Neighborhoods

Rayana McGuire has a mold problem.

She needs her window screens replaced – especially in her bathroom – to provide better ventilation and stop the mold growth.

Unfortunately for McGuire, her landlord isn’t responsive to her frequent pleas for repairs and, until recently, she didn’t know what to do.

“This is the first apartment I’ve had where I’ve had these issues,” McGuire said. “I don’t have a lot of money, and I’m not really educated on my rights as a tenant, so I don’t feel empowered at all to tell my landlord, ‘Hey, you need to fix this,’” McGuire said.

That lack of education is what motivated McGuire to join the newly formed Youngstown Tenant’s Council, a group of city residents that say they’re working toward a better quality of life for renters.

The group was founded by Mary Krupa, Elisa Hosey and Cosetta McMillan and grew out of ongoing activist efforts by the Alliance for Congregational Transformation of Our Neighborhoods (ACTION).

“With the pushes from ACTION and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. over the last year, we’ve seen a lot of tenants getting involved again,” Krupa said. “Seeing them taking action – like the South Carolina bus trip we took a year ago [to protest at a landlord’s home] – and getting concrete results is very motivating.”

Krupa said the group has 10 members and is still in its infancy, but hopes to grow its ranks soon.

“We decided to do a pilot project in the Taft Promise neighborhood because Taft Promise already has a working plan in place with multiple agencies and neighbors and schools. So, they already have something established,” she said. “So we’re going to try to get the tenants in that area to come to an initial meeting.” To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here. 

Room for optimism with Y’town Tenant’s Council

Over the past year, the city of Youngstown has made some noteworthy strides in cracking down on irresponsible, negligent and blight-inviting landlords within its borders. Much of that success can be attributed to the focused and aggressive work of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and ACTION, a Youngstown-based activist group for social justice. Three months ago, for example, legislation proposed by the groups to more stringently regulate land-installment contracts for home sales that have been proliferating in Youngstown won unanimous approval by City Council. In too many of those arrangements documented by ACTION and YNDC, the buyers have been victimized by predatory lending practices and lackluster or nonexistent responses to legitimate property complaints.

ADVOCACY FOR ALL RENTERS

Now, the Alliance for Congregational Transformation of Our Neighborhoods is hoping to build upon that momentum through creation of the Youngstown Tenant’s Council, a group designed to enhance the quality of life for renters of all properties – including apartments – within the city limits. “With the pushes from ACTION and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. over the last year, we’ve seen a lot of tenants getting involved again,” Mary Krupa, founder of the council, said in a front-page story published in The Vindicator earlier this week. It is indeed heartening to see renters in the city organizing and taking a stand for the rights guaranteed them in state law and city ordinances. We look for swift growth and robust participation in the council. One of the first priorities of the new group must be educating all tenant members of their statutory rights and responsibilities. For example, landlords cannot legally discriminate based on nine categories: color, disability, familial status, national origin, race, religion, sex, ancestry or military status. Landlords also must ensure the premises they rent meet all health and safety codes and have functioning plumbing and heating. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here. 

Members of ACTION testified in support of House Bill 103 Fair Lending through Land Contracts Act, at the Ohio House Civil Justice Committee on Tuesday, May 21 at the Ohio Statehouse.

This was the second hearing for the legislation, which is sponsored by Mahoning County State Representatives Michele Lepore-Hagan and Don Manning.

ACTION’s Racism Task Force identified this form of predatory lending in 2017 as a longstanding practice to exploit families with limited means, particularly communities of color. In 2018, ACTION took action and drove to Vision Property Management headquarters, an out-of-state predatory land contract firm, that no longer sells land contracts in Youngstown. In February 2019, ACTION worked with Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown and City Council to unanimously pass an ordinance designed to stop the exploitation and manipulation of families through predatory land installment contracts.

More than 20 members of the task force were in attendance. Multiple members provided oral testimony, while one member submitted written testimony. The ACTION members that testified included: Pastor Derrick Anderson of Jerusalem Baptist Church and Treasurer of ACTION; Ian Beniston, Vice President of ACTION; Basia Adamczak, Youngstown Seventh Ward Councilperson; Kalitha Williams, Project Director of Asset Building for Policy Matters Ohio; and Daphine Carter Hawkins, Chair, ACTION Housing Task Force. 

State Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan, D-58, of Youngstown, joined members of the Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. in Columbus on Tuesday to advocate for House Bill 103, called the Fair Lending Through Land Contracts Act.

The bill is sponsored by Reps. Lepore-Hagan and Don Manning, R-59, of New Middletown, and would strengthen protections for Ohioans who are purchasing homes using land installment contracts. Nearly 30 supporters from the activist organizations attended the House Civil Justice Committee meeting to testify in support of the bill. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here. 

