Neighborhoods

We see it every day. People tapping on their mobile phones at the grocery store, at a restaurant or while riding the bus to work.

While they could be on social media or playing a game, they could just as easily be applying for a loan or paying their utility bills.

PNC has embraced mobile technologies that help make banking more convenient than ever before, and we expect to introduce more advanced mobile technologies in 2019 and beyond.

In 2017 PNC, along with other participant banks, launched Zelle, a person-to-person payment network that allows anyone in the U.S. with a participant bank account or a Visa or MasterCard debit card linked to a bank account to send and receive payments in real time. No need to share bank account information; all that is needed to move funds is an email address or cellphone number. Zelle’s speed and convenience make it attractive to people ranging in age from millennials to baby boomers. To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here. 

New state legislation to be introduced by local lawmakers seeks to curb the impact and close loopholes for companies offering land installment contracts as a route to homeownership.

In a press conference Mondayat the Mahoning County Courthouse, state Reps. Michele Lepore-Hagan and Don Manning and state Sens. Michael Rulli and Sean O’Brien announced their bipartisan, bicameral effort. “You have to make sure the seller brings the house up to code, has an appraisal, records the contract with the county record and protects consumers,” said Lepore-Hagan, who last year introduced a bill by herself that was effectively the same measure. “The big difference is in the people who are introducing it. Now it’s a bipartisan joint effort. … The basic elements to the bill from the last General Assembly have to stay the same.” In the wake of the Great Recession, as houses throughout the state were foreclosed, buyers – many from out of state – swooped in and bought them up. Under land contracts, frequently known as “rent to own” or “lease to own” deals, the companies require buyers to take out high interest, long-term loans to purchase the house. The buyers are then required to pay for maintenance of the house, as well as any back taxes on the property. Eviction is common, the lawmakers said, when buyers miss a single payment. Unlike loans through traditional means, such as with a mortgage company or bank, there is no required grace period to make up missed payments and no eviction process aside from summoning the county sheriff. “This will bring them more in line with what banks and credit unions have to do,” said Manning, R-57 New Middletown. “It makes things a little more stable so that when they do get into that contract, they know they aren’t going to be thrown out if they miss a payment or they fall behind because they get laid off.” The legislation, named the Fair Lending Through Land Contracts Act, would require such lenders to have all properties on file with the county recorder office, which would provide tenants with some course of action if the owner breaches the contract. “Right now, there’s no registration, so there’s no way for anyone to know about it,” said O’Brien, D-32 Bazetta. “Before they even sign a contract, they’re going to be able to see that they have the proper procedures done. It’ll be registered with the local [county recorder].” The companion bill will be introduced in both the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives in the coming weeks, he continued, and will be refined as they pass through committees. To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here. 

Monday, February 4, 2019

On Monday, February 4, State Representatives and Senators from the Mahoning Valley including:

State Representative Michele Lepore-Hagan, State Representative Don Manning, State Senator Michael Rulli, and State Senator Sean O'Brien announced the beginning of bipartisan work to address predatory land contracts in the State of Ohio by improving state regulation of land installment contracts.

Inspiring Minds reports a bumper 2018 with 600 students enrolled in programming, its largest senior class since it began in 2006, more than 15 colleges visited, $18,000 in scholarships awarded to college-bound seniors and a new website.

But the highlight of the year was the organization’s first international exposure trip that took 20 high school seniors to El Salvador, says its founder and CEO, Deryck Toles. Students from Warren and Youngstown were immersed in the culture while exploring the country, trying new foods, visiting international universities and interacting with women-led projects to fight for basic human rights, Toles says.  “Most of our young people don’t leave their neighborhoods, let alone the state, so traveling out of the country can be truly life-changing,” Toles says. “Exposing our students to different places, cultures and people shows them the huge world that’s out there and the opportunity they have to play a part in it.” Inspiring Minds Warren continued renovations at its headquarters and started a campaign to fund future build-out, which will allow it to serve more students. The Youngstown branch opened its programming to high school students and moved into its own location in October, which was renovated by the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. Inspiring Minds Philadelphia completed its first year of summer and after-school enrichment programming to more than 100 students from kindergarten to 12th grade. To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here.

Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership has arrived – literally. After spending eight years building a better Warren out of several different offices, in 2018 we moved into our permanent home at 736 Mahoning Ave., just out of downtown and into Warren’s residential central city.

