Neighborhoods

Friday, October 25, 2018

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

302 new clients were enrolled in HUD-approved housing
counseling

1,245 volunteers cleared 3,591 yards of debris, scraped
24,521 linear feet of sidewalk, and removed 986 tires at 16 workdays

2,450 Youngstown Farmers Market visitors with total EBT, Produce Perks (Fruit & Vegetable Prescription and Double-Up), and WIC Farmers Market Voucher sales of $24,136.

131 homeowners created

15 Vacant Units Rehabilitated

Dennis Cuadra may have come up with a few tricks for making fast modifications to his fancy car, but the result has been a lot of treats for viewers’ eyes.

“It’s the only car in the state of Ohio with the speakers behind the seats,” the Struthers man said proudly about his 2002 Alfa Romeo, which was featured in the popular 2001 action film “The Fast and the Furious.” The light-blue vehicle Cuadra bought in 2004 in Hollywood, Calif., for $80,000 also was a treat for many who attended Sunday afternoon’s fourth annual fall Car Show and Trunk or Treat at Faith Community Church, 1919 E. Midlothian Blvd., on the South Side. Hosting the two-hour outdoor Halloween-themed show was the Brownlee Woods Neighborhood Association. The family-oriented gathering also was a joint effort between the BWNA and Faith Community Church, the site of the association’s monthly meetings, and was designed to bring the community closer together, noted the Rev. Michael Zabel, pastor. “There is something for the kids and something for the adults,” he said. “We wanted to bring the neighborhood together and have a safe environment for the kids.” Cuadra’s car was equipped with three tanks of nitrogen, which you could say helps makes it possible for the Alfa Romeo to travel furiously fast quite quickly – specifically, from 0 to 60 mph in just under 10 seconds. Another unmistakably noticeable feature is the front “Lamborghini doors,” which elevate and open at an angle to resemble a race car, he continued. For the car show, Cuadra installed a framed picture next to his vehicle that had autographs by Vin Diesel and the other “Fast and Furious” stars. Before giving his car a Halloween look by decorating it with spider webs made from cotton complemented with clowns with sinister expressions, Cuadra made modifications that consisted of neon lights scattered under the dashboard, along the tire rims, on the doors and elsewhere that can flash. The effect is akin to a traveling discotheque, he explained. “It lights up like a Christmas tree. It has neon lights everywhere,” Cuadra said, adding the car also has five monitors for watching TV and movies, along with a surround-sound system. Helping Cuadra achieve the event’s full effect were his two children, Shakira, 6, and Jeremiah, 8, who distributed candy to many attendees and were dressed in Halloween costumes. Other vintage vehicles at the show included a bright-red 1958 Chevrolet Impala, a black Delta 88 and a blue Corvette Stingray. The block-watch association, which formed about 10 years ago, represents about 1,000 homes between Midlothian Boulevard and Country Club Avenue to the north and south, as well as Youngstown-Poland Road and Interstate 680 to the east and west, noted Nancy Martin, president. The BWNA also is the result of two block-watch groups having merged in early 2010, and has a strong partnership with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. The association has used a series of grants to beautify the Sheridan Road corridor, which included adding signage and gardens, Martin pointed out. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here.

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

On Wednesday, October 31, YNDC, Youngstown mayor Jamael Tito Brown, representatives from the US Conference of Mayors and Wells Fargo, city officials, partners, and community stakeholders gathered at the new Glenwood Business Center to celebrate the US Conference of Mayors Community WINS Grant.

The City of Youngstown was named first place small city nationwide by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and was awarded $150,000 to acquire and renovate the commercial building at 2246 Glenwood Avenue into space for lease to small businesses. The space is now rented to Inspiring Minds Youngstown and the Ursuline Center. We’d like to thank the US Conference of Mayors and Wells Fargo for making this project possible and The City of Youngstown for their partnership in revitalizing the Greater Glenwood Avenue Corridor!

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Construction on improvements is well underway at Homestead Park and Jackson Park, with support from the Western Reserve Health Foundation, the William Swanston Charitable Fund, and the Hine Memorial Fund. 

The old tennis courts at Homestead Park, which had become a hang-out spot for those engaged in negative behavior, were removed and the area was graded and seeded.  A fence and lighting will be installed to prevent further such activity.  A second basketball court is being installed to give younger kids a place to play when the other court is being used by older youth and adults.  Additional near-future improvements at Homestead Park will include the installation of a stand-alone ADA-accessible restroom, new playground equipment, additional lighting, and the removal of dead trees.  At Jackson Park, work on a new, fully ADA-accessible walking path is nearly complete, replacing a path that had become overgrown and inaccessible.  

The city of Youngstown and the work of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. were recognized Wednesday during a ceremony celebrating a $150,000 grant awarded to the REVITALIZE Youngstown campaign.

