Neighborhoods

City council again rejected Councilwoman Amber White’s request to repeal $1.3 million in American Rescue Plan spending for a park project sponsored by her predecessor. The 4-2 council vote against White’s legislation Wednesday was essentially pointless as the board of control earlier in the day voted 3-0 to enter into a fiscal agreement with the Youngstown Foundation to turn Ipe Park on East Midlothian Boulevard into an all-inclusive park using the ARP money. White, I-7th Ward, said there’s been “little to no transparency, questions over funding, there’s no data to back up what little plan there is to show that it is a viable project,” and it should be repealed. White said people were lied to about matching money for the park and the location was never researched as to how an all-inclusive park would fit there.

Except for Councilwoman Samantha Turner, D-3rd, who voted with White, no other council member at Wednesday’s meeting said anything about the request. White unsuccessfully attempted Feb. 21 to repeal the legislation for the park approved by council at the request of Basia Adamczak in her final meeting on Dec. 20 as the 7th Ward councilwoman. Turner and White were the only council members to back the repeal. Asked about calling a special board of control meeting to be held before council, Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, the board’s chairman, said: “We’ve been working on this since December with the Youngstown Foundation. It was finally ready to go.” The total cost of the project isn’t known, with Brown saying: “It will be done in phases.”

White questioned the location of the park as it’s near a fire station, Interstate 680 and on Midlothian Boulevard — which she said isn’t conducive to children on the autism spectrum. Three residents of the 7th Ward, with children on the autism spectrum, spoke in support at Wednesday’s meeting of White’s efforts to repeal the legislation. Also, Nyasia Lewis, secretary to the parks and recreation director, spoke against repealing, saying the concerns aren’t about the project but who controls the $1.3 million. During the Dec. 20 meeting, council voted on ordinances sponsored by Adamczak to spend the remaining $1,443,074 left in her ward’s $2 million ARP allocation. At that Dec. 20 meeting, Adamczak said she worked on the ARP projects, particularly Ipe, for a long time and plenty of money was going into the neighborhoods. She also said the decision was made after talking to ward residents. But White said Wednesday that the vote among 7th Ward residents is 20-to-1 against the project being located at Ipe.

White also tried Wednesday to repeal legislation approved by council on Dec. 20 – and sponsored by Adamczak – to have the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. serve as the fiscal agent with specific allocations for specific neighborhood organizations.

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

Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

In April 2024, YNDC sold a fully revitalized Newport Neighborhood home to a new homeowner. 511 Mistletoe Avenue sold for $120,000. Congratulations to the new homeowners and thank you for your investment in Youngstown’s neighborhoods.

The Rotary Club of Youngstown will award four Valley nonprofits grants totaling $30,000 at a Wednesday luncheon. The Rotary Club of Youngstown and the Youngstown Rotary Foundation have selected four local non-profit organizations as recipients of funding from the Club’s Community Grant Program.

Recipients and awards include:

The English Center – $20,000 for operational support of adult English language classes during the 2023-24 academic year.

Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation – $5,000 for Glenwood Neighbors Community Safety Program.

To read the full story from WKBN, click here. 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced nearly $70 million in grants across the country that will help transform communities by fixing older housing, preserving affordable housing, and improving the health of children and families in these communities. Grants are also being awarded for studies on housing-related health hazards to support the health and the safety of the residents by finding better ways to help maintain homes.

Moreover, in commemoration of National Healthy Homes Month and HUD’s ongoing efforts to foster resilient communities, HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman released the following statement.

"Housing is the foundation on which we live, grow, and thrive. Access to healthy affordable housing is a priority of this Department. This National Healthy Homes Month, HUD reaffirms its commitment to protecting families and children, supporting research and community efforts to ensure homes are healthy.”

The grants awarded today include funding through the Healthy Homes Production Grant Program, the Healthy Homes and Weatherization Cooperation Demonstration Grant Program, the Older Adult Home Modification Grant Program, the Lead Technical Studies Grant Program, the Healthy Homes Technical Studies Grant Program, and the Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building Grant Program.

Matthew Ammon, Director of HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes added, “Housing is as essential as health care, and these grants expand HUD’s commitment to providing safe and healthy homes for all.”

Awarding these grants contributes to HUD achieving its strategic objective to strengthen environmental justice by reducing exposure to health risks and environmental hazards, especially for low-income households and disadvantaged communities. You can read the Fiscal Year 2022-2026 HUD Strategic Plan on HUD’s website.