The property, one of over 50 vacant houses we helped transform into homes in Trumbull County in 2018, is now the home of TNP’s program office and a campus for all of our programming. A dozen program staffers work in the Moulton House, known to many residents for it’s former use as the Twin Maples Bed and Breakfast. The house was vacant when we found it and it is now reactivated with life and activity – a symbol of our work and a home base for it. It is also a symbol of TNP’s long-term commitment to this community. We are here for the long haul.  In addition to the renovation of an abandoned historic property to house our management of the Trumbull County Land Bank, Garden Resources of Warren and Warren Enriched Programs, as well as our community organizing and outreach efforts, TNP also built a structure on the same property to house our jobs training program, Building A Better Warren. We demolished a dilapidated vacant structure at the rear of the property – one of over 250 necessary demolitions completed in Trumbull County in 2018. TNP also repurposed a vacant lot – one of 150 land use projects in 2018 – to serve as a demonstration site for the repurposing of greenspace. 

TNP’s work in the community is extensive. Housing renovation and home ownership, demolition, land use, food access and the mitigation of the impact of food deserts, community organizing, public health, public art, neighborhood clean-ups, property rehabs, vacant land use, farmers markets and playgrounds, community organizing and activism, grass roots community and economic development – all of this is done from the ground up. Now, we will do that work from a residential site that serves as a model of our approach and a symbol of our commitment. That commitment would not be possible without our partners, particularly the Trumbull County Land Bank and the strategic partnership that TNP shares with The Raymond John Wean Foundation and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., the city of Warren and countless others who offer support in the shared effort of strengthening our community. To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here. 

Monday, February 11, 2019

On Wednesday, February 6, 2019, more than 100 members of ACTION were in attendance as Youngstown City Council unanimously passed an ordinance to regulate land contracts in the City of Youngstown.

Some highlights of the ordinance include: the requirement to obtain a Certificate of Code Compliance to ensure the property is compliant with city housing code, a requirement to disclose the value of the property by providing a statement with the Mahoning County Auditor's value, a requirement to provide evidence of title, a requirement to provide biannual statements, and remedies for vendees to seek damages and relief. Many thanks to Youngstown City Council, Mayor Brown, ACTION, all stakeholder groups, and residents that have been a part of this process. A copy of the ordinance is available for download below.  

Youngstown City Council passed legislation that addresses predatory land contracts from out of town property owners Wednesday evening. 

Before Wednesday's council meeting, a large group of people gathered to protest predatory lending lead by the activist group ACTION. 

This legislation was passed as an emergency measure and is designed to stop the exploitation and manipulation of families through land installment contracts.

Members of Youngstown City Council are excited about the prospect of this legislation protecting residents. 

"Predatory lending definitely puts vulnerable resident at risk, so I feel with this legislation that it's putting us in the right direction to help protect them. This definitely offers some sort of foundation for them to be protected from these predatory lenders," said Seventh Ward Councilwoman Basia Adamczak. To read the full story from WFMJ, click here. 

The largest crowd in recent memory showed up at Wednesday night's Youngstown City Council meeting, then cheered when a new law regulating land contracts was passed.

Every seat was filled, many were standing and some were even in the hall -- about 75 people.

The vast majority were in support of the law regulating land installment contracts specifically aimed at predatory lending.

"As we know, predatory lending not only blight our neighborhoods, but they put the most vulnerable of our citizens in our community at risk," said Dr. Rosie Taylor, ACTION (Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing our Neighborhoods) board member.

A house on E. Lucius Avenue, which has since been demolished, was used by the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation as an example of how companies like Vision Property Management, of South Carolina, would advertise uninhabitable houses for $12,000.

"The purchase prices of some of these properties are exorbitant. They're ridiculous," said Youngstown Pastor Derrick Anderson. To read the full story from WKBN, click here.

City council’s vote to stop predatory land-installment contracts is the first step in a process to increase the quality of the housing stock in Youngstown, backers of the law say.

Members of the Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., block watches and neighborhood groups that supported the legislation packed city council chambers Wednesday to hear council approve the bill 7-0.

“It’s the start of many steps in the months and years to come,” said Ian Beniston, YNDC executive director. “We’re working to reduce predatory lending and increase housing quality. It’s a good day for residents. It provides clear protection for those who are entering into land contracts in Youngstown.”

A land-installment contract has a person pay the purchase price of a property in installments while the owner retains title to the property.

The legislation requires an inspection and a title search before a sale is finalized.

Council initially considered this legislation last month but postponed a vote because local activists wanted to include tougher language. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here.

Monday, February 11, 2019

The Produce Perks SNAP Double Up program has expanded to four Save-A-Lot grocery stores -- South Avenue, Lincoln Knolls, Gypsy Lane, and Warren. 

The Produce Perks SNAP Double Up program provides up to $10 per day in fresh fruits and vegetables to SNAP/EBT recipients who make an equivalent purchase of fresh produce using their SNAP/EBT benefits.  Produce Perks is already offered at three Sparkle grocery stores -- Cornersburg, South Avenue, and Warren -- as well as Cultivate Co-op Cafe on Elm Street in Youngstown, and three farmers markets during the summer.