Neighborhoods

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

On Tuesday, September 11, three national experts spoke on a panel at the Youngstown Playhouse about strategies to improve the revitalization efforts in Youngstown for the City Club of the Mahoning Valley’s Brews and Views Series.

Author Alan Mallach spoke about his book The Divided City: Poverty and Prosperity in Urban America before the panel began. Joining Mallach were Presley Gillespie of Neighborhood Allies in Pittsburgh and Evelyn Burnett of Third Space Action Lab in Cleveland. The talk was moderated by Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation Executive Director Ian Beniston. The panelists discussed the importance of considering race and power when talking about struggles to direct resources and funding toward neighborhood development. They also touched on investing in lifelong workforce development and rethinking job requirements like background checks and soft skills training that prevent impoverished and minority workers from entering the workforce. All the panelists stressed that regular people have the power to bring about change, but sometimes that power isn’t fully harnessed. The panelists then answered questions from the audience about how Youngstown should move forward with revitalization efforts in the face of corruption, environmental concerns, and resistance. We’d like to thank Alan Mallach, Evelyn Burnett and Presley Gillespie for coming to Youngstown to share their knowledge with us! We would also like to thank the City Club of the Mahoning Valley for organizing the talk and the Youngstown Playhouse for hosting the event. 

A panel hosted by City Club of the Mahoning Valley discussed what it takes for all Youngstown residents to be affected by revitalization efforts.

To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here. 

Legislation is being written to protect renters and buyers from predatory land and rent/lease-to-own contracts.

These contracts are marketed to buyers or renters who are unable to get a loan or have bad credit. Through these contracts, they can make every payment on time but still lose their home. Members of the Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods, including the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation have been protesting predatory land contracts in Youngstown. Elder Rose Carter, executive director of ACTION, has been working on passing this legislation along with other members of the organization. “We want an enforceable ordinance passed and code regulations enforced by the city,” Carter said. Carter said cities like Toledo, and more recently Cincinnati, have enacted legislation protecting renters or buyers from being stuck in unfair land contracts or unexpectedly losing their home. According to Lucas County, where Toledo is located, a website certificate is required when filing a land contract and failure to comply with this requirement the owner will be fined. Ian Beniston, executive director of YNDC, said land contracts are not all bad. “We’re not saying land contracts are bad,” Beniston said. “They need to be more fair.” In an average scenario, an investor will buy a home for $5,000 and rent it to someone with low credit who wouldn’t be able to get a loan. Theoretically, the renter could make all their payments on time, but if they default on one payment the owner can both keep the money and repossess the home. Any issue with the property would usually be up to the owner to fix but in lease-to-own situations, the renter is forced to pay thousands of dollars to repair the property. These renters have no legal protection if anything were to happen to the house or if the owner were to foreclose. To read the full story from The Jambar, click here. 

Friday, September 14, 2018

Rayshone Oliver received assistance from YNDC’s Small Business Development Program for her company Weave N Luxury, LLC, an online wig and hair extension marketplace.

Rayshone has been a licensed cosmetologist since 2002 but decided to start selling wigs when her daughter was diagnosed with trichotillomania, a disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to pull out one’s own hair. Rayshone discovered firsthand the confidence and empowerment wigs can provide for regular women. Rayshone also maintains a YouTube channel #BeUtify in order to promote her business and share her knowledge and experiences with a wider audience. She had first learned of the Small Business Development Program by being involved in the community and participating in volunteer opportunities with YNDC and was able to resolve financial challenges impacting her business through one-on-one financial counseling sessions. The Small Business Development Program, funded by the Burton D. Morgan Foundation and the Ohio CDC Association, is designed to help entrepreneurs in the Mahoning Valley reach their business goals with financial counseling. Both established and aspiring business owners can access free financial counseling to assist with resolving credit issues, reaching financial goals, and preparing to seek business financing. To enroll, please contact Tammi at 330.480.0423 today!

