Neighborhoods

They have raccoons living under their roof, holes in their ceiling or water leaking into the home — the tenants of one company in Youngstown all say their complaints were disregarded. They spoke to WKBN about their new landlord, Youngstown Houses, LLC, because they are fed up with the issues and have seen little help so far. In the meantime, the property owner raised their rent — some as much as $400 more a month than they had been paying the previous owner. Many of those tenants ended up in court facing evictions — either unable to pay the increased rent or refusing to pay because the repairs hadn’t been made.

And Youngstown Houses, LLC evicted them in droves. WKBN attended four eviction proceedings in Youngstown Municipal Court. Each time, the company was evicting five to 10 tenants from its properties. The complaints from tenants did catch the attention of the Youngstown Housing Task Force, a group comprising Youngstown residents and members of organizations that work in the local housing sector. 

To read the full story from WKBN, click here. 

They have raccoons living under their roof, holes in their ceiling or water leaking into the home — the tenants of one company in Youngstown all say their complaints were disregarded. They spoke to WKBN about their new landlord, Youngstown Houses, LLC, because they are fed up with the issues and have seen little help so far. In the meantime, the property owner raised their rent — some as much as $400 more a month than they had been paying the previous owner. Many of those tenants ended up in court facing evictions — either unable to pay the increased rent or refusing to pay because the repairs hadn’t been made. And Youngstown Houses, LLC evicted them in droves. WKBN attended four eviction proceedings in Youngstown Municipal Court. Each time, the company was evicting five to 10 tenants from its properties.

The complaints from tenants did catch the attention of the Youngstown Housing Task Force, a group comprising Youngstown residents and members of organizations that work in the local housing sector. They see themselves as backing for tenants and other residents in the city who may have been overlooked. Task force members went door to door speaking with those tenants and logging those issues. The Youngstown Housing Task Force doesn’t just focus on one property owner. Group members have been going out and surveying properties in the city, reporting any potential issues to Code Enforcement. But after complaints from several residents, the purchase of over 300 properties in Youngstown by an organization labeled only as “Youngstown Houses, LLC” last year has the task force taking a new look at the company.

“We received a lot of complaints from tenants regarding Youngstown Houses, LLC — their rents doubling or tripling, maintenance not being done in there, not … having any responses to their requests. There have been a lot of different complaints. So Youngstown Houses, LLC actually came under the task force’s radar simply from tenant complaints, and then we started an investigation into them,” said Vi Aguirre, community engagement manager for Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) and member of the task force.

To read the full story from WYTV, click here. 

Members of The Youngstown Housing Task Force made their voices heard on Wednesday as they gathered to protest the practices of Allstate Property Management who manages the properties for Youngstown Houses LLC.

Youngstown Houses LLC owns 304 houses in the city of Youngstown – 90 of which are in code enforcement, according to Ian Beniston, executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.

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

Thursday, July 11, 2024. 

On Wednesday, July 10, more than 80 members of the Youngstown Housing Task Force, ACTION, YNDC, and other ally organizations boarded buses to visit the offices of Allstate Property Management, who is the property manager for Youngstown Houses LLC. The task force sought to execute a community agreement with Allstate Property Management regarding the condition of the 304 single family homes owned by Youngstown Houses LLC. Allstate Property Management refused to open the door and communicate with the Task Force.

Youngstown Houses LLC has over 80 properties in code enforcement with the City of Youngstown, thousands in outstanding fines owed, dozens of outstanding tenant concerns, and has been imposing significant rent increases on tenants. Local news media have documented severe distress in some of these homes which are occupied by rent paying tenants.

The Youngstown Housing Task Force will continue working to address Youngstown Houses LLC. If you are a tenant and would like to share your story with the Task Force, please call 330.480.0423. 

A determined and diverse group of citizens is demanding the owner of hundreds of rental properties scattered throughout the city take steps to make major improvements.

“No one deserves this; no one deserves to live in deplorable conditions,” Jack Daugherty, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp’s neighborhood stabilization director, said.

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

Community members gathered in Youngstown on Wednesday demanding that a landlord make repairs on properties.

The Youngstown Housing Task Force, ACTION and Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC), as well as other community members, were on E. Midlothian Boulevard for a demonstration in front of the company’s management agency, All State Property Management. 

To read the full story from WYTV, click here. 

Members of The Youngstown Housing Task Force made their voices heard on Wednesday as they gathered to protest the practices of Allstate Property Management who manages the properties for Youngstown Houses LLC.

