SitemapTouting his imagined economic boom, Trump also addressed
housing, a significant issue in a place once known as the “City of Homes.”
He told
residents not to sell their homes because their property values would soon be
rising. But the Youngstown area still faces a housing crisis. The Youngstown
Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) reports that while the total number
of foreclosures has fallen, its 2015–2016 vacancy survey found 3,529 vacant
homes in the city of Youngstown. Housing advocates like Ian Beniston, executive
director of YNDC, and Gary Davenport, project coordinator for the Mahoning
Valley Land Bank, believe the situation is about to get worse as a result of
Trump’s request for a $6 billion cut in Housing and Urban Development spending
directed at community programs. Youngstown currently receives about $3.1
million in community development block grants, which are used for street
resurfacing, housing, code enforcement, community policing, housing assistance,
youth programs, and neighborhood revitalization. In Youngstown, the cut in the
HUD budget would amount to almost $6 million. To read the full story from The
American Prospect, click here.