For more than a decade, Gertie Gross and
her husband, Richard, watched as an empty house next to their home on Ivanhoe
Avenue decayed into a den for squatters and drug use. The South Side couple –
who had lived in the Lansingville neighborhood for nearly 60 years – didn’t
imagine the house would ever be cleaned up, let alone rehabilitated and sold. Then
the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. got involved.
Wednesday night, the Grosses were overjoyed to walk during a
YNDC open house through the fully rehabilitated house that had plagued their
neighborhood. “It’s perfect,” Gertie said during a tour of the home.
“Unbelievable.” YNDC crews replaced the roof, windows and furnace and restored
many of the home’s original features, including the original kitchen cabinets
and hardwood floors. After nearly 60 days of work, the YNDC had completed its
rehabilitation of the 1,580-square-foot property and put the house up for sale,
listing it for $45,000. The house sold in 48 hours.
The Ivanhoe Avenue home is one of 30 houses the YNDC has
targeted for rehabilitation and resale throughout the year. So far this year,
nearly a dozen rehabilitated homes have been finished and sold by the YNDC. Each
year, the YNDC targets a number of properties within its 10 “action team areas”
– regions of the city where YNDC action teams of workers and local residents
are actively working toward neighborhood improvement – and designates buildings
for rehabilitation and demolition. The properties are chosen based on a number
of factors, including input from concerned neighbors. In the case of the
Ivanhoe Avenue house, several neighbors had complained about the property’s
condition and criminal issues. Since the property was still structurally sound,
the YNDC opted to save the home rather than tear it down.
Seventh Ward
Councilwoman Basia Adamczak praised the work, and said it was the first YNDC
house rehabilitation to occur in the Lansingville neighborhood. She pointed out
that while the city may have a reputation for demolishing old houses, there are
also many homes that are saved and brought back to life through efforts like
the YNDC’s. When the YNDC identifies a house it wants to rehab, it often
acquires them through the Mahoning County Land Bank. Once it has bought the
house and finished work on the property, in the vast majority of cases the YNDC
lists the property as any other house, with one important stipulation; anyone
that buys the house must agree to own and occupy the building.
Tiffany Sokol,
the YNDC’s housing director, said forcing the buyers to occupy the homes
ensures that the properties will go to individuals who are interested in
investing in the neighborhood. Out-of-town homeowners control approximately 22
percent of the abandoned properties citywide, and city authorities have been
largely unsuccessful in forcing them to care for or sell their properties. “We
don’t want to take the houses, redeem them, and then put them back into a cycle
of abandonment and neglect,” Sokol said. “That’s why we require buyers to own
and occupy the homes.” YNDC will continue to purchase and rehab homes across
the city. As far as Richard and Gertie are concerned, they’re just happy to see
a small piece of their neighborhood redeemed. “Ivanhoe is a beautiful street,”
Gertie said. “It’s where we raised our children and had a beautiful time, and
we’re glad this house is all fixed up now.”
To read the whole story from The Vindicator, click here.
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