Neighborhoods

The image of America’s housing crisis is of pricey, increasingly unaffordable housing in superstar cities. And there is too little housing—a scarcity—in those places. But there is another, even more disturbing side to America’s housing crisis: vacancy, and in some cases hyper-vacancy, in the nation’s hard-pressed Rust Belt cities.

This other side of the housing crisis is the subject of a new report published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. The report, written by Alan Mallach of the Center for Community Progress, examines the extent of housing vacancy across America’s cities, identifies its staggering economic and social costs, and outlines policies to address it. Mallach uses data from the U.S. Census and U.S. Postal Service to identify vacant properties.

While housing vacancy has long been a problem in America, especially in economically distressed places, vacancies surged in the wake of the economic crisis of 2008. The number of unoccupied homes jumped by 26 percent—from 9.5 to 12 million between 2005 and 2010. Many people (and many urbanists) see vacancy and abandoned housing as problems of distressed cities, but small towns and rural communities have vacancy rates that are roughly double that of metropolitan areas, according to the study. To read the full article from Citylab, click here. 

Monday, July 30, 2018

YNDC is getting the work done in 2018! Here are some highlights of our work to date this year:

181 new clients were enrolled in HUD-approved housing counseling

460 volunteers cleared 1,546 yards of debris and removed 576 tires at 11 workdays

13,766 linear feet of sidewalk scraped

451 students attended 34 Safe Routes to School events

14 vacant homes were rehabilitated

For far too many individu- als in our state and region, pursuing the American dream too often descends into living an American nightmare.

That’s because the house they occupy never becomes their home.

Unfair and sometimes racist practices tied to Land Installment Contracts, or LICS, too often target the poorest and most vulnerable individuals among us with false hopes of home ownership.

Here’s how Ian Beniston, executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., described land contracts: “It’s basically a scheme, particularly in distressed neighborhoods. You get individuals [who] generally aren’t likely to get a bank loan, so they think this is their only opportunity [to become a homeowner], and they are preyed upon.”

The predators, profiting from the wreckage of the housing foreclosure crisis, purchase homes for as little as $3,000, then sell them through land contract for sometimes ten times that amount. The tenant then may typically pay $3,000 down and $200 monthly for 10 or more years before ever gaining a deed and any equity.

In addition, the tenant also is strapped with the costs of bringing the home up to code, which can result in tens of thousands of dollars in additional expenses.

Too often, however, the vendee misses a payment or two, and the owner ends up evicting the tenant, pocketing his or her ill-gotten gains and starting the greedy unethical cycle all over again.

Sadly, the scope of this sleaze is monumental in Ohio, where ProgressOhio recently reported 47,600 land contracts in effect. To read the full editorial from The Vindicator, click here. 

The “South Side Summer Experience” series of family-focused neighborhood events had its eighth iteration of the season tonight, drawing scores of South Siders out to share food, listen to music and play games.

Victoria Allen, the director of the ICU Blockwatch, said the event is a partnership between the neighborhood group and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.

“We do this because we want to engage our neighbors and improve the quality of life in our neighborhood,” Allen said. “We don’t just want people to come out and drop off their kids. We want to spend time with everyone and have fun together.”

David Perry, who lives in the neighborhood, saw the event, which featured a large bounce castle as well as a DJ and grilled food for everyone participating, while he was driving by and asked his 3-year-old daughter Danyla if she wanted to go.

“I saw the sign that said it was open to everyone, so we decided to stop for a bit,” Perry said.

The events are part of the efforts by the YNDC to address crime in the surrounding neighborhoods. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here.

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Housing Counseling client Amy Rogers and her family closed on their new home at 113 South Maryland on May 29, 2018.

Amy sat down with us and talked about her experience going through YNDC’s free HUD-approved Housing Counseling program. Amy rented a home on Salt Springs Road for 11 years before deciding she wanted to invest in buying a home on Youngstown’s West Side. She hoped to remain on the West Side so her children could continue going to the same school. A realtor referred her to YNDC’s Housing Counseling program after running her credit report. Amy met with Tammi and realized she only had to take a few steps to improve her credit. Her first meeting was in January and by the end of May she had closed on her new home in the Garden District Neighborhood. Amy wanted a home that had some room for improvement so that she and her family could make it their own over time. Amy’s advice for prospective homebuyers is to commit to working toward homeownership rather than renting or entering into a land contract agreement. She said the hard work and patience will pay off and that sometimes it may be easier than you think to prepare to buy a home. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us and for investing in Youngstown’s neighborhoods, Amy! 

For anyone who fails to see the direct connection between an anemic economy and surging food hardship and hunger in the Mahoning Valley, a pair of credible national reports provides more than ample enlightenment.

