Neighborhoods

For nearly a year, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. has been offering short-term rentals through Airbnb.

Airbnb allows property owners to rent rooms, apartments or houses to people on a short-term basis on its website, Airbnb.com. It is frequently used as an alternative to hotels.

Ian Beniston, executive director of YNDC, said the top-floor unit in a three-family dwelling the organization owns at 928 Canfield Road was so small they started looking into models for it outside of traditional rentals.

“We thought maybe this would be useful not only for us, but for the neighborhood,” Beniston said.

YNDC decided to offer it as a furnished room for short-term stays. The unit did well, so it also began to rent out half of a duplex at 866 Canfield Road that is occasionally used to house Americorps National Civilian Community Corps teams.

“Instead of letting that unit sit empty, we’re able to rent it short-term on Airbnb,” Beniston said.

Beniston said the guests range from people in town on business to people visiting family to people enjoying Mill Creek MetroParks. The duplex at 866 Canfield Road is a block from Lanterman’s Mill.

Though the units aren’t constantly occupied, Beniston said they are booked more days than not.

The third-floor unit at 928 Canfield Road costs $85 per night, and the duplex, which has two bedrooms, is $100 per night. Beniston said they offer discounts for longer stays.

The reviews of the units on Airbnb are overwhelmingly positive.

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

On Saturday, January 21, over 90 volunteers from AmeriCorps VISTA, Boulevard Park Block Watch, Cardinal Mooney High School, Full Spectrum Community Outreach, Hope for Renewal/Tabernacle Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Idora Neighborhood Association, Mahoning County Young Democrats, Progress Mahoning Valley, Victory Christian Center, YNDC, YSU Fellowship of Christian Athletes, YSU Football, YSU Golf, YSU Honors, YSU REDI, YSUscape, YSU Softball, and YSU Volleyball helped clean out a vacant home

at 759 Pineview Avenue that YNDC will rehabilitate for resale to a new homeowner. Volunteers removed debris, linoleum flooring, wall tiles, cabinets, and carpeting, cleaned up the landscaping, and much more! Over 80 cubic yards of debris was removed from the property. Many thanks to all the volunteers, Conroy’s Party Shop for donating water and soda, Pizza Joe’s Cornersburg for donating lunch, and Hope for Renewal/Tabernacle Evangelical Presbyterian Church for providing snacks and breakfast!

Have you started thinking about this year's garden yet? Come join us at Iron Roots Urban Farm for a garden workshop!

All gardeners are welcome, whether you've been gardening for years or plan to start your first garden this spring. Farm Manager Corey Maizel will present basic gardening topics, from soil amendments to planning crops to extend your growing season, and answer questions. FREE garden kits with seeds will be given out to all participants at the end of the workshop, so you'll want to mark this on your calendar!

Saturday, February 25, 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Tuesday, March 7, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

RSVPs are appreciated, but not required. To RSVP, you can either email produce@yndc.org or call our office at 330.480.0423.

Friday, January 27, 2017

On Friday, January 27, the John and Denise York Foundation awarded YNDC with a $10,000 grant.

The grant will be used for neighborhood improvements and revitalization. Many Thanks to the John and Denise York Foundation for their support.

Monday, January 30, 2017

Be part of making Youngstown’s neighborhoods a great place to live, work, and play! Help us clean up a vacant home in the Idora Neighborhood, Saturday, February 18, 8:30am - 12:30pm

, at the Idora Neighborhood Workday! Meet at 820 Canfield Road. Add it to your Calendar.

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

In January 2017, YNDC sold three fully revitalized homes to new homeowners.

Two of the homes are located in the Brownlee Woods neighborhood on the same street. 1613 Medford Avenue sold for $46,500, and 1618 Medford Avenue sold for $50,000. The third home, located in the Idora Neighborhood, 853 Lanterman Avenue sold for $61,500. Congratulations to the new homeowners and thank you for your investment in Youngstown's neighborhoods!

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

113 Volunteers at 2 Community Workdays

50 Vacant Houses Boarded

180 Yards of Debris Removed

28 New Clients Enrolled in HUD-Approved Housing Counseling

REVITALIZE

Interested in starting a Small Business? Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation is pleased to present its spring session of small business classes!

These classes are geared to help new entrepreneurs create a business plan outline and understand local resources for business assistance and financing. Financial counseling is also available and highly recommended to help you prepare for business success. While the classes are FREE, participants should commit to attending the entire series. An application for this course is required—please contact YNDC at 330.480.0423 to apply. Workbooks and class materials will be provided.

Wednesdays, March 1 - April 5, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

The Course Will Cover: Mission and Vision, Cash Flows and Finances, Pricing and Breaking Event, Marketing Plans, Community Resources, Seeking Financing, and more!

Two months after its passing, members of an LGBTQ group in Youngstown are talking about the anti-discrimination laws and what they mean for the city.

Youngstown is now the 16th Ohio city to ban discrimination. City leaders passed the law in December, making it illegal to discriminate people in the LGBTQ community. The law forbids bullying and discrimination in employment, housing, and lending.

Full Spectrum Community Outreach board members said this will have a big impact on how the Youngstown community comes together.

Tim Bortner said it’s a good sign leaders like Youngstown Mayor John McNally are behind the LGBTQ community.

“I think it’s very important because it actually shows that our support is coming from the top down,” he said. “It shows that they support us and that they are here for us, and willing to help us make this a better community and safer place for us to be.”

Marnie Cram called the law “monumental.”

“It means that there are greater protections for the population, meaning that we can move forward focusing on other things to get the community together,” she said.

Earlier this week, the White House announced an executive order protecting federal employees from anti-LGBTQ discrimination signed by President Obama in 2014 will continue to be in effect during President Trump’s administration.

Full Spectrum wants to continue working with other organizations in the area, including the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and St. John’s Episcopal Church, to have a bigger impact on the community.

Full Spectrum offers support groups to reach out to the LGBTQ community in the Youngstown area. For more information, visit the group’s Facebook page.

To read the full story from WKBN, click here.

Monday, February 6, 2017

The Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Implementation Plan (South Side Revitalization Project) has been completed by the project team, consisting of YNDC, Youngstown State University, and the Youngstown Police Department.

The planning process analyzed crime data and engaged community members in a target area on the South Side of Youngstown in order to identify research-based strategies to reduce crime and improve neighborhood conditions. The plan identifies four primary initiatives to achieve these goals: 1) the small business safety initiative; 2) the residential property safety initiative; 3) the community empowerment initiative; and 4) the neighborhood revitalization initiative. The planning process was funded by Award No.2015-AJ-BX-0012 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, US Department of Justice. The project team recently submitted a final draft of the implementation plan along with an application for funding to implement cross-sector crime-reduction strategies. The plan is available for download below.