Neighborhoods

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

The Raymond John Wean Foundation, Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, and Eastgate Regional Council of Governments have created the Mahoning Valley Food Pantry Map to provide critical information on the hours of operation, location and resources available at food pantries and emergency food assistance sites across the region.

The map can be found here.

A predatory rent-to-own program run by a company called Vision Property Management has offered the promise of future ownership in low-income neighborhoods, but many of the homes tendered by the company needed expensive repairs.

And after fixing the problems, some residents soon found eviction notices on their doors. Karla Murthy reports as part of our series, "Chasing the Dream."

To see the full story from PBS, click here.

Monday, June 29, 2020

On Monday, June 29, the Union Home Mortgage Foundation awarded YNDC with a $5,000 grant for Housing Counseling.

The Housing Counseling Program empowers low- to moderate-income residents to 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. Big thanks to the Union Home Mortgage Foundation for their support of YNDC!

Monday, July 6, 2020

On Monday, July 6, the Wells Fargo Foundation awarded YNDC a general operating grant for $5,800. The funding will be used for YNDC’s general operating costs. Thank you to the Wells Fargo Foundation!

Monday, July 6, 2020

On Monday, July 6, 2020, the Thomases Family Endowment of the Youngstown Ara Jewish Federation awarded a $2,500 grant for emergency repair to YNDC.

The funds will be used for the emergency home repair program to assist residents of owner-occupied, single family homes with emergency repairs such as furnace and plumbing repairs at NO COST to owners. Thank you to Thomases Family Endowment for their support!

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

The City of Youngstown and YNDC are pleased to publish a DRAFT of the City of Youngstown Housing Conditions Analysis and Strategy to Improve Housing Conditions.

The purpose of this document is to improve housing quality for all residents in the City of Youngstown. The process began with data collection in fall of 2019 and was followed by resident engagement and feedback that resulted in more than 1,700 responses from residents. Please review the DRAFT and submit any comments or feedback to Ian Beniston at ibeniston@yndc.org.

The draft can be downloaded below.

Premier Bank will outline later today its plans for changeover of the sign on the Home Savings tower downtown.

The city’s Design Review Committee this morning approved a request by Gardner Signs Inc., Toledo, and Premier to replace the Home Savings signs on the four sides of the 275 W. Federal St. building. 

The request was one of four items the committee, which met virtually, considered and approved during the meeting. Members also heard a presentation from Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. on developing a housing strategy for the city, approved an addition to Hopewell Theater and gave conceptual approval to a mural project along Andrews Avenue.

Premier Bank was formed by the merger of Home Savings Bank and First Federal Bank of the Midwest, based in Defiance. A bank spokesperson said a release would be going out later today with additional information about the changeover.

The existing signage will be replaced with LED-illuminated channel lettering on all four sides with remote power sources on the backs of the signs, Jeff Prymas, vice president of Gardner Signs, said. 

Premier’s stylized “P” logo accompanied by the word “Premier” will be mounted on the sides facing north and south, and the logo by itself will appear on the east and west faces, utilizing the existing steel structure. Excess steel not needed for the new signage will be removed and masonry will be repaired and blended to match the existing conditions, Prymas said.

Members also voted to approve and commend to the city’s planning commission adoption of a draft housing conditions analysis and strategy to improve housing conditions. 

Ian Beniston, executive director of YNDC, which prepared the report, outlined its recommendations for the committee. Those recommendations include transitioning the city’s rental registration and inspection program to a performance-based model and increasing support for it by the city and other stakeholders; renovating existing properties as needed and working with partners to develop new housing stock in the city; assisting homeowners with upkeep, and expanding Youngstown’s existing Community Reinvestment Area citywide.

“This is really about improving housing quality for everybody in the city,” Beniston said.

To see the full story from The Business Journal, click here.

Thursday, July 9, 2020

On Thursday, July 9 the J. Ford Crandall Memorial Foundation awarded $18,417.54 to make improvements to our Neighborhood Cleanup Facility at 45 Oneta Street on Youngstown’s west side.

The improvements will include a covered lumber storage structure for bulk purchasing of wood for boarding up homes and the installation of a gate and entry drive into the currently unused lower lot to develop a brush management yard. These improvements will enable us to maximize the use of the property and improve the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of our efforts to clean up and secure vacant property in Youngstown’s neighborhoods. Huge thank you to the J. Ford Crandall Foundation for the support of this project!

In 2015, three vacant lots sat across the street from Martin Luther Lutheran Church, in Youngstown, Ohio.

Today, those lots contain the Hope for Newport Community Garden, a place that provides free, fresh produce for the community and offers gardening classes and other educational events for children.

It started with Carole Conatser, a member of the church, reading about community gardens in other cities and states. Many of those gardens were started in vacant lots. She noticed the vacant lots right next to the church.

“I thought, ‘that’s a waste,’” she said.

As she read about more community gardens, Conatser also realized the closest full grocery store is several miles away. Many in the area do not have cars.

“We were right smack-dab in the middle … of a food desert,” she said.

So, in 2015, Conatser helped found the garden with the church. They have funded the garden through grants from the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and the Raymond John Wean Foundation, among other organizations, and donations. Over the years, they added a meadow and an orchard.

To see the full story from Farm and Dairy, click here.

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., this week joined Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Kamala Harris, D-Calif., to introduce a Senate resolution to declare racism a public health crisis.

“The coronavirus has laid bare the racial inequities in our public health systems. It’s clearer than ever that racism is a public health crisis in urgent need of federal intervention,” Wyden said. “I hope that the Senate will swiftly pass this resolution to lay the groundwork for the reforms desperately needed to end racism in health care."

“Living in a racist society is a pre-existing condition for too many people of color,” said Merkley. “Black and Brown Americans regularly are sicker, get less and lower quality care, and have worse health outcomes regardless of their incomes or other factors because of the persistent racism built into our systems and society that devalues Black and Brown lives and well-being. The coronavirus is highlighting the danger of these inequities, as Americans of color continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic. Everyone deserves affordable, quality health care, but it's not enough to just work for better health care for all—we need to also acknowledge and directly address the unacceptable racist disparities in health care.”

The lawmakers said the coronavirus pandemic has underscored the racial disparities that continue to pervade public health as a direct result of systemic racism. Barriers to quality health care access, housing, jobs, wages and more contribute to stark health disparities for communities of color.

This virus has proven especially lethal for those communities – the infection, hospitalization and mortality rates are disproportionately high among Black, Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native populations. 

Wyden and Merkley said the resolution acknowledges the history of racism and discrimination within health care and the systemic barriers that people of color continue to face when seeking care.

The resolution also highlights the effects of systemic racism on the health and wellness of communities of color, resulting in shorter life expectancy, worsened health outcomes and enhanced exposure to harmful or dangerous environments. This resolution encourages concrete action to address health disparities and inequity across all sectors in society. 

To see the full story from KTVZ, click here.