Leaders in Belmont Neighborhood Launch Organizing Effort

Leaders in Belmont Neighborhood Launch Organizing Effort

The City of Warren is home to a large number of active neighborhood associations. These groups help to beautify the community, provide an outlet for frustration, propose solutions to neighborhood problems, and build relationships between neighbors that significantly improve quality of life in the city. Unfortunately, there are some areas within the city that are not included in the boundaries of existing neighborhood groups – and the residents in those neighborhoods do not receive the benefits of these organizations. Sharon Cook and Greg Smith live in one such neighborhood, and are determined to change that.

“This whole area is not safe,” notes Cook, a longtime resident of the Mahoning Valley. “I have to walk my daughter to catch the bus for school each morning, and then I clean up my corner from all the trash thrown on it the day before.” Cook has watched her community slip into decline over the past ten years because of rapid emigration and disinvestment.

What were once stable homes are now vacant lots, or worse, vacant homes, which are a breeding ground for vandalism and crime, and weigh heavily on neighborhood morale. On one stretch of Atlantic Street, 15 out of 25 homes are abandoned and most are in severe disrepair. The area is a haven for prostitution and drug activity, and neighbors do not know each other well enough to join together and fight these problems.

For that reason, Cook and Smith have been working with the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative (MVOC) to build a grassroots organization in the Belmont Street area. For two months, committed residents have canvassed the neighborhood, looking for others who share their dissatisfaction with the status quo and seek to create a better community for themselves, their children, and their grandchildren. It is because of this vision that they have tirelessly knocked on each door in their neighborhood to build support.

When asked why he is taking action, Smith replies, “I’ve lived here most of my life, and in this house for 30 years. I’ve seen my community get worse and worse – and I’d like to get my community together to do something about it.” The commander of American Legion Post #278, Smith has watched the neighborhood decline since he bought his house in 1976, when he was an auto worker at General Motors. Smith knows that the only way to address these problems and prove that his neighbors will not tolerate the crime that has become commonplace, and to come together and support each other in standing up for a safe and welcoming neighborhood.

The Belmont Area neighborhood association is always looking for fellow neighborhood residents seeking to create a better community. If you have any questions or are interested in joining, please call Adam Keck, MVOC community organizer, at 330-743-1196 or email adam@mvorganizing.org.

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