Neighborhoods

Friday, December 20, 2019

On Saturday, December 14, 2019, Dough House Cookies opened a cookie shop in the Billingsgate Avenue kitchen building on YNDC's neighborhood revitalization campus.

Dough House Cookies is the brainchild of TaRee J. Avery, owner and operator of southern startup, The Nashville Cookie Bar. With Dough House, TaRee decided to relocate back to her hometown in Northeast, Ohio, change the company's name and continue her mission to blend the traditional flavors she was raised on with new flavor combinations she has come to know and love. From Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin to Brown Butter Blueberry and Lavender Lemon, Dough House Cookies is giving the old a new spin & bringing big flavors to the local cookie scene. Specializing in small batch orders, event catering, and custom cookie buffets.

Please stop by and support our newest neighborhood business. More info can be found here: http://doughhousecookies.com/

Monday, December 23, 2019

On Monday, December 23, the Walter and Caroline Watson Foundation awarded a $15,967 grant to support the emergency repair program.

The emergency repair program provides critical housing repair services to low income homeowners. Many thanks to the Walter and Caroline Watson Foundation for their support!

Monday, December 23, 2019

On Monday, December 23, the Schwebel Family Foundation awarded YNDC with a $1,000 grant to support YNDC’s work to revitalize Youngstown neighborhoods.

Many thanks to the Schwebel Family Foundation for their support of YNDC! REVITALIZE.

 A property management company out of South Carolina that was allegedly using fraudulent contracts to get people to buy uninhabitable houses in Youngstown has finally agreed to settle.

In October 2018, Community Legal Aid Services sued Vision Property Management for selling what it called illegal contracts for dilapidated houses.

Earlier this week, Legal Aid received the settlement check of $260,000.

“Oh, I mean, we’re ecstatic. I mean, this was a great outcome,” said Legal Aid executive director Steve McGarrity.

Youngstown legal group steps up to offer land contract help for free

The issues with Vision Property date back to 2017, when allegations first surfaced that the company was buying and selling dilapidated houses in the city of Youngstown under what Legal Aid claimed were illegal lease-to-own contracts.

“They engaged in really slimy tactics to get people to sign these contracts thinking that they were going to get the dream of homeownership and really, what they were ending up with was a financial nightmare,” McGarrity said.

The settlement involves nine homeowners for a total of $260,000. Each homeowner will receive between $5,000 and $50,000.

“We went into mediation and were able to settle the case for our clients and restore our clients all the money that they lost in the case plus some additional funds to them,” McGarrity said.

When the allegations against Vision Property became public, groups like the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation put pressure on the company to stop. They even traveled to South Carolina to protest outside the homes of the people running Vision Property.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

A new study reveals a wide opportunity gap for children of different races in the Youngstown area. 

Of the country’s 100 largest metro areas, Youngstown-Warren-Boardman ranks the lowest in terms of opportunity for black children on the Child Opportunity Index 2.0. Opportunity for black children in Youngstown was scored at 3 out of 100, compared to white children in Youngstown, whose opportunity was scored at 50.  

The index, recently featured in an NPR article, is compiled from various factors including poverty rate, education quality and pollution, said Dr. Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, director of the Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy at Brandeis University, which originally created the index in 2014.  

Ohio is very striking, said Acevedo-Garcia, in terms of “very high inequities.” Of the 10 metro areas that scored lowest in terms of opportunity for black children, four were in Ohio: Youngstown, Toldeo, Dayton and Cleveland. 

"I think it's a very consistent pattern that some of the areas in Ohio show some of the largest gaps in terms of the difference between very high and very low opportunity neighborhoods, but also in terms of racial inequities," said Acevedo-Garcia. 

Housing is a key determinant in success, from the effects of lead paint to the trauma of growing up in a place that does not afford warmth or safety. 

"All of those things taken together, it's difficult to catch up when you start in that type of condition," said Ian Beniston, executive director of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation. 

To see the full story from MahoningMatters, click here.

A real-estate management company accused of fraud and predatory sales practices in Youngstown settled a lawsuit for $260,300 with Community Legal Aid, a nonprofit legal entity that represented nine city residents in the case. 

Vision Property Management, based in Columbia, S.C., settled the lawsuit without admitting guilt.

The nine residents will receive between $5,000 and $50,000 each.

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

Monday, December 30, 2019

In December 2019 Vision Property Management settled a lawsuit with Community Legal Aid for $260,300. The settlement will benefit nine residents who were targeted by Vision Property Management's predatory practices.

The City of Youngstown also reached a settlement for $65,000.The predatory practices of Vision Property Management in the City of Youngstown were first documented by ACTION, YNDC, and neighborhood groups beginning in the winter of 2016. The groups worked together to organize residents, vendees, and other impacted persons on a multi year campaign that included: a receivership action on a Vision Property Management owned property, a bus trip to Vision Property Management's corporate office and homes of their executives in South Carolina in March 2018, postcards sent to their executives homes, continued partnerships with local media to highlight the impact of their predatory practices, introduction of state legislation by State Representative Michele Lepore-Hagan to address predatory land contracts, passage of a city ordinance by Youngstown City Council in February 2019, and partnership with Community Legal Aid to assist impacted vendees and lessees targeted by Vision Property Management which culminated in reaching a successful settlement as a result of the lawsuit against Vision Property Management. Big thanks to everyone that participated in this effort!

Friday, January 3, 2020

The Strategic Plan Update reviews accomplishments over the previous strategic plan period, mission, and goals.

Most importantly the plan outlines programmatic, organizational, and resource development goals to guide YNDC through the period from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2022.

Monday, January 6, 2020

On Monday, January 6, The Pollock Company Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to support Clean Up Glenwood Avenue, a program aimed at systematically cleaning up and transforming Glenwood Avenue and its adjacent neighborhoods into a safe, stable community with a vibrant corridor that provides a high quality of life and economic opportunity for residents.

All aspects of the program align with priorities set forth in resident-driven neighborhood plans and include the cleanup of  vacant properties, improvement of unmaintained vacant lots, installation of LED lighting at key locations and crossings to improve pedestrian safety, and replacement of broken sidewalks on the streets surrounding Glenwood Community Park, which serves thousands of youth each year. As part of a broader neighborhood revitalization strategy, these improvements have begun to reduce crime and tax delinquency while restoring homeownership, property values, and pedestrian safety. Many thanks to Pollock Company Foundation!

Monday, January 6, 2020

On Monday, January 6, the Pollock Personal Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to support Clean Up Glenwood Avenue, a program aimed at systematically cleaning up and transforming Glenwood Avenue and its adjacent neighborhoods into a safe, stable community with a vibrant corridor that provides a high quality of life and economic opportunity for residents.

All aspects of the program align with priorities set forth in resident-driven neighborhood plans and include the cleanup of  vacant properties, improvement of unmaintained vacant lots, installation of LED lighting at key locations and crossings to improve pedestrian safety, and replacement of broken sidewalks on the streets surrounding Glenwood Community Park, which serves thousands of youth each year. As part of a broader neighborhood revitalization strategy, these improvements have begun to reduce crime and tax delinquency while restoring homeownership, property values, and pedestrian safety. Many thanks to the Pollock Personal Foundation!