Neighborhoods

Thursday, June 29, 2023. On June 26, Project MKC donated $5,000 to the Glenwood Fresh Market. The support will be used to provide additional fresh fruits and vegetables to families with children who are members of the market. Big thanks to Project MKC!

Thursday, June 29, 2023. 

YNDC has acquired a 2023 Ford F550 dump truck. The vehicle will support our neighborhood clean up and stabilization efforts. The purchase of the truck was made possible through the generous support of Ruth Beecher Charitable Trust, Senator Maurice and Florence Lipscher Charitable Trust, J Ford Crandall Memorial Foundation, Walter and Caroline Watson Foundation, Thomases Family Endowment, Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley and the Aimee and Lulu Seidel Foundation.

Monday, July 3, 2023. 

On Thursday, June 29, the City of Youngstown approved $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan funds for YNDC to complete a citywide roof replacement project. This work is part of a collaborative citywide roof replacement project funded by the City of Youngstown with partnerships including Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, Mahoning Youngstown Community Action Partnership, Building Neighborhoods of Youngstown, City of Youngstown, and YNDC. Huge thanks to the City of Youngstown for funding and leading this effort!
 

Monday, July 3, 2023.

YNDC is proud to announce the publishing of its performance report from the 2nd Quarter of 2023! The performance report highlights the work of YNDC from April to June 2023.

An electronic copy can be downloaded below.
 

Despite a surge in new home construction, the US housing shortage rages on and it's hitting middle-income Americans the hardest. Indeed, the real estate market is short of more than 300,000 home listings valued up to $256,000, the affordable price range for households earning a maximum of $75,000, according to an analysis from the National Association of Realtors and Realtor.com. But there's some good news, at least in the data: There are still a few US metros where affordable homes remain available to middle-income buyers.

According to the NAR and Realtor.com analysis, among the 100 largest US metros, three areas from Ohio: Youngstown, Akron, and Toledo have the most affordable homes available for middle-income buyers. In Youngstown, buyers earning at least $75,000 can afford to purchase 72% of listings, while those in Akron and Toledo can afford to buy 61%, the data show. In El Paso, Texas; Boise, Idaho; and Spokane, Washington —  the areas with the fewest homes priced up to $256,000  — middle income buyers can afford less than 20% of listings. Nationwide, the percentage isn't much better.

The crux of the issue is that the real estate market is still suffering an extreme lack of available inventory after the homebuying bonanza of 2020 and 2021, and now also because homeowners don't want to sell and give up ultra low mortgage payments. hile the NAR and Realtor.com found pockets that offer more for homebuyers, those Ohio designations are coming at a surprise to local housing experts.

Ian Beniston, who has been the executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation for 14-years, said while there may be more affordable homes in the Youngstown area, it certainly does not feel that way. 

To read the full story from Business Insider, click here. 

James has lived in his home for eight years. His roof was full of holes and the leaks were causing numerous issues throughout the home, including a bathroom full of pigeons. James is one of many people who received assistance from the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. during the second quarter of 2023. YNDC replaced his roof and installed a furnace and a hot water tank, improving his quality of life and making it possible for his family to stay in their home.

YNDC recently released its second quarter performance report, highlighting the work the organization has done in the area between April and June. 

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

The city’s Design Review Committee approved facade grants totaling nearly $83,000 for five city businesses but deferred action on a fifth request. The businesses that received grants were Hackett’s Pub, 1597 Mahoning Ave., for 14,750; G’s Chop Shop, 719 Canfield Road, for $17,625; Hope for Renewal Inc., $20,000; Resource Property Group, $13,394; and Scott Auto Group LLC, 1835 Glenwood Ave., $16,977. The funds will be used to support exterior improvement projects such as signage, windows, lighting, painting and siding and parking lot expansions. The program is funded by a portion of the city’s American Rescue Plan allocation.

The committee met Tuesday morning to approve the funds, which are offered as forgivable loans that require the recipient to remain at the location for five years, with 20% of the loan forgiven each year. The grant approved for Resource Property Group will cover half of the proposed $26,768 project, which will include repairing and replacing rotted wood, installation of a new monolith sign and replacement of the existing canned lighting hanging from the front of the building with LED lighting. The new exterior lighting and signage will reflect that the building is in a professional rather than retail area and indicate “we’re open for business in Youngstown,” said Jeff Byce, owner of Byce Auction and Byce Realty, which are housed at the Wick Avenue building.

The grant for G’s Chop Shop, a barber shop, also will cover about half of the $35,250 cost of its project, which will include new asphalt; siding, window and door replacement; new exterior lighting; and bollard installation. “It’ll be a premium vinyl siding,” said Ian Beniston, executive director of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, which bought the Canfield Road building about six months ago. G’s, which has been there for eight years, will remain a tenant in the building, he said.

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

Matthew Shelby is a Housing Project Inspector for the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation. Matt screens properties for necessary repairs, writes up project specifications, inspects completed repairs, and communicates deficiencies.

Contact Matthew at mshelby@yndc.org. 

Cities throughout the world have been at the forefront of a growing movement to implement “green” initiatives. Recognizing that urban centers spew most of the planet’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, proponents of sustainable communities press for resource conservation, clean air and water, and low-carbon energy and land use practices—with the entwined goals of averting climate disaster, righting longstanding environmental injustices, and creating more safe, healthy, equitable, and prosperous places to call home.

To read the full report, click the link below. 

Tuesday, July 25, 2023. 

Janell has lived in her home for 12 years. Her old roof had deteriorated, causing water to leak into her bedroom where her ceiling was falling in. Janell loves her peaceful, centrally-located neighborhood where everyone knows each other and looks out for each other. “We are our own little community,” she said.

YNDC replaced Janell’s roof and stopped the leaks. She is grateful to have a new roof that keeps the rain out so she can stay in her home for many years to come.  This new roof was made possible by The Affordable Housing Program of The Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati.