Neighborhoods


Strategic Neighborhood Transformation

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Jennifer Roller is the president of the Raymond John Wean Foundation. Headquartered in Warren, Ohio, the Raymond John Wean Foundation’s mission is to advance community-building in Warren and Youngstown, Ohio, through grantmaking, capacity building, convening, and partnerships.

One of the foundation’s strategic goals is to increase the economic opportunity and mobility of residents in both cities. Jennifer Roller has been with the foundation since 2007 and became its president in 2014.

In our conversation, Roller discusses some of the issues surrounding race that communities in the Mahoning Valley face. While the African American community makes up 8 percent of Trumbull County’s population, 66 percent of the population in urbanized Warren, Trumbull County’s seat, is African American. Similarly, African Americans make up 43 percent of urbanized Youngstown, while its county, Mahoning, is 16 percent African American. These two urbanized areas experienced unemployment and poverty more acutely than the rest of the Valley. In Youngstown, for example, unemployment for African Americans is three times higher than it is for white workers. Furthermore, the poverty rate in Youngstown is 36 percent, more than two times higher than that of the county as a whole. 

In the summer of 2020, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police, both Warren and Youngstown joined thousands of other municipalities around the country in declaring racism a public health crisis. Both communities hope that these events serve as catalysts to address a history of systematic racism and inequality in the region. —Quilian Riano, In the Mahoning Valley chief editor

Explore these related features: Read more about the future of work in the region in a profile of Building a Better Warren. Learn more about efforts to support employee-owned enterprises.

Quilian Riano (QR): As you partner with groups all over the Mahoning Valley, what are some projects or ideas you think are laying the groundwork for the future of work in the area? 

Jennifer Roller (JR): Notwithstanding the Raymond John Wean Foundation’s annual investment of $2.5 to $3 million, the needs of this community—one that has experienced severe and consistent underinvestment for at least the last 40 years—persist. To achieve its greatest impact, the Foundation focuses its investment in the cities of Warren and Youngstown, Ohio. 

If you consider the low rates of educational attainment and high unemployment, especially for Black people, there is reason to sound the alarm. Though if we are intentional in our approach, we can promote progress and eventually growth. For example, members of several sectors of community leadership were accepted to and have committed to participation in the national model, Communities of Excellence, a systems approach to achieving a high level of community performance. Regionally, the Fund for Our Economic Future, of which several Mahoning Valley foundations are members, has created an alliance of funders to advance economic growth and equitable access to opportunity.

Along with these approaches are notable local efforts: Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, community development corporations created through public–private partnerships that embody resident engagement–centered models to revitalize our neighborhoods. And Inspiring Minds Warren, a Black-led organization that delivers academic and cultural enrichment, with an explicit commitment to the uplift of Black people. These groups are doing what it takes to ensure a different, better community: mining for data and being transparent about what it reveals, seeking and incorporating community voices, collaborating across sectors, and tracking and measuring progress. 

To see the full story from The Architectural League NY, click here.

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PREMIER DONATES TO YNDC: Premier Bank recently donated $25,000 to Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.

The funds will be used for the Community Financial Empowerment Initiative, a program that includes YNDC’s housing counseling and serves as the foundation for YNDC’s comprehensive community development model aimed at increasing economic opportunity and quality of life for traditionally underserved city residents.

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

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Monday, April 26, 2021

On Monday, April 26, The William M. Neckerman, Jr. Charitable Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to YNDC for emergency home repair.

The funds will be used to assist low-income homeowners with emergencies such as furnace and plumbing repairs at no cost. Big thanks to The William M. Neckerman, Jr. Charitable Foundation for the support!

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Monday, April 26, 2021

Benjamin has lived in his home for over 12 years. The roof on his home was leaking severely, and due to health constraints he was unable to complete the work himself.

By replacing Benjamin’s roof, YNDC eliminated the roof leaks and prevented further damage to his home. “It’s a peace of mind for me. Seventy-seven with COPD, you can’t really do everything anymore. I used to do the same things you all do but for health reasons I stopped. So it helps, it really helps,” Benjamin said.

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Tuesday, April 27, 2021

On Monday, April 26, YNDC acquired another commercial building along Glenwood Avenue located at 1133 Glenwood Avenue for renovation.

This project is part of an ongoing effort to clean up and revitalize the greater Glenwood Avenue corridor.

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Students walk down uneven and dangerous sidewalks everyday on their way to school.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation came up with a plan to make them safer to travel on.

"We talked with parents, we surveyed kids, we analyzed data about where kids were walking to school," said Jack Daugherty Neighbordhood Stabilization Director for the YNDC. "And we put together a prioritized set of reccomendations for what needed to be done to improve safety around the schools," he said.

At schools like Taft Elementary, Daughtery says some of the sidewalks were so broken up, they were virtually - unwalkable.

To see the full story from WFMJ, click here.

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Tuesday, May 4, 2021

670 Cubic Yards of Debris Removed

73 Emergency Repairs

17 Owner Occupied Home Repairs/Rehabilitation

30 Vacant Houses Boarded

REVITALIZE

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The red-hot U.S. housing market is giving an extra boost to the cheapest houses, including many in historically stagnant neighborhoods that have suffered from a lack of investment.

It is pushing forward efforts to revive the local economies of Detroit, Cleveland, Youngstown, Ohio, and other areas where homes can sell for as little as a few thousand dollars but typically require a lot of work to fix up and can’t be financed with a mortgage.

U.S. ZIP Codes where the median home cost less than $100,000 in early 2018 have had a 42% rise in prices in the three years since then, according to a CoreLogic Inc. analysis for The Wall Street Journal. That is about double the rise for ZIP Codes where the median was between $150,000 and $200,000, and triple the rise in locales with $300,000-plus price tags.

The pandemic has prompted wealthy buyers to splurge on vacation homes and families to trade in city living for the suburbs. It has also fueled demand among first-time home buyers and investors, lifting the bottom end of the housing market in particular.

While prices in many low-cost areas remain far below national averages, some worry that the price appreciation either won’t last or won’t reach the residents who stand to benefit most. The rising prices could also lock some families out of homeownership, especially young people and first-time buyers.

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

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Wednesday, May 19, 2021

On Wednesday, May 19, Cortland Bank awarded YNDC with a $2,500 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. Thank you to Cortland Bank for their continued support!

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In partnership with Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and the Idora Neighborhood Association, Youngstown Councilwoman Lauren McNally plans to install 25 security cameras throughout the Idora neighborhood of Youngstown.

The cameras would go on people's homes and some businesses to have a 24/7 recording of the streets within the neighborhood.

"The residents of the Idora neighborhood have always been a proactive group of residents," McNally said. "They were willing to participate in this 'out of the box' idea of installing security cameras in the neighborhood. Just to be another set of eyes."

To see the full story from WFMJ, click here.