Last month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area ranked first in the nation in the scope of total job losses in 2017. Then just last week, the Food Research & Action Center, a national anti-hunger advocacy group, reported that this region ranks second highest among U.S. metro areas in its degree of food hardship, food deserts and hunger. Taken together, the reports stand as a clarion call for continued aggressive efforts on local, state and federal plains to stimulate economic revitalization for the long term and to meet the crisis needs of tens of thousands of individuals and families in our region for the short term. The report, conducted in association with the Gallup polling organization, paints a gloomy portrait of the scope of food hardship in America at a time when in some parts of the nation, the economy sizzles. FRAC defines food hardship as the inability to purchase needed food for individuals and family members at some point over the past 12 months. Its survey results of hundreds of thousands of interviews showed that for the first time in four years, the national rate of food hardship increased from 15.1 percent in 2016 to 15.7 percent in 2017. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here. 

A set of worn-out automobile tires here. A moldy and soiled mattress there. A beaten and banged-up water tank amid shards of glass everywhere.

Those and other pieces of rancid trash and unsightly debris – when irresponsibly dumped on properties – pile up to create a serious public-health threat for individuals and a foul public image for communities. After all, who wants their hometown to be branded a dump? Certainly not Younsgstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown who this week launched a promising citywide offensive against the foul practice of illegal dumping. We commend Brown and other city officials for this long-overdue, get-tough initiative. But in order for it to be as effective as possible, it must be greeted with full-throttle support and cooperation from city residents and the criminal justice system.

ILLEGAL DUMPS PROLIFERATE

The proliferation of makeshift dump sites throughout the city (and throughout many other areas of the Mahoning Valley) is sad to see, given the heightened public consciousness about litter control and responsible recycling. But for whatever reason – cost, convenience, slothfulness – many individuals have no qualms about stooping so low as to intentionally threaten the health and well-being of their community. Mayor Brown on Monday made it perfectly clear he’s had enough of it, and he’s not going to take it any more. “No longer will we accept dumping in city neighborhoods,” the mayor declared at the site of a large pile of trash and debris outside a former Moose Club on Glenmont Avenue in the storied Brier Hill neighborhood on the city’s North Side. Shortly after his announcement, the area was cleaned and the club razed. That process easily can be repeated dozens and dozens of times over across the city. Each new dump site detracts from the ongoing progress made by the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and others in ridding blocks of blight and stimulating renewed pride and investment.

A program to provide free fruits and vegetables to SNAP recipients is now beginning at Sparkle Markets in Warren and Boardman.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/EBT cardholders have been able to get up to $5 a day in free fruits and vegetables from the Cornersburg Sparkle Market -- a program that began in January of 2018.

For every $5 a cardholder spends at the participating Sparkle Markets, they receive a matching "Produce Perks" voucher, redeemable up to $5 per day. 

On August 14, the program will be kicked off at the Sparkle Market located at 2587 Parkman Road in Warren. It's also beginning at the store at 4121 South Avenue in Boardman. To read the full story from WKBN, click here. 

A special deal for people to help those receiving government food assistance buy more fruits and vegetables is being expanded into Boardman and Warren.

Beginning Tuesday, August 14, SNAP/EBT customers at three Sparkle Markets will be able to receive up to $5 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables each day.

The Produce Perks SNAP Double-Up program has been available at the Cornersburg Sparkle since January.

The program will now be available at the Warren-Parkman Road and Boardman-South Avenue Sparkle Markets.

The program is implemented by the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation in collaboration with Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley and the Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership.

Funding is provided as part of the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive grant awarded to YNDC by the United States Department of Agriculture.

The program provides incentive funding for SNAP/EBT customers to purchase more fresh produce to promote healthy eating patterns. To read the full story from WFMJ, click here. 

On the Downtown Youngstown Farmers Market’s first day of operation in June, the market was sold out by noon.

The third session of the Downtown Youngstown Farmer’s Market, held at the B&O Terminal on Wednesday, drew a decent crowd despite clouds hanging over the city and intermittent rain. Unlike its inaugural session, there was plenty of produce left over at the vendors’ stands, but not for a lack of customers. Doors opened at 10 a.m. and by 11:30 the market saw nearly 400 shoppers. The market – a result of a partnership between the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and Mercy Health – 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. The farmers market and other YNDC and Mercy Health programs – such as the Produce Perks program at the Sparkle Markets in Cornersburg, on South Avenue in Boardman and on Parkman Road in Warren – “double up” individuals’ food assistance, effectively giving them twice the purchasing power when they buy healthy food and produce. Tom Hetrick, the YNDC’s neighborhood planner, said more produce was available at this stage of the growing season, resulting in much more of a selection for customers than at the June market. “Everything here is grown by the farmers, so they have what’s in season and available in our region,” Hetrick said. “Corn sold out first today, and peaches were also very popular.” Star Vincent, the co-owner of Jack’s Mountain Orchard of East Rochester, has been participating as a vendor since the first market and spent her day selling onions, garlic and a variety of peaches. Vincent is no stranger to local farmers markets – she frequently sold her wares at the YNDC’s Idora Neighborhood market – but said the monthly downtown event drew an exceptional number of customers. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here.