Neighborhoods

Leaders with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) celebrated the completion of a new home they built on Helena Avenue in Youngstown.

Joined by Mayor Tito Brown, they held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday.

It’s the first home that YNDC has built from the ground up, instead of remodeling an existing structure.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here. 

Monday, November 4, 2019

On Friday, November 1, 2019, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC), Mahoning County Land Bank, City of Youngstown, PNC Bank, Handel’s Neighborhood Association and other partners celebrated the completion of the organization’s first new home construction project, one of three new single family homes that will be sold to homeowners as part of an overall planned strategy to revitalize Helena Avenue and the Handels neighborhood that began with the work of the Pleasant Grove Neighborhood Action Plan in October 2014. 

Monday, November 4, 2019

On Monday, November 4, the PNC Foundation awarded YNDC a $7,500 grant to support 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 PNC Foundation for their support of this critical free service! REVITALIZE.

Monday, November 4, 2019

On Monday, November 4, the Wells Fargo Foundation awarded YNDC a $5,000 grant to support 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 Wells Fargo Foundation for their support of this critical free service! REVITALIZE.

Monday, November 18, 2019

On Monday, November 18, the FirstEnergy Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to YNDC for Corridor Improvement Corps.

The Corridor Improvement Corps is a comprehensive revitalization strategy aimed at improving public health, safety, and quality of life for residents by leveraging community volunteers to complete physical improvements to Youngstown’s neighborhood corridors. These improvements will include 1) cleaning and clearing trash and overgrowth from vacant lots and buildings, 2) planting hearty urban trees, 3) installing landscape fencing, 4) cleaning up and replacing unsafe sidewalks, and 5) improving corridor lighting and signage around public spaces and corridor businesses. When applied systematically, these improvements will restore a basic sense of order to Youngstown’s corridors and will result in sustainable improvements to the safety and quality of life for Youngstown’s residents. Over time, they will continue to foster an environment that encourages reinvestment and economic opportunity for Youngstown’s residents and transforms corridors into welcoming gateways to our city. Corridor Improvement Corps will continue to engage many partners in cleanup and volunteer workday projects, including the City of Youngstown, corridor businesses, churches, stakeholders, and residents. Many thanks to the First Energy Foundation for the support! 

The Youngstown Police Department is planning its next move after completing an anti-crime program on the South Side earlier this year.

For 18 months, the department, along with Youngstown State University and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., used a $2 million federal grand to run the Community Based Crime Reduction program.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here. 

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

YNDC completed a comprehensive quality and conditions survey of all residential structures in Youngstown in the summer of 2019.

Survey results show that the number of vacant residential structures has decreased significantly in recent years, from 3,514 vacant structures in 2016 to 1,841 in 2019--a decrease of 48%.  A total of 1,022 vacant properties (56%) were tax delinquent.

In addition to vacant properties, occupied properties with code violations visible from the sidewalk were also surveyed.  A total of 1,653 occupied structures were found to have serious code violations.  The most common code violations were deteriorated roofs (1,338 occupied structures), grossly peeling paint or missing siding (620 occupied structures), missing and/or disconnected gutters and downspouts (467 occupied structures).  Of the occupied properties with code violations, 53% were owner-occupied (883 structures) and 47% were renter-occupied (770 structures).

A map of survey results is attached.

Debbi is Community Development Trust Officer at Farmers Trust Company working with nonprofits toward long term sustainability.

She is the former president of Interfaith Home Maintenance Services. She lives in Liberty Township.

Juan Santiago is the Community Development Manager with Farmers National Bank.

In this capacity Juan sees to it that the credit needs of Low to Moderate Income individuals, small businesses, and small farms are met in the areas in which the bank serves. In addition to having served on a number of boards and committees, Juan most recently has joined the board of the Ohio Bankers League Foundation, and serves as vice chair of the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority's board.
Juan is a lifelong resident of the Mahoning valley, and currently resides in Boardman with his wife Zaida, and their three sons.

Chris White is the Vice President of Operations at Boak & Sons and has been involved in commercial construction since 1995.

Chris lives in Berlin Center with his wife Stephanie. He received my Bachelor’s
Degree in Business Administration from Kent State University. Chris is also an Associate Pastor at his church,
Upper Room Ministries in Austintown and is a part of their Upreach program. He has also been an adjunct professor for YSU
in the Civil and Construction Engineering Technology program and is a part of
the CCET Industrial Advisory Board for YSU.

Chris was most recently the
Secretary/Treasurer on the board for Interfaith Home Maintenance Services. He currently works with other organizations
such as the local Builder’s Association on several committees and has worked
with the Building Owner and Managers Association in Cleveland, OH where he served as Chair of the Associates Council and a board member.