Residents of Warren, Ohio are fed up with the "massage parlors" located in their city, for many reasons. One of the reasons is that human...
Year-Long Effort Pays off with Historic Win
Land Bank Bill passes, signed into law
On a cold and blustery day in December, hundreds of grassroots leaders from across the state met with nearly every legislator in Ohio to advocate for House Bill 313 – the bill allowing counties to establish a County Land Reutilization Corporation or land bank. MVOC leaders such as Mary Krupa, member of the 7th Ward Citizens Coalition, went from office to office to tell her story to legislators that day.
“On my block alone there are six abandoned buildings,” Krupa would say. “We need this bill to pass so we have the tools to deal with vacant properties. This is a crisis for our neighborhoods and we can’t sit around any longer. We have to act.”
She and other community leaders would make several trips to Columbus over the past year working to get the bill passed.
Brunner Brings Message of Support to Valley
“Start at the root” was the message brought by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner on her Thursday, February 18 visit with Mahoning Organizing Collaborative.
The intimate, hour-long session held at Centenary United Methodist Church brought the Senate hopeful face to face with community leaders and residents of the Mahoning Valley to discuss the issues facing the area. Among the topics discussed were health care, vacant properties and jobs. Brunner lent some insight into her views on the issues as well as praise for MVOC’s efforts, providing reassurance that the collaborative efforts of the community leaders are on the right track to effect change in the Valley.
Community leaders, such as Pastor Michael Harrison and Patti Dougan, directly questioned Brunner on her plans in dealing with the unique needs of the Mahoning Valley should she be elected to a Senate seat. After listening to the passionate words of each leader, Brunner provided some hopeful and complimentary feedback.
Community Leaders Rejoice with Passage of Health Care Reform
The recent signing of the health care reform bill into law has local leaders excited.
After months of intense debate over the Health Care Reform Legislation, the bill was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23. Though the new law has received plenty of attention from both sides of the debate, community leaders are pleased with its passage, especially those who have fought tirelessly for Health Care Reform.
Alexander James, Alexander James, a leader in MVOC's Health Care Campaign who recently traveled to DC to confront the lobby group America’s Health Care Insurance Plans, said he is delighted by the passage of the bill. He added that he was glad to so often see a local connection to the issue, which will touch so many people’s lives.
Dominion Recognizes MVOC
Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative was one of 11 local recipients of the Dominion Foundation Community Impact Award.
The award, granted in early March, is given to groups who complete projects which have made a major contribution to revitalization of Northeast Ohio communities. Award recipients share in a $100,000 award granted by the Dominion Foundation.
The foundation’s award recognized MVOC for its Vacant Properties Campaign. This ongoing work that has included completing a comprehensive vacant property survey in the cities of Youngstown and Warren, advocating for state and federal resources, holding landlords accountable, and sponsoring the creation of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.
This is the second year in a row that MVOC has received an award for their work in the communities of Youngstown and Warren.
Guest Editorial: Ohio State Attorney General Richard Cordray
I visit the Mahoning Valley frequently, and I have been pleased to work with the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative on getting the word out about the foreclosure crisis and the resources that are available to homeowners. The impact of the crisis on the valley is deep—MVOC’s foreclosure mapping project showed 4,500 vacant buildings in Youngstown alone.
Foreclosure has devastating effects on our communities. When a house is foreclosed upon, it leaves an empty home that is no longer cared for. That empty home depresses property values, hurting the other families in the neighborhood. That empty home may also become blighted, and criminals may move into it. Foreclosure abets a vicious cycle, and it is one that we must reckon with if we are to restore our communities.
Senator Schiavoni Local Champion in Blight Fight
It’s been a little more than a year since the first time I worked with the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative. The organization invited me to attend a rally back in February 2009 aimed at recognizing the need for neighborhood stabilization funding. I remember how impressed I was with the rally turnout and the amount of people in the Valley urging local, state and federal leaders to assist individual neighborhoods suffering from the foreclosure crisis, property abandonment and vacant, blighted structures.
Opinion Piece: Health Equity Focus Necessary for Healthy Neighborhoods
Racial and socioeconomic disparities continue to plague our nation and its health care system. Those marginalized within our society are more likely to lack health insurance, to receive lower quality care, to suffer from poorer health, and to die prematurely. The causes of these disparities range from societal issues like poverty to lack of health insurance.
One major cause is limited access to healthy foods in certain neighborhoods. While health care reform presented an opportunity to address inequities, it is a fraction of the solution. Providing health insurance alone does not guarantee a change.
MVOC Op-Ed: "You can't make up your own facts"
Last week, a handful of protestors arrived to a press conference at a community health clinic to make clear their opposition to two things: the recently passed health care reform bill and the work of the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative (MVOC).
We welcome the exchange of ideas and the push and pull of interests that makes our democracy vibrant. However, we would also agree with the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan who once said, “You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.”
