Neighborhoods

Monday, November 8, 2021

On Thursday, November 4, the Ward Beecher Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant to YNDC for the renovation of 2915 Glenwood Avenue.

The funds will be used to renovate the vacant retail plaza into a modern retail facility with multiple units for neighborhood serving businesses. This project is part of ongoing efforts to improve the greater Glenwood Avenue corridor. Huge thank you to the Ward Beecher Foundation for the support!

Susan Payton is the Glenwood Fresh Market Manager for the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation. Susan manages operations of the Glenwood Fresh Market and is responsible for the facility operation and program service goals: including inspiring healthy eating, increasing access to fresh food, and managing a clean, organized and functional environment. 

Contact Susan at spayton@yndc.org.  

Youngstown could be close to getting rid of many of the abandoned houses in the city.

The Mahoning County Land Bank said with the help of a state grant, the project could be finished within the next two years.

One of the homes under control of the Land Bank is on Oakland Avenue in the Brier Hill area. It’s been vacant since the owner passed away.

“The floors are giving way, so there’s no safe way to walk through that house. Every system in that house pretty much has failed, heating, the windows, the doors, everything,” said Debora Flora with the Land Bank.

The house faces similar issues as many other vacant homes. It would cost more money to repair than to tear down, so the plan is to bring the house and many others down.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

The Mahoning County Land Bank recently secured $500,000 in state funds to demolish houses and commercial buildings next year and is in line for more dollars to support potentially hundreds of additional demolitions in the next several years, officials say.

“The end of Youngstown’s inventory of vacant, abandoned, unsafe and beyond-repair housing is in sight,” Debora Flora, executive director of the land bank, said in a news release.

“The initial funds will allow us to raze about 40 houses,” she said. 

The land bank and its partners believe that, after many years of demolitions, Youngstown is about 800 demolitions away from clearing the city’s inventory of beyond-repair housing, the release states. 

To see the full story from Mahoning Matters, click here.

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

On Thursday, November 18, 2021, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation was awarded a $1 million grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati’s Affordable Housing Program for home repair in the City of Youngstown.

Premier Bank is the member bank supporting YNDC’s application and project. The grant award will be used to replace approximately 100 roofs in the City of Youngstown in 2022.

YNDC is grateful to the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, Premier Bank, City of Youngstown, The Raymond John Wean Foundation, Alta Head Start, Flying High and other partners for their support and partnership in making this grant award possible.  

Thursday evening, Youngstown CityScape recognized 12 people and organizations for their efforts in restoring parts of the city.

The Beautification Awards were given out at Concept Studio downtown. About 50 people showed up.

Among the awardees were the group that put together the Robinson-Shuba statue and the YSU students who painted a mural along an Andrews Avenue wall.

Several homeowners were also recognized. Sue and Gary Sexton for turning their yard on Redondo Road into a butterfly garden and Darla Ballinger for the meditation and relaxation sanctuary she created behind her house on West Boston.

“I do Tai Chi back there, I have tea back there, I hold hands back there, I hug people back there. We take walks back there and sometimes I do ‘wine-o-clock’ back there,” Ballinger said.

Also recognized was Bob Barko for his work on the State Theater Block Project and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation for its renovation of the former Carmelite Monastery.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

Youngstown CityScape recognized 11 projects in the city Thursday at its 15th annual beautification awards ceremony.

“Each year, we recognize the effort and the pride that people put into their property and highlight the best of our community,” said Sharon Letson, executive director of Youngstown CityScape. “It may be a multi-million-dollar development or simply an exceptionally beautiful garden in a residential neighborhood, but we want to salute the range of efforts being made.”

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

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Sarah relocated from Mississippi to Youngstown in 1965 and has owned her home for over 20 years.

Severe roof leaks were causing damage all throughout her home. By replacing Sarah’s roof, YNDC eliminated the roof leaks and prevented further damage to her home. “I want to thank them. I didn’t get a chance to thank them but it was such a big help and progress for me. I could never put a roof on myself, I can’t afford it because I’m on disability. I just thank God every day for my new roof,” Sarah said.

Thanks to a generous gift from the Arnett Family Fund, the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley will match all donations made to agency funds beginning today, Giving Tuesday, through the end of the year.

The Community Foundation houses operational and endowment funds for 34 local organizations across all sectors, from health care to history and education to entertainment.

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

Monday, December 6, 2021

The First Energy Foundation has awarded YNDC a grant for $2,500 for Clean Up Glenwood Avenue, a targeted corridor and neighborhood stabilization program focused on 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 on the south side of Youngstown, Ohio.

Program activities include: stabilizing vacant lots, planting trees, replacing sidewalks, improving lighting and safety, and rehabilitating vacant buildings. Thank you to the First Energy Foundation!