Neighborhoods

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

On Tuesday, June 28, the Senator Maurice and Florence Lipscher Charitable Fund awarded a $10,000 grant to YNDC for the purchase of a dump truck.

The truck will replace YNDC's aging dump truck and enhance our clean up and neighborhood stabilization capacity. Thank you to the Senator Maurice and Florence Lipscher Charitable Fund for the support!

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

688 Cubic Yards of Debris Removed

99 New Clients Enrolled in Housing Counseling

36 Emergency Repairs

28 Vacant Houses Boarded

REVITALIZE

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

YNDC is proud to announce the publishing of its performance report from the 2nd Quarter of 2022! 

The performance report highlights the work of YNDC from April to June 2022.

An electronic copy can be downloaded below.

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

On Thursday, July 12, 2022, Beyond Expectations Barber College (BEBC) celebrated its grand opening at 2246 Glenwood Avenue.

BEBC is a state licensed full service barber college. The Glenwood Avenue site is their second location. Their first location was established in Akron in 2013 and has graduated over 150 students with an 85 percent graduation rate, a 90 percent licensure rate, and a 100 percent job placement rate. BEBC is partnering with local organizations including: Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, Choffin Career Center, Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association, and The Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation. BEBC is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm.
YNDC is pleased to welcome BEBC to the Glenwood Avenue corridor!

Beyond Expectations Barber College had its grand opening for its new Glenwood Avenue location Tuesday.

“What we like to do is help as many young men and women as possible, learn a trade in this barbering industry,” said Eric Garrett, Sr., founder and director of the program.

BEBC opened a location in Youngstown in 2019 with the assistance of Kelan Bilal, owner of Excalibur Barber Grooming Lounge. Bilal says he very happy to see this location open up for the community.

“We get a chance to expand our community and groom some of these young students to be able to get into some of these shops… It’s a beautiful thing to have it right here in the city,” Bilal said.

The school has also been working with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) on its new location. Both Bilal and Garrett say the school is a great way to help men and women into their careers.

“We have a 85% graduation rate, and out of that 85% graduation rate, 90% of them get their license, and out of that 90% that get their license, all 100% of them get jobs. So, it’s really about giving back to the community and job placement, job creation,” Garrett, Sr. said.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

Beyond Expectations Barber College opened its doors Tuesday at 2246 Glenwood Ave. in Youngstown.

The school, which was founded in 2013 in Akron, offers an 1,800-hour program that teaches students everything they need to know to become certified barbers and better community members.
The program includes 1,200 hours of haircutting instruction, 200 hours of theory and doing bookwork, 100 hours of practical work, and 300 hours of instruction in “how important it is to become a part of the community,” co-owner and director of BEBC Daniel Williams said.

The college periodically presents free haircutting events at local schools. Students are also taught about the importance of voting and knowing their city council and state representatives. Additionally, students are taught about paying taxes – something that can be hard to navigate when working in a cash-based business, Williams added.

BEBC offers 11-month training programs for students to earn their Ohio barber’s license. Additionally, prospective students with a cosmetology license can take classes at BEBC and earn a barber license without completing the full 1,800-hour program, said Ed Bankston, an instructor.

“We teach the whole spectrum of the 1,800 hours, from chapter one to 22. That entails female hair services, shampoo services, scalp manipulations, facials, shaves and haircutting,” said Bankston.

The barber college prides itself on teaching students life skills such as the basics of owning a business.

“As a barber, once you [complete the program], it’s your community that is going to support you,” Williams said.

During his address at the opening ceremony, co-owner Eric Garrett thanked the community, City Councilman Julius Oliver and Mayor Tito Brown for their support.

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

Members of City Council and representatives of the administration of Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown met Wednesday afternoon as part of the ongoing process to determine how the city will spend its American Rescue Plan allocation.

The city was awarded $82.7 million in ARP funds and so far has spent or allocated about $27.5 million, according to the city’s website. That includes an allocation of $2 million for each of the city’s seven wards and $3.9 million for city revenue replacement.

Three ideas were discussed during the meeting that Fifth Ward Councilwoman Lauren McNally, who led it, characterized as a “working session.”

Among the items discussed was legislation council had requested from the law department to utilize ARP funds for parks, playgrounds and sporting venues.

Law Director Jeff Limbian said there were problems with some of the legislation because some of the documents lacked information the law department needed to vet the requests.

“You’re ultimately going to be making those decisions in terms of the appropriations but we wanted to make sure that there was a cooperative appreciation that the administration is going to have to actually administer those pieces of legislation,” Limbian said. “We wanted to have clear direction from you about what those pieces are doing so that they meet your intent.”

The law director also presented council members with a handout illustrating what other cities have done to draft requests that can serve as a “general guideline.” He stressed the need to remain consistent because both state and federal government will be auditing ARP spending to make sure funds aren’t misspent or misappropriated.

Among the items administration officials and council members also discussed was plans to utilize ARP funds for house repairs in the neighborhoods. Some council members have discussed wanting to do “some type of group program” utilizing a potion of their ward’s $2 million allocation, McNally said.
“So we thought perhaps we should discuss it as a group so that we had a holistic plan instead of us trying to do our own thing,” she said.

The city administration is “looking at housing initiatives as a whole,” Nikki Posterli, chief of staff to mayor Jamael Tito Brown and director of community planning and economic development, said.

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

Glenwood Avenue is getting a new addition.

 A sign reading “coming soon” announced that a Quickmed Urgent Care is opening next to the Glenwood Fresh Market. The company, which started in Liberty, said the traffic from Canfield Road made it a great location.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Alyda was looking for a home on Youngstown's south side and was ecstatic when she came across one of YNDC’s listings.

Alyda instantly fell in love with the home when she saw the arched purple door. She also loved the ample space, that it was fully move-in ready, and that she could now be closer to family. Every aspect of this home was exactly what she was looking for. Alyda is a first time home buyer, and this experience has changed her life a lot. Through housing counseling, Alyda was set up for success, and she highly recommends YNDC's HUD-Approved Housing Counseling program for anyone in the home buying process, especially for those who are first-time home buyers. “This experience has impacted my life because now, since it is my own, I want to stay organized and on top of everything -- cleanliness and making sure everything is perfect. I love it. YNDC has helped me a lot, and I am so grateful for the experience and the help. I’m happy with my new home,” Alyda said.

Congratulations, Alyda! Thank you for your investment in Youngstown’s neighborhoods and best wishes in your new home!

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

YNDC has completed the renovation of 900 Old Furnace Road.

The home was constructed by Robert and Isabelle Hamilton sometime between 1860 and 1874. The home and property were purchased by Mill Creek MetroParks in the 1890s and used as a YMCA club house and later as the MetroParks superintendent's residence for many years. Prior to YNDC's acquisition the home had been vacant for approximately twenty years.

This project was made possible through a partnership with Mill Creek MetroParks and the City of Youngstown. The home renovation included: new roof, windows, doors, siding, bathrooms, flooring, kitchen counters, furnace, and many other updates. YNDC also reopened a large section of the original front porch that had been enclosed many years ago. The property will be sold to a homeowner. 

For more information on 900 Old Furnace, click here.