On behalf of MVOC and the hundreds of community members that work with and stand behind it, we would like to take a moment to provide clarity on those facts.
One on One with Maurice Small
Maurice Small will be collaborating with MVOC in 2010 on various health equity campaign projects. He has successfully worked on similar projects in Cleveland and Detroit, which have received national notice and acclaim. He looks to bring his expertise on urban agriculture to the Valley.
Census Response Necessary
April 1 may have marked the deadline for return of the 2010 Census Form, however, that doesn’t mean it’s too late to make sure you are counted.
In a few weeks, Census takers all over the country will take to the streets to check in on those who did not return their Census. Their goal is to assure that the most accurate count in order to guarantee that each municipality is accurately represented in government as well as receives adequate funding and resources.
Joe Hightower, parliamentarian for the Youngstown chapter of the NAACP, wants Mahoning Valley residents to know the importance and impact the 2010 Census
Neighborhood Leader Spotlight – Jim Haynie of People’s Voice Inc.
The Vintage Village Estates is located in Liberty Township off of Belmont Avenue, nearly in Vienna Township. Its location may be isolated, but there is a constant buzz of activity inside because of the work of its resident association, People’s Voice.
“We’ve been around for about two and a half years, but we’re picking it up now,” says Jim Haynie, President of the organization. “We’re determined now more than ever to see our values reflected in the park.”
Under Haynie’s leadership, the organization has taken big steps to make it accessible to and representative of the people of the park, which is made up of about 150 manufactured homes. They have filed their articles of incorporation with the State of Ohio; they have held meetings with residents and the owners of the park; they have expanded their communications with a brochure, a website and fliers advertising their weekly meetings, which take place each Saturday at 4 p.m. at Denny’s on Belmont Avenue. They are also planning community events to engage the many children of the community.
Centenary Focused on Reaching Out to the Community
In the main hallway of Centenary United Methodist Church sits a small, cozy room echoing a stream of conversation punctuated every so often by a bit of laughter. In this room is gathered a group of people who serve as the driving forces behind many of Centenary United Methodist Church’s outreach programs.
These individuals, and the groups they oversee, said they have formulated a calendar of events focused not only on spreading their message in the community but on providing resources for men, women, children and seniors alike. The church, located at 1413 Belmont Avenue in Youngstown, boasts a wealth of programs centered on reaching out into the city.
East Side Residents Unite to Remove Blight
Local leaders and East Side Residents are looking to band together for a clean-up project the size of which Youngstown has never seen.
The project, a removal of some 2,500 illegally dumped tires from the lower East Side neighborhood surrounding Wilson Avenue and other problem spots, will take the combined efforts of man power and financial resources of around $35,000. East Side Residents are working with area groups such as Ambassadors for Christ and Mahoning Valley organizing Collaborative, as well as the City of Youngstown to rid the neighborhood of this problem which has been plaguing them for over eight years.
Warren Residents Seek Action on Vacant Properties
On January 25, neighbors of the near north end forming the North Side Neighborhood Action group held a public meeting. There, they asked city officials one simple question: “Will you help us?”
Specifically, they wanted help boarding up problem houses that were attracting vagrants, drug users, and prostitutes, but they also got answers to questions regarding rental units and collaboration between the city and the Trumbull-Ashtabula-Geauga law enforcement task force. The city answered with a resounding “yes”.
New Site Promises to Inform, Network CRSI Advocates
As local interest in addressing the areas vacant properties grows, so does the need for information on how to address them. 
Local leaders, with the help of the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative, have been working diligently on addressing vacant properties in the Valley. While many are familiar with the work being done, some community leaders will echo the sentiment expressed by Warren Councilman Alford Novak:
“Even though neighborhood-based organizations have taken the initiative to take control of parcels of vacant land, there is simply too much of it. Our Valley is doing all we can to take control of our vacant properties, but without federal resources, our efforts are severely hindered.”
“Adopt a Block” a SUCCESS with Neighborhood Grant Program
What happens when a church focused on building strong community ties connects a youth character development program with a local competitive community-based grant initiative?
Ask Metro Assembly of God in Youngstown, which has been working with residents surrounding the South Avenue congregation. This flourishing program’s expansion has been made possible through The Raymond John Wean Foundation’s Neighborhood SUCCESS Grant Program, which awards grassroots groups grants of up to $5,000 to carry out community-based projects in the urban centers of Warren and Youngstown.
Network Provides Opportunity to Collaborate
A collaborative effort is under way to redefine the way we look at our region and address the challenges facing it.
The Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative has joined forces with Neighborhood Progress, Inc. (NPI) of Cleveland, The Raymond John Wean Foundation of Warren, and the Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development to lead the Cleveland + Youngstown + Pittsburgh Regional Network.
Each of these three cities share the characteristics of “shrinking” or “weak market” cities: population and job loss, declining property values, excess homes and buildings, high foreclosure rates and property abandonment, and declining tax revenue.
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