Neighborhoods

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

The Raymond John Wean Foundation awarded YNDC a $550,000 general operating grant for 2019.

The grant will fund YNDC operations, programmatic activity, and neighborhood organizing.The Raymond John Wean Foundation is a private foundation established in 1949, in Warren, Ohio, which awards grants to a variety of nonprofit organizations in support of its vision to empower residents to create a healthy, vibrant, equitable and economically stable Mahoning Valley. YNDC is sincerely grateful for the ongoing support of The Raymond John Wean Foundation. YNDC could not do its work without this support and partnership. REVITALIZE.  

Friday, January 18, 2019

On Thursday, January 17, the Bernard and Elaine Soss Family Charitable Trust awarded YNDC with a $1,000 grant through The Youngstown Foundation Support Fund.

Many thanks to the Bernard and Elaine Soss Family Charitable Trust for their support of YNDC! REVITALIZE.

A new report released from the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. suggests the organization is growing in assets, support and scope of its mission.

The YNDC released its 2018 annual report earlier this month, which details the activities and developments at the organization.

Its overall revenue was slightly lower in 2018 than in 2017, generating $3,279,528 and $3,428,681 respectively. Its net income, however, rose significantly last year than the year prior, bringing in $580,915 in 2018 and $94,588 in 2017.

The organization brought in more money through grants and government contracts in 2018 than it did the year before – $1,759,211.24 in 2018 versus $1,389,472.36 in 2017 – and saw increases in its support from foundations, banks, investments and other income.

Ian Beniston, YNDC executive director, said 31 banks invested in the organization in 2018, more than in any year past.

YNDC’s fixed assets also grew from $3.7 million to $4.5 million, and the organization has more than $4.2 million in grant commitments heading into 2019.

“This year will be the strongest ever for us in terms of revenue,” Beniston said. “Our assets have grown, and we’re stronger than we’ve ever been.”

In programming, YNDC ventured into new territory in 2018.

The organization invested more than $700,000 in restoring rental properties throughout the city.

Currently, YNDC operates 29 rental properties, and Beniston said the organization will continue to invest in rentals. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here. 

A sad and ironic reality once again permeates America on this federal holiday dedicated to the life and teachings of civil-rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

For far too many in the Mahoning Valley and in the nation, the third Monday of January rises as just another day to sleep in, another day off work or another day to catch up on neglected personal tasks. This year, many no doubt will use it as an unexpected opportunity to recover from the weekend wrath of Winter Storm Harper that dumped a foot or more of snow on much of the region.

To be sure, special events in Youngstown, Warren and elsewhere appropriately have been taking place this weekend to memorialize the man and preserve his dream. But given that many continue to perceive MLK Day mistakenly as a “black” holiday, a key part of the holiday’s intent in uniting all Americans behind King’s vision of colorblind justice for all remains elusive.

Today’s holiday, like the man it honors, must espouse inclusiveness as a key tool to effect positive changes in a land where hate-inspired injustices continue to run rampant.

If King were still alive today, he would have turned 90 this month. He likely would be pleased by some of the advances in opportunities for African-Americans and other people of color. He, however, would be saddened by the rigid racial divide that persists in this country and by the upswing in hate-inspired violence toward minority groups in recent years.

Chances are good, however, he would not be surprised. After all, King clearly recognized that the journey to human progress never follows a neat linear path.

As he so eloquently put it in a 1961 address at New York University, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. … Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”

King, of course, himself escorted America through many giant steps of lasting positive change for our society. That is why this day in his honor remains the only national holiday dedicated to a private-sector American.

But he also clearly realized that setbacks would be inevitable along that monumental and tiring trek.

Indeed the challenges, goals, values and dream that King so passionately espoused did not die that early April 1968 evening on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., where he was shot to death. Many more steps lie ahead in the journey that King merely began. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here. 

Stambaugh Charter Academy, 2420 Donald Ave., will host local families and community organizations at 6 p.m. Thursday. The event, which is open to the public, will celebrate school choice and showcase high-quality options throughout the community.

