Neighborhoods

Probate Judge Robert N. Rusu Jr. announced that Ian Beniston, executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, has been appointed to the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.

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

Probate Judge Robert N. Rusu Jr. has announced that he has appointed Ian Beniston to the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. Beniston’s appointment fills the open seat left by Brigid Kennedy, who resigned at the end of April. Beniston will complete the remainder of Kennedy’s five-year term, which expires Nov. 28, 2027.

Beniston is the executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation. 

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

On June 7, the First National Bank Community Foundation awarded YNDC with a $15,000 grant to support YNDC's housing programs including housing counseling and emergency repair. The Housing Counseling Program empowers low- to moderate-income residents to identify and overcome barriers to homeownership, including inadequate savings, income, credit history, and understanding of the home buying process, and prepare them for future homeownership; and to provide existing low- to moderate-income homeowners with resources to maximize their limited incomes and minimize repair costs so that they can avoid foreclosure and improve their living conditions. The emergency home repair program assists low-income homeowners with emergencies such as furnace and plumbing repairs at no cost.

Many thanks to the First National Bank Community Foundation for their continued support!

Youngstown CityScape has announced the receipt of two grants totaling $30,000 for an initiative to plant thousands of trees across the Mahoning Valley. According to a press release, this money came in the form of $20,000 from the Western Reserve Health Foundation and another $10,000 from the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley. The funding will go towards the Mahoning Valley Tree Corps Project, which is an initiative to plant 5,000 street trees across the Valley, provide urban forestry education and offer emergency tree removal services. Youngstown CityScape is working in partnership with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) and the Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership (TNP) on this project.

To read the full story from WFMJ, click here. 

Youngstown CityScape has received two grant awards in support of the Mahoning Valley Tree Corps project. The Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley awarded $10,000 through its general fund, and the Western Reserve Health Foundation contributed an additional $20,000. “Receiving these grants is a key step and indicates community support for our Mahoning Valley Tree Corps project,” said Sharon Letson, executive director of CityScape. “This funding will allow us to invest in the necessary equipment to start restoring our urban tree canopy and making a tangible impact in our community.”

The Mahoning Valley Tree Corps project is a $5 million initiative in Youngstown and Warren. Youngstown CityScape has partnered with Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership on the project, which aims to plant 5,000 street trees to provide shade, improve air quality and beautify urban areas.

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

Tuesday, July 9, 2024. 

YNDC is proud to announce the publishing of its performance report from the 2nd Quarter of 2024!

The performance report highlights the work of YNDC from January to June 2024.

An electronic copy can be downloaded below. 

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.