To read the state-by-state breakdown of the funding announced today, click here. 

The Rotary Club of Youngstown and Youngstown Rotary Foundation have selected four local nonprofit organizations as recipients of funding from the club’s Community Grant Program. The grant awards will be presented at a club meeting at noon today at Tyler History Center, 325 W. Federal St.

Here are the recipients:

The English Center, $20,000 for operational support of adult English Language classes during the 2023-24 academic year.

Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, $5,000 for Glenwood Neighbors Community Safety Program.

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

Wednesday, April 10, 2024. 

On Wednesday, April 10, the Youngstown Rotary Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to the Glenwood Neighbors Community Safety Program.

The safety program will engage residents and business owners in the neighborhoods along Glenwood Avenue in Youngstown in a coordinated effort to prevent crime by using evidence-based practices for crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), including installing lighting and doorbell security cameras on homes, businesses, and in public spaces that are in the vicinity of hotspots of violent crime. YNDC will work with resident leaders, business owners, and the Youngstown Police Department to implement the program.

Big thanks to the Youngstown Rotary Foundation!

The Rotary Club of Youngstown has selected four Valley organizations to receive grant money and those organizations will be awarded that money on Wednesday. According to a press release, the grant money will be awarded at a noon luncheon at the Tyler History Center on Wednesday, April 10. The four organizations receiving funding are as follows:

- The English Center will receive $20,000 for operational support of adult English Language classes throughout the 2023-24 academic year.

- The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corproation (YNDC) will receive $5,000 for its Glenwood Neighbors Community Safety Program

To read the full story from WFMJ, click here. 

Where can middle class families still qualify for an average home? Creditnews Research, an independent research house, studied the relationship between income distribution and housing costs across the 100 most populous metropolitan areas in America to find out. The report used income tiers based on Pew Research’s household income percentile ranges for economic classes:

Lower-middle class: $30,001-$58,020
Middle class: $58,021-$94,000
Upper-middle class: $94,001-$153,000

Overall, Creditnews Research found that the Midwest and parts of the South are the most affordable options for middle-class households right now, while ultra-desirable coastal cities like San Francisco and New York City are not an option — even for affluent buyers.

The state of Ohio stands out as a place where America’s middle class can find an affordable way of life. Three cities in the Buckeye State made Creditnews Research’s top 10 ranking, thanks to homeowner incentives like grants and tax credits. More than one city in Texas and Pennsylvania also made the top 10.

Youngstown, Ohio, is the most affordable metro area for America’s middle class.

Youngstown was once a bustling city thanks to the steel industry but suffered a a collapse in the 1970s. Since then, it has experienced an economic and cultural renaissance. Buyers need an income of just over $40,000 to qualify for a typical home.

According to the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, Youngstown offers incentives for prospective homebuyers, such as down payment assistance, grants for graduates, discounted mortgage interest rates for residents who serve the public, and more.

The Ohio city also has organizations like the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation that are working on revitalizing urban neighborhoods in the area, according to U.S. News and World Report.

To read the full story from CNBC, click here. 

Thursday, April 11, 2024. 

On Saturday, March 9, President Biden signed H.R. 4366, the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” into law. The bipartisan spending bill including a Congressionally Directed Spending award of $1,020,000 for the Foster Theater Renovation that was put forth by US Senator Sherrod Brown. The funding will be used for the renovation of the Foster Theater.

YNDC is humbled and extremely grateful for the support of US Senator Sherrod Brown and his team in prioritizing YNDC's request. YNDC is also thankful for the support of all of our community partners that allowed us to demonstrate this project is a priority. HUGE thank you to all involved and REVITALIZE!

Thursday, April 11, 2024. 

On April 9, 2024, YNDC was awarded a $1.25 Million Grant from the HUD Older Adult Home Modification Program grant. This was a nationally competitive grant program and YNDC was one of three awardees in Ohio. The funding will be used to make accessibility modifications and necessary repairs for households with an older adult.

YNDC is partnering with EasterSeals and Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership (TNP) on the program. The services will be provided in Mahoning and Trumbull Counties. TNP and YNDC will complete the necessary outreach and intake processes. Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants from Easterseals will conduct assessments of eligible homes and assist with prioritizing necessary home modifications. YNDC will manage the projects.

More information will be provided in the coming months.