Youngstown Houses LLC owns 304 houses in the city of Youngstown – 90 of which are in code enforcement, according to Ian Beniston, executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.

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

A person who identified themselves as a representative of the owner of Youngstown Houses, LLC contacted WKBN to respond to reports that the company was disregarding complaints about repair issues, saying that the tenants speaking out are just disgruntled about rental price increases.

Maria Hernandez emailed WKBN and then returned a phone call from WKBN, identifying herself as a representative of the owner. She did not provide further information about the owner but said the company is set up much like other companies, saying its property management, All State Property Management, handles the daily operations. Hernandez added that the property management company is available to tenants who need assistance.

Hernandez said they wanted to clear up misconceptions. “As with every story, there’s two sides, so we wanted to show our side as well,” she said. A statement sent to WKBN from Youngstown Houses, LLC notes that when the company purchased its properties from Gary Crim, Inc., there were also delinquencies in rental payments exceeding $100,000. The company says the previous landlord “chose not to pursue evictions for non-payment, resulting in below-market rental and average living conditions.”

As WKBN reported, Youngstown Houses, LLC purchased 290 single-family homes and 17 multi-family duplexes from Gary Crim, Inc. in April 2023 in a $5.6 million deal. The company caught the attention of the Youngstown Housing Task Force as members of the task force said they received several complaints from residents who detailed an inability to reach the company or get repairs completed in a timely manner. The task force held a rally Wednesday outside of the company’s property management company, which is located inside the Turnberry Apartments on E. Midlothian Boulevard, after they tried to speak with management but found no one there.

The task force has been trying to get the company to sign a community agreement, promising to make repairs and address other issues. Hernandez did not comment as to whether they would be willing to sign such an agreement but said they had not received prior communications from the task force. Jack Daugherty, neighborhood stabilization director for the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and a member of the task force, said the task force made multiple attempts to contact Youngstown Houses, LLC, including sending a certified letter to All State Property Management, which was accepted with a signature on April 27. 

To read the full story from WKBN, click here. 

Yvette Howell has rented her Lanterman Avenue house on the city’s south side for more than 20 years with few complaints. That was until last year. In a year’s time, Howell says her rent has nearly doubled, rising from $500 per month to $900.  Moreover, while she said her house is in “livable” condition, the entity that owns the house or its local property manager has not responded to her calls to make necessary repairs or to remove trees that were cut down in November. “The only response I got is my rent went up three different times,” she said. “I was told they didn’t have any workers.”

In April 2023, Youngstown Houses LLC purchased 304 housing units from Gary Crim Inc. for $5.6 million, including Howell’s house.  She said the new landlords and the management company it hired – All State Property Management — have all but ignored her requests for necessary repairs. “They’ve never been in my house,” she lamented.

Howell was among approximately 100 demonstrators Wednesday who mobilized in front of Turnberry Apartments at 834 E. Midlothian Blvd., an apartment complex owned by Youngstown Houses and managed by All State.  The event was organized by community groups Youngstown Housing Task Force, Action, and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.

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

The city’s board of control is expected to vote today on $5.3 million worth of American Rescue Plan programs with the largest being $5 million to help people buy and maintain homes in Youngstown. City council on Dec. 20 approved creating the “At Home in Youngstown” $5 million fund to be administered by Huntington Bank. The agenda for today’s board of control agenda includes a professional services agreement with Huntington for the $5 million and a memorandum of understanding with Catholic Charities to handle applications for the funding.

Expenses covered under the program include a maximum of $5,000 for down payments and closing costs and up to an additional $10,000 for interior plumbing, electrical and structural repairs and energy efficient upgrades to windows, furnaces and hot water tanks. Those who qualify must live in the house in the city for at least five years or the funds have to be returned. Total annual household income must fall between $27,450 and $104,220 with the homebuyer’s minimum contribution being $500.

The $5 million for At Home in Youngstown is one of the largest ARP allocations for a single program in Youngstown. The city received $82,775,370 in ARP funds. The two other ARP items on the board’s agenda are $250,000 for corridor improvements in the 2nd Ward and $50,000 for solar security lights in the 6th Ward. Councilman Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd Ward, sponsored the corridor improvements legislation at council’s June 20 meeting.

The ARP funds will go to the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. to manage improvements on properties adjacent to primary and secondary thoroughfares in the ward, which includes most of the East Side.

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