Thursday, May 23, 2019

On Thursday, May 23, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation received a $15,000 grant from the Ward Beecher Foundation.

The grant will be used to purchase a vehicle for YNDC operations. Many thanks to the Ward Beecher Foundation for their generous support! We cannot get the work done without it. REVITALIZE.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

On Thursday, May 23, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation received a $10,000 grant from the John D. Finnegan Foundation.

The grant will be used to purchase a vehicle for YNDC operations. Many thanks to the John D. Finnegan Foundation for their generous support! We cannot get the work done without it. REVITALIZE.

The breadth of entrepreneurship stretches far and wide. It encompasses segments ranging from retail to real estate, from hardware to health care.

And within all of those sectors, one demographic is getting into business more than any other: black women.

Nielsen reports in a study conducted in 2017 that the number of businesses owned by black women increased 67% between 2007 and 2012, far outpacing the 27% growth for the overall female population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Business Owners in 2015, the most recent available, black women were the majority owner of more than 1.5 million businesses nationwide, accounting for $42 billion in sales and $7.7 billion in payroll.

Even with that growth, however, there are certainly challenges. The average revenue for businesses owned by black women was $24,700, far below the all-women average of $143,100, according to the American Express 2018 State of Women-Owned Business report. If those figures were comparable, the report estimates, businesses owned by black women would add 4 million new jobs and $1.2 trillion in revenue to the economy. To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here. 

Thursday, May 30, 2019

The 2019 Southside Summer Experience is a series of pop-up events and day camps that provide positive activities throughout the South Side for youth and their families. 

As part of the US DOJ Community Based Crime Reduction project, the events bring together community members, YPD officers, and neighborhood youth in a safe, fun, and engaging environment.  Through hundreds of door-to-door interviews, residents identified a need for more opportunities and activities for youth as one of the most desired improvements for their neighborhood.  One event will be held each week in the CBCR target area, between Market St. and Zedaker.  The first 2019 Southside Summer Experience took place on South Ave. on Monday, May 20 and the next will be held at Horizon Science Academy on Wednesday, June 5.  All events take place from 5pm-7pm and are free to the public.

Event date and locations are listed below:

Wednesday, June 5 at Horizon Science Academy

Monday, June 10 at Homestead Park

Wednesday, June 19 at 2801 Market St.

Thursday, June 27 at the corner of Erie & Judson

Saturday, July 6 on the 300-block of E. Philadelphia

Thursday, July 11 at the corner of Indianola & Gibson

Wednesday, July 17 at the corner of South Ave. & Lucius

Monday, July 22 at the corner of Ravenwood & Southern Blvd.

Wednesday, July 31 at the corner of Brooklyn & Southern Blvd.

Thursday, August 8 at the Boys and Girls Club

Monday, August 19 at the corner of Market & Midlothian

Wednesday, August 28 at Valley Christian (corner of Midlothian & Southern Blvd.)

Thursday, September 5 at the corner of Midlothian & Zedaker

Saturday, September 14 at the corner of Florida & Zedaker

Friday, May 31, 2019

Home Savings Charitable Foundation has awarded YNDC a $25,000 grant for the Community Financial Empowerment Initiative.

This program includes YNDC’s housing counseling and serves as the foundation for the YNDC’s comprehensive community development model aimed at increasing economic opportunity and quality of life for traditionally underserved city residents, including increased financial stability, quality affordable housing, and asset building.

As a HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency, YNDC offers pre- and post-purchase one-on-one counseling services and online education, to assist low- to moderate-income city residents identify and overcome barriers to homeownership, including inadequate savings, income, credit history, and understanding of the home buying process and prepare them for future homeownership, and to provide existing low- to moderate-income homeowners with resources to maximize their limited incomes and minimize repair costs so that they can avoid foreclosure and improve their living conditions.

Many thanks to the Home Savings Charitable Foundation for their support of this critical free service! REVITALIZE. 

Monday, June 3, 2019

The Youngstown Farmers Market at the B&O Station will take place monthly, June through October, on the second Wednesday of each month from 4pm-6pm. 

The B&O Station is located at 530 Mahoning Avenue.  The market features fresh produce grown by local farmers and in June there will be a variety of potted plants and herbs for sale.  The market also offers Produce Perks, which doubles the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables up to $30 per market for customers shopping with their EBT benefits.  The market accepts cash, credit cards, SNAP/EBT, WIC Farmers Market Nutrition vouchers, Senior Farmers Market Nutrition vouchers, and the Mercy Health Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program vouchers.  Market dates are June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11, and October 9.