Several past and present students will be speaking about the difference school choice has made in their lives. This celebration coincides with the history-making celebration of National School Choice Week 2019, which will feature more than 40,000 school choice events across all 50 states. For information, contact Kimberly Williams at 330-360-7768 or 73.kwilliams@nhaschools.com.

Community meeting slated in Newton Falls

NEWTON FALLS

The Newton Township comprehensive plan committee will have a community meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Newton Falls High School auditorium, 907 Milton Blvd., to seek public comment on the developing the plan.

Rachel McCartney, an economic development analyst at Youngstown State University, will review goals identified in the recent community survey. Public input is requested to help identify action items and a plan to accomplish the goals.

Chaney High Class of ’57 to meet Wednesday

YOUNGSTOWN

The Chaney Class of 1957 will meet at noon Wednesday at Davidson’s in Cornersburg. Classmates and friends are welcome.

Community watch

YOUNGSTOWN

Lincoln Knolls Community Watch will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the East Branch Library, 430 Early Road. The guest will be a representative from the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.

MLK event set at KSU.

To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here. 

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

On Monday, January 28, members of ACTION had a productive meeting with State Representative Michele Lepore Hagan, State Representative Don Manning, and State Senator Michael Rulli to discuss the issue of predatory land contracts in Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.

The meeting included discussion of the volume of land contracts, components of predatory land contracts, and possible solutions moving forward. ACTION is a membership organization composed of multiple church and community organization members in Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. YNDC is a member of ACTION.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Wells Fargo today announced the 2019 CommunityWINS ® grant program, aimed at accelerating neighborhood revitalization, economic development and job creation in municipalities across the U.S., with a $1 million commitment by the Wells Fargo Foundation. 

The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Wells Fargo first announced the CommunityWINS grant program in 2015, with a three-year, $3 million commitment by Wells Fargo. In 2018, the public-private collaboration was extended through 2020 with an additional $3 million commitment by Wells Fargo, bringing the combined total to $6 million over six years.

The CommunityWINS grant program is administered by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation.

“The CommunityWINS program collaboration is about helping communities succeed,” said Tom Cochran, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and executive director. “Wells Fargo and the USCM are working together, and with our communities, to create positive change by accelerating neighborhood revitalization, economic development and job creation. We look forward to seeing more success in 2019.” To read the full story from AP News, click here. 

With the goal of accelerating neighborhood revitalization, economic development and job creation in municipalities across the U.S., the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) has announced the 2019 Community WINS (Working/Investing in Neighborhood Stabilization) Grant Program.

The program, to be administered by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, includes a $1 million commitment by the Wells Fargo Foundation.

The primary focus of the program is supporting local nonprofits in promoting long-term economic prosperity and quality of life for their community. As such, USCM member cities are encouraged to nominate up to three eligible nonprofit initiatives or programs that address key issues impacting America’s cities. Those issues are: Neighborhood stabilization – projects designed to stimulate growth and stability while assisting in the removal of blight and the rebuilding of neighborhoods; Economic development – projects designed to promote business development; and Job creation – projects designed to aid in local job creation or assist in job training.

“The Community WINS program collaboration is about helping communities succeed,” said Tom Cochran, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and executive director. The United States Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan organization of cities with a population of 30,000 or larger. Each city is represented by its chief elected official, the mayor.

In a joint news release issued by USCM and Wells Fargo on January 28, Cochran added, “Wells Fargo and the USCM are working together, and with our communities, to create positive change by accelerating neighborhood revitalization, economic development and job creation. We look forward to seeing more success in 2019.” In issuing the 2019 program update, the U.S. Conference of Mayors announced a submission deadline of March 22, 2019, noting that grant requirements, application details, application checklists and the online application forms are available on the USCM website.

Through a competitive application process, the conference will determine eligibility and administer grant funds to eligible nonprofits in eight cities, two awards per population category: Metropolitan (500K+); Large (275K-500K); Medium (50K-275K); and Small (50K or less) to support neighborhood revitalization, economic development and job creation initiatives. The population categories have been redefined this year, resulting in the addition of a Metropolitan category and two more awards.

