Mayor Williams and MVOC Meet with HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims

Mayor Williams and MVOC Meet with HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims

In September, the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative (MVOC) and Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with Ron Sims, the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This meeting was a part of MVOC’s ongoing regional campaign to address vacant properties and neighborhood stabilization which early this year drew nearly 1,000 people to a local church to meet with Lt. Governor Lee Fisher.

“Ron Sims and a half a dozen officials from HUD heard first-hand the importance of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) application for the Valley, and the strength of our work in Mahoning Valley. It was significant that he made a commitment to travel to Northeastern Ohio to meet and further discuss resources and HUD programs aimed at older industrial cities,” said Pastor Michael Harrison.

Mayor Williams received a standing ovation from the 400 people in attendance as he lifted up one of the only NSP applications in the country that was a collaboration of nine municipalities, described the Mahoning Valley’s vision for revitalization, and called on HUD to work with us to make the region sustainable and allow it to thrive.

“Without a vision, the people will perish,” said Mayor Williams. “And Youngstown had very little vision for 30 years and the people perished… now we have a vision, and we need HUD to be our partner in that vision.”

Nine cities in the Mahoning Valley have come together to apply for $32 million in federal stimulus money through the NSP program. “The fact that 60 people took a bus from the Valley to come to support the Mayor and MVOC’s efforts… says something about the commitment that grassroots individuals have to see this campaign through,” said Pastor Harrison, chair of the meeting and chair of the MVOC Sponsoring Committee.

Several prominent congressional representatives, mayors, and over 400 grassroots leaders from across the country attended this exciting event.

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