Monday, September 17, 2018

On Monday, September 17, the Home Savings Charitable Foundation presented YNDC with a check for a $15,000 to help REVITALIZE 2246 Glenwood Avenue, the future site of the Glenwood Business Center.

We’d like to thank the Home Savings Charitable Foundation for their continued support!

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

The Ohio Department of Transportation announced that Youngstown received nearly $400,000 in funding for its Safe Routes to School program. 

The funding will be used to improve sidewalks, curb ramps, and crossings around five schools--Paul C. Bunn, MLK, Taft, Harding, and Valley Christian.  Improvements around Taft and Harding will build from work already completed in 2017 and 2018 as part of previous Safe Routes to School projects funded through ODOT and Eastgate Regional Council of Governments.  Improvements around Williamson and McGuffey Elementary Schools are scheduled for completion in 2019. 

The fourth annual Mahoning Avenue Fall Fest will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, between Steel Street and McKinley Avenue on the West Side’s Garden District.

It will feature a host of family-friendly activities, including a farmer’s market offering produce and baked goods, an art sale and mini pumpkins for kids to paint, courtesy of the Garden District Neighborhood Association.

There will be a music jam session and on the corner of Hampton Court and Mahoning Avenue, and a trash and treasure sale. The Sons of Italy, Kelly’s and Casa Ramirez will offer food and drink specials, and the Some Like It Hot food truck will be on site.

The event will close with a free jazz and pop concert by Vinny Vivacqua and Friends from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Paisley House lawn, on Mahoning Avenue. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here. 

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

On Saturday, September 15, twenty-one volunteers
participated in the Idora Neighborhood Workday and helped clean up 927
Lanterman Avenue and 932 Lanterman Avenue. 

Volunteers from Mahoning County JJC,
Youngstown Cityscape, YSU Honors College, and YSUscape cleaned up 30 cubic
yards of brush, debris, and wood chips and removed one illegally-dumped tire. We’d
like to thank all the volunteers for their hard work!

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Patti McSuley worked as a cosmetologist for years before deciding to start her own business.

Patti was diagnosed with breast cancer ten years ago and became interested in helping other women through the difficult process of hair loss due to chemotherapy. She started out by getting referrals for customers from the Blood and Cancer Center where she was still receiving treatment. Her business, Compassionate Wigs, not only provides women with options for wigs, but also consults them through the course of their hair loss from studying how their hair sits in the beginning to shaving their heads and helping them to maintain their wigs, all within a private room at her full-service Salon 224 in Boardman. Some insurance companies do not provide cancer patients with wigs, and Patti has been able to secure donor funding to help these women also afford quality wigs during their chemotherapy treatment. Patti learned about YNDC’s Small Business Counseling program through a seminar at YSU’s Williamson College of Business Administration. She met with Tammi in one-on-one counseling sessions and was referred to the Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corporation and the Hebrew Free Loan Association where she was able to secure small business loans. The Small Business Development Program, funded by the Burton D. Morgan Foundation and the Ohio CDC Association, is designed to help entrepreneurs in the Mahoning Valley reach their business goals with financial counseling. Both established and aspiring business owners can access free financial counseling to assist with resolving credit issues, reaching financial goals, and preparing to seek business financing. To enroll, please contact Tammi at 330.480.0423 today!

Friday, September 21, 2018

Casey
and Brandon moved into their new home at 3726 Glenwood Avenue last November and
have been working hard to make it their own ever since!

YNDC worked to
revitalize the property last summer and fall, completing the work in October.
This was Brandon’s first homebuying experience and he said owning a home has
been both a rewarding experience and a huge undertaking. “It’s really nice to
have the space to work with,” said Casey. “We’ve been able to take ownership of
something and make it more special than it already is.” said Casey. He and
Brandon added an outdoor fire pit in their park-facing backyard and put up new
wood panel walls in their breakfast nook. Check out the stunning before and
after images that show 3726 Glenwood’s transformation from blight to beautiful
home! We’d like to thank Casey and Brandon for inviting us back into their home
and for being such great Glenwood neighbors!