board members received an update on the port authority’s joint project with Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and other projects.

YNDC and the port authority are developing the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley’s former distribution center on Glenwood Avenue in Youngstown to house several small businesses. To read the full article from The Business Journal, click here.

Friday, June 15, 2018

The Southside Summer Experience is a series of pop-up events and day camps that provide positive activities throughout the South Side for youth and their families. 

As part of the US DOJ Community Based Crime Reduction project, the events bring together community members, YPD officers, and neighborhood youth in a safe, fun, and engaging environment.  Through hundreds of door-to-door interviews, residents identified a need for more opportunities and activities for youth as one of the most desired improvements for their neighborhood.  One event will be held each week in the CBCR target area, between Market St. and Zedaker.  The first Southside Summer Experience took place on South Ave. on Monday, June 11 and the next will be held at the corner of Southern Blvd. and E. Ravenwood on Tuesday, June 19.  All events take place from 5pm-7pmand are free to the public.

Friday, June 15, 2018

More than 500 attended the initial Youngstown Farmers Market at the B&O Station on Mahoning Ave. on Wednesday, June 13. 

The market featured fresh produce from local farmers, including strawberries, apples, zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, and plants.  Vendors sold out of produce and several reported their highest sales ever at a farmers market in Youngstown.  As a partnership between Mercy Health and YNDC, the market serves patients in the Mercy Health Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program, as well as customers with SNAP/EBT who are able to double their purchase of fresh produce with the Produce Perks program, up to $30 per day.  The next market will be Wednesday, July 11.  

Friday, June 15, 2018

Implementation of the US DOJ Community Based Crime Reduction project is underway. 

The project started with data analysis to identify concentrations and patterns of crime in a targeted area on the South Side, between Market. St. and Zedaker.  The crime analysis is being used to deploy targeted Youngstown Police Department patrols during peak times of illegal activity.  Officer foot patrols will be deployed along South Ave. and throughout the project area.  The Clean and Green Team began operations in May, removing trash, debris, tires, and overgrown vegetation from vacant lots and reclaiming sidewalks property-by-property, beginning with streets near Taft Elementary.  To date, nearly two miles of sidewalk and 189 lots have been cleaned up.  Neighborhood organizers have held nearly 200 door-to-door conversations with residents, identifying quality of life issues and gathering input for proposed solutions.  Organizers have worked with community members to host 3 neighborhood cleanups, 1 block party, and 2 informal "meet and greets."  The project will also feature a series of youth-centered events, called the Southside Summer Experience, which provide weekly pop-up activities throughout the target area.