Neighborhoods

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. 

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.