Neighborhoods

Mahoning Valley residents have a new opportunity this year to invest in local agriculture and receive, in return, a weekly share of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables throughout the growing season.

The community supported agriculture program, known as the Iron Roots CSA, is being launched by the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., which operates the Iron Roots Urban Farm, 820 Canfield Road.

“We wanted to make our farm more sustainable, and we’d been spending a lot of time and labor to go around to a number of farmers’ markets,” but sales there are unpredictable, and unsold produce has to be composted or donated, said Liberty Merrill, YNDC’s land reuse director, explaining part of the rationale for forming the CSA.

“In a CSA system, everything’s actually pre-sold, and people are investing in the farm,” she added.

“The idea is that you are investing in, and being a part of, our local agriculture system,” Merrill said. “It’s a commitment to eating healthy.”

The new CSA was launched by YNDC, in part, because of last year’s closing of another CSA, known as GROW Youngstown, which had as many as 150 members, she added.

“We wanted to make sure to serve their [former] customers,” Merrill added.

Ian Beniston, YNDC executive director, said the organization decided to start the CSA “as another avenue to offer fresh, locally-grown produce right here at our farm to the community and to have an additional sustainable revenue source for the farm.”

The CSA “makes us less reliant on grant funding,” he added.

“You’re getting a great value in the amount of produce that you’ll buy, but you’re also contributing to the support of the Iron Roots Urban Farm and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and our mission, not only to provide healthy food across the city, but to stabilize and revitalize neighborhoods,” Beniston said of CSA membership.

CSA members are motivated by their desire to receive fresh produce, support local agriculture and know where their food is coming from, Merrill said, noting that all of the money exchanged in the program stays local.

The CSA will provide a weekly share of fresh vegetables and fruit to subscribers for 20 weeks beginning in mid-June.

The Iron Roots CSA’s nonrefundable share price is $650 for the season, which must be paid in full by June 13.

A discounted fee of $600 is available for those who pay in full by Friday.

Nonrefundable payment in full in advance “allows us to plan for our season up front,” in terms of acquiring supplies and staffing the farm, Merrill explained.

For information or to sign up, call 330-480-0423, Ext. 2.

In a CSA, farmers don’t have to wait until crops are harvested to generate revenue.

Members assume risks concerning crop yield and quality, but Merrill said those risks will be reduced in the Iron Roots CSA because it will buy produce from other local growers.

Members may pick up their produce shares at the Idora Neighborhood Farmers’ Market, Warren Farmers’ Market or Catullo Prime Meats in Boardman.

Shares are intended to be sufficient to supply a family of four, Merrill said.

A limited number of half shares may also be purchased for $325, with half-share purchasers getting their produce every other week, she added.

In June, share boxes will contain early-season items, such as garlic, greens, strawberries, and radishes. In July and August, they’ll contain tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and green beans. Later in the growing season, watermelons, apples and squashes will be provided.

The CSA program will support the Iron Roots Urban Farm and its mission to grow fresh produce, support farmers’ markets and promote farming and gardening on vacant land throughout the city, YNDC says.

“I like to support the community and local produce farming,” said Vera Franken, of Austintown, who said she will join the Iron Roots CSA.

“It also gives me a commitment,” to eating fresh vegetables regularly at home, said Franken, who has regularly bought produce grown at the Iron Roots Urban Farm.

“I can go to the Iron Roots Farm and order my arugula, and I have a hard time finding arugula in any local grocery store. That is one of the main reasons I started shopping there because they had some of the produce that other places did not,” she added.

The CSA needs about 120 members to break even financially, Merrill said.

Members will be invited to events, such as potluck dinners, volunteer work days and cooking demonstrations at Iron Roots, and will receive recipe cards and a weekly newsletter, Merrill said.

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

On Monday, February 20, the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation provided YNDC with a $1,900 store credit.

The credit was provided to support YNDC community workdays. Many thanks to the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation!