The grant is awarded by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to honor the best neighborhood stabilization efforts in the country. Youngstown is one of six cities that received the award. The funds from the award were used by YNDC to acquire a commercial building at 2246 Glenwood Blvd. that they have renovated and reopened as the Glenwood Business Center. Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said the grant is an example of what can be accomplished when organizations work together, and thanked Wells Fargo for being a partner with the city for the award. Ian Beniston, executive director of the YNDC, said the group gained control of the building in July and that its first business tenant – Inspiring Minds, a free after-school program – had its first sessions this week. Tiffany Sokol, YNDC’s housing director, led the renovation project at the building and said there was no lack of local applicants looking to secure business space at the location. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here. 

Youngstown's efforts to clean up blight caught some influential attention recently.

The effort to eliminate blight in Youngstown has drawn the attention of both the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Wells Fargo. Wednesday morning, officials presented a $150,000 grant to city leaders and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC). Recently, the Conference of Mayors chose the city as one of just six communities in the country to receive a grant, which, in this case, is to help revitalize blighted neighborhoods. The money was used to renovate what was once used by the Society for the Blind in the Valley and the Rescue Mission. Now it will house Inspiring Minds of Youngstown and the Ursuline Center. "What was very encouraging is that we got a number of inquiries from legitimate businesses and organizations that are either poised for growth or want to find higher-quality space but want to be in the city and choose to be there," said Ian Benniston, with YNDC. To read the full story from WKBN, click here.

Stephanie Gilchrist eagerly led visitors Wednesday through the offices of Inspiring Minds Youngstown in the new Glenwood Business Center.

The director of the nonprofit agency, which provides tutoring, mentoring and recreational services for high school students, pointed to the still-in-progress spaces – the student lounge for studying, a technology center that will eventually have a 3D printer and vinyl press equipment, and a recreation room. In another space she hopes to see a food preparation area, where patrons will not only learn how to fix meals for themselves but also to provide them for neighborhood seniors. “YNDC did a beautiful job,” Gilchrist said. The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. developed the building at 2246 Glenwood Ave., where Inspiring Minds relocated this week. Joined by several community partners, YNDC celebrated the opening of the Glenwood Business Center. On hand were representatives of Wells Fargo & Co. and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which in June awarded YNDC a $150,000 Community Wins grant. The grant program recognizes nonprofit agencies and cities for leadership in driving neighborhood stabilization, economic development and job creation efforts. YNDC, with city support, applied for the grant. “This was a great project and it couldn’t have been done without that award,” said Ian Beniston, YNDC’s executive director. “We didn’t want another vacant commercial building along Glenwood Avenue,” Beniston said. “We also knew from talking with the city, residents, business owners and community organizations that there needs to be high-quality commercial space along the neighborhood corridors whether that be for community organizations or businesses.” Among YNDC’s partners is the Western Reserve Port Authority, which acquired the building in May from the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley with the intent of selling it to YNDC in 18 months. The grant allowed YNDC to acquire the building ahead of schedule. “This is one of many examples of what we can do when we work together,” Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said. Brown came across information about the Wells Fargo grant program during a U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting last winter. Youngstown was one of six communities selected among 188 applicants to receive grant funds in the competition this year. Stabilizing the city’s “distressed and transitional neighborhoods is becoming a reality” with Brown’s and YNDC’s leadership, said Dave Croutch, manager of Wells Fargo’s Canfield office. Other cities have applied for the funds year after year, and Youngstown’s application succeeded on the first try, said Eugene Lowe, assistant executive director for the mayors’ group. “They were trying to accomplish something that was big, that was impressive and that would be good for years to come,” he said. The Ursuline Center is leasing one of the site’s warehouse properties for some of its ministries, and another warehouse space remains available, Beniston said. There had been discussions with Dough House Cookies owner Taree Avery about leasing space to expand her business, but the need for commercial baking equipment made YNDC’s commercial kitchen at Iron Roots Farm more practical. To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here. 

People living around parks in the seventh ward may have noticed some changes lately. 

Councilwoman Basia Adamczak says nearly a half million dollars have poured into the parks.  New playgrounds, new benches and equipment, and it hasn't cost the city a thing.  She's worked with community partners to find grants to pay for improvements. "Parks are a great asset for any community. It brings the children out, gives them something to do, families come out and enjoy time together, allows people to be healthy, all in all, it's a winning combination," Adamczak said. To read the full story from WKBN, click here. 

Monday, November 5, 2018

YNDC was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation.

The funds will benefit the HUD-approved Housing Counseling program at YNDC. The housing counseling program helps assist clients with identifying and resolving the barriers to homeownership in one-on-one counseling sessions. So far in 2018, 307 new people have signed up for housing counseling at YNDC. We would like to thank the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation for their generous donation.

Whether it’s an after-school program for children, a blight-removal project in a distressed neighborhood or providing social services to the most vulnerable in the community, there’s a good chance that one of the philanthropic foundations in the area or their benefactors contributed to the effort.

The Mahoning Valley’s philanthropic community still thrives, and its work – along with the vision and initiatives by local partners that range from small neighborhood groups to major corporations – has collectively made a difference across the region, executives say.

“We live in a very generous community,” says Paul Homick Jr., president of Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley. “People care about each other and these programs reflect that.” To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here.