In 2018, Community WINS grants were presented to six nonprofits: Pacific Gateway Workforce Partnership (Long Beach, Calif.); Year Up Greater Boston; Greater Dayton Union Cooperative Initiative (Dayton, Ohio); Near Northwest Neighborhood Inc. (South Bend, Ind.); Youngstown Neighborhood Development Cooperation (Youngstown, Ohio) and The Community Foundation of Greater Rochester (Rochester Hills, Mich.). To read the full story from Smart and Resilient Cities, click here.

The Western Reserve Port Authority, founded in 1992, works to coordinate incentives and grant-making efforts with a diverse and inclusive group of public and private partners.

Building on the successes of 2018 – development efforts that brought more than $52 million in new investment to the Mahoning Valley – several major initiatives are in the works for 2019, with announcements expected in the coming months. Our board and staff strive to build wealth and capacity in our communities, including deployment of the new Opportunity Zones, Enterprise Zones and other forms of low-cost financing. The port authority owns and operates the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, home to the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, the region’s largest employer. Airport officials continue to seek affordable, fixed-route passenger services, which require significant local subsidies and long-term public buy-in. In the meantime, more than 100 charter and private flights use the airport runway every day. That includes, from time to time, Air Force Two, which routinely uses YNG as a staging ground for training. In 2018, the airport completed a $5.2 million project that redesigned taxiways to improve safety and accommodate larger aircraft and began an airfield lighting project, saving on energy costs and building resiliency to the infrastructure. The port authority is also directly involved in promoting our military operations by participation with the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission and Trumbull County’s joint land use study. The Northeast Ohio Development and Finance Authority, our economic development division, last year participated in the successful completion of two projects in the heart of downtown Youngstown. The DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, with 110 rooms, fine dining and conference areas, quickly became a destination for visitors. The Enclave, the newest student housing community adjacent to Youngstown State University, opened its doors to approximately 200 students last year. The second phase of development will feature Chipotle Mexican Grill and Mercy Health’s urgent care facility, both set to open in March. The port authority’s property management division works to build value in our commercial and industrial real estate market. For three years, we have managed the Castlo Community Improvement Corp., with its industrial park serving Struthers, Campbell, Lowellville, Coitsville and Poland. The 140 employees in the 120-acre park contribute to growth in that portion of our region. In Trumbull County, the port authority helped with the sale of the Scope building in Warren to a developer who plans to turn the structure into a waterfront winery. Also in 2018, the port authority adopted as a project the former Youngstown Developmental Center, a 35-acre campus with 10 buildings and amenities to serve special needs populations. The conversion of this campus promises to be a model for the state and the nation in building partnerships for adaptive re-use. The port authority continues to build our property portfolio with the purchase and renovation of the former Harshman Building in Youngstown’s central business district. The newly renovated building will house classrooms and operations for Eastern Gateway Community College and enhance community and commercial activity downtown.

We also partnered with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. on the purchase and transfer of 2246 Glenwood Ave., which recently opened as the Glenwood Business Center to house small businesses. To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here. 

Area lawmakers are leading a bi-partisan effort to curb predatory land contracts in Ohio, just days before Yougnstown city leaders are set to vote on a similar measure. 

Four valley legislators are introducing companion bills aimed at stopping the exploitation and manipulation of families through land installment contracts.

State Representatives Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown) and Don Manning (R- New Middletown), along with State Senators Sean O'Brien (D-Bazetta) and Michael Rulli (R-Salem) are introducing new bipartisan legislation to establish better protections for Ohioans who are buying homes via land installment contracts (LICs), commonly referred to as "lease-to-own" or "rent-to-own" agreements.

The lawmakers say the Mahoning Valley has been particularly vulnerable to predatory land contract practices by out of state companies.

"The main focus of the bill is to just look at loopholes in the Ohio Revised Code and look at how we want to protect the people who are going into a land contract and make sure that we enhance our neighborhoods," said Rep. Lepore-Hagan. 

The announcement comes just two days before Youngstown city leaders are set to vote on an ordinance to address the same issue. To read the full story from WFMJ, click here.