On Saturday, February 18, over 100 volunteers from AmeriCorps VISTA, Cardinal Mooney High School, Full Spectrum Community Outreach, Hope for Renewal/Tabernacle Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Mineral Ridge High School Beta Club, Sigma Tau Gamma, Students Today Leaders Forever, Target Boardman, UPS Freight, Valley Christian High School, Victory Christian Center, YESS Emerging Leaders Program, YSU Anthropology Colloquium, YSU Football, YSU Honors, and YSUscape helped clean out three vacant homes

at two YNDC community workdays at 2723 Volney, 943 Sherwood, and 1128 Ivanhoe. YNDC will rehabilitate these homes. Volunteers removed debris, wall tiles, cabinets, and carpeting, cleaned up the landscaping, and much more! 110 Cubic yards of debris was removed from the properties. Many thanks to all the volunteers, Pizza Joe’s Cornersburg for donating lunch, and Hope for Renewal/Tabernacle Evangelical Presbyterian Church for providing snacks, breakfast, and drinks!

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Be part of making Youngstown’s neighborhoods a great place to live, work, and play! Help us clean up Glenwood Avenue

, Saturday, March 18, 8:30am - 12:30pm, at the Idora Neighborhood Workday! We will be removing overgrowth and debris from vacant lots, cleaning up trash, shoveling sidewalks, and more! Meet at 820 Canfield Road. Add it to your Calendar.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

In February 2017, YNDC sold a fully revitalized home in Cornersburg to a new homeowner.

2136 Gregory Avenue sold for $73,800. Congratulations to the new homeowners and thank you for your investment in Youngstown's neighborhoods!

The Raymond John Wean Foundation has awarded nearly $99,000 to 30 resident-led organizations in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, the foundation announced Thursday.

The awards were made as part of the foundation’s Neighborhood Success program, which supports grassroots organizations looking to build community involvement. Annual grant awards range from $500 to $5,000, with the receiving organizations matching the award through volunteer labor, cash or in-kind donations. Since 2008, the program has awarded more than $1.5 million to 450 projects.

Among the latest recipients were the Urban Farm Cooperative in Warren and YSUscape. The urban farm project aims to create agricultural co-ops for farmers and services to create opportunities for those with disabilities. YSUscape’s project involves creating art installations around downtown Youngstown.

The groups, and the projects they were awarded grants for are:

• 4 Square Block Watch for New Beginning Neighborhood Beautification

• ABC Diamond Girls for Diamond Gems Try STEM

• Boulevard Park Block Watch for the Beautiful Boulevards of Rush and Euclid

• Central City CBO for Central City Unity Garden

• Citizens Uniting Citizens for Family Ties

• Community Volunteer Council for Healthy Dining

• Friends of the Mahoning River for Mahoning RiverFest

• Garfield Community Garden for community improvement and outreach

• Historic Perkins Homestead Neighborhood Association for Perkins Rose Garden Revitalization

• Holy Crafters for Beginning Quilting: Nursing Home Crafts

• Hunger Helpers for Youth Mission for Nutrition

• Idora Neighborhood Association for the Glenwood Neighbors Initiative

• Just Because for Children’s Health Fair and Fund Day

• The Loop Group for Meet Me on the Circle

• Love Your Neighborhood Block Watch for Phase II of the Brier Hill Green Space Project

• Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past

• Martin Luther Lutheran Church for Hope for Newport Community Garden

• Metro Assembly of God for Adopt a Lot

• Neighborhood Ministries Rockford for the Health and Fitness program

• Quilts from the Heart

• The Robins Project for its Summer Box Office series

• Roosevelt Community Garden for the Let It Grow Learning Garden

• St. Angela Merici for the Lincoln Park Revitalization project

• The Sewing Bank for Talen Build

• Stop One Place Help is Available for neighborhood assistance

• T.N.R. of Warren for feral cats solutions program

• Urban Farm Cooperative

• YSUscape

To read the full article from the Business Journal, click here.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

YNDC is proud to spotlight three of our new YNDC homeowners!

In November 2016, Millie bought her new home at 3025 Kiwatha Road. Her beautiful parkside 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom brick cape cod features a spacious living room with fireplace, large ear-in kitchen, sunroom, and attached 1-car garage.

In January 2017, Michael and his fiancé began settling into their new home at 853 Lanterman Avenue. Their cozy 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home features a formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, spacious great room, two fireplaces, Jacuzzi tub, detached 2-car garage, and fenced in backyard.

In February 2017, Kelly bought her new home at 2136 Gregory Avenue. Her beautiful 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom cape cod features a spacious living room with fireplace, formal dining room, sunroom, detached 2-car garage, and spacious backyard.

Congratulations Millie, Michael, and Kelly! We hope you enjoy your new homes as much as we enjoyed revitalizing them!

Last week, WKBN reported how home sales are improving all across the Mahoning Valley. It turns out that’s having an impact on the rental market.

Census data shows rent costs are up nearly 10 percent in just the last five years.

“Some of the biggest problems we are seeing today is a lot of student loan debt,” said Stephanie Pappada of Howard Hanna in Poland. “Especially from recent graduates.”

Single mom and full-time student Kerri Cameron had a hard time finding an affordable place to live.

“I looked at least for a good two years to try and find a place,” said Cameron, a Youngstown tenant. “And I had no hope at all. This was my last resort.”

Now, almost half of her monthly income goes to rent and utilities.

Median rent Mahoning Valley

Source: U.S. Census

“It’s pretty much a constant battle. It’s a struggle,” Cameron said. “I make sure my rent’s paid and my bills are paid and the rest of the month I struggle to get by.”

Cameron isn’t the only one dealing with high rents.

The average cost of rent in Youngstown in 2010 was $587 per month. That number jumped to $634 in 2015.

And good rentals are harder to come by, as they’re being taken by college graduates who can’t get mortgages.

In turn, many people who would have bought homes now have to rent for a long time.

“A lot of the rental units that are on the market haven’t been renovated in decades,” said Tiffany Sokol of Youngstown Neighborhood Developement Corp. “And people are looking for something a little higher quality — and they’re willing to pay for it.”

That means rents of $700 dollars and more are common — and in demand.

“The rentals we have put online have been rented very, very quickly,” Sokol said. “We have zero vacancy.”

To read the full story from WKBN, click here.

Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st, saw a shipping container turned storefront in Cleveland and immediately thought the concept would fit here in Youngstown.

“We need to have something that is self-sustaining,” he said. “We want this to be the catalyst for change.”

The plan, which is in a conceptual stage, is to take the abandoned lots at the intersection of Hillman Street and Warren Avenue on the South Side and turn them into places for business and congregation.

The businesses will be inside the shipping containers. Surrounding them will be picnic tables and places to have people gather.

“We want a diverse collection of businesses,” said Jonathan Bentley, executive director of the city’s human relations commission. “We want to address the food desert. We want fresh meat and fresh foods. We want to diversify and do a little bit of everything.”

City officials, community organizers and residents gathered Tuesday at the Covelli Centre downtown to talk about the concept the city and other organizations want to bring to the intersection. The goal is to address the needs of the neighborhoods.

Bentley pointed out that decades ago, residents didn’t have to leave Youngstown to get what they needed to live.

“Once the steel mills collapsed, crime came in and that area became a hotbed for illegal activity,” Bentley said. “What we are trying to do is revitalize certain areas. It’s not only for generating economic revenue, but instilling hope.”

The project is expected to cost under $100,000 for the shipping containers and other costs. The funds are expected to come from grants and donations. The abandoned lots have various owners, Bentley said.

“We don’t see any issues with getting the land,” he said.

The tentative goal is to have the entire project completed by late August and early September.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. has offered to help clean up the lots.

“What we want to see is that there’s people behind it and supporting it,” said Ian Beniston, executive director of the YNDC. “We just want to work with as many people as possible to get things done.”

The Hillman Street and Warren Avenue intersection is the pilot area for this project. Warren Avenue intersects with Hillman, Market Street and Glenwood Avenue. If successful, the project will be replicated throughout other parts of the city.

“This site was important because it’s central,” Oliver said. “We want to see a transformation of the ‘hood’ back into the neighborhood.”

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

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

222 Volunteers at 4 Community Workdays

34 Properties Brought Into Compliance

552 Yards of Debris Removed

34 New Clients Enrolled in HUD-Approved Housing Counseling

REVITALIZE