Youngstown, Ohio, is located on the Mahoning River, near the eastern border with Pennsylvania. The economic history of the city has been largely dominated by coal and steel. With the decline of these industries, the Youngstown population and economy have also declined.
Job creation, economic development, and neighborhood stabilization are seen as key to the future development of Youngstown and to the city's Consolidated Plan. Youth, crime, and family issues must also be addressed in conjunction with overall housing and community development issues.
Federal funds available for Youngstown's Consolidated Plan for 1995 include: $5.9 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, $1.1 million in HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funds, and $224,000 in Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) funds.
The development of this Consolidated Plan was built on public discussions of a 1994 proposal for the Federal Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community program. Youngstown agency staff also met with staff from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on the Consolidated Plan process. Following these meetings a Citizen Participation Plan was developed by the Youngstown Community Development Agency; its implementation began with a mail survey to 50 concerned organizations in the area. The survey elicited 35 responses.
A January public hearing followed the survey, after notice in a local paper.
Next, five neighborhood meetings were held, after being publicized in diverse
ways. More than 100 people attended these meetings. Participants completed a
priority survey that provided input on community needs and was available for
comment. A second public hearing was held in April 1995.
The 1990 population of Youngstown was 95,732, a 17-percent decrease from 1980. As of the 1990 census, 58 percent of the population was white, 38 percent was African American, and 4 percent was Hispanic.
While about one-third of all white households have an income equal to or
less than half of the area median family income (MFI) of $31,315, the number of
households at or below that income level is 54 percent for African Americans and
45 percent for Hispanics. Of the 36,919 households in 1990, 14,768 were very
low-income (0-50 percent of MFI), 7,015 were low-income (51-80 percent of MFI),
and 2,954 were moderate-income (81-95 percent of MFI).
In an agency survey conducted by the city, preservation of housing and affordable housing in safe, stable neighborhoods were the most commonly mentioned needs. The need for more housing that included supportive services was also frequently mentioned. Priority surveys at public meetings indicated a feeling that homeowners should be assisted rather than renters and that housing assistance should not necessarily go to those with the lowest income.
Because of the nature of the housing market in Youngstown, homeownership is a practical alternative for low-income households. On the other hand, an aging and increasingly impoverished population finds home maintenance more and more difficult.
As of the 1990 census, there were 40,805 units of housing in the city, of which about 37,000 were occupied. About two-thirds of the occupied units are owner-occupied. Of the vacant units, slightly more than half were available for rent or sale, and the rest were apparently not on the market. The median value of an owner-occupied home in Youngstown is $31,000, and the average contract rent is $204.
There has been very little new residential construction in Youngstown. About 200 housing units have been demolished annually during recent years. Nevertheless, it is estimated that by the year 2005 there will be an excess of more than 9,000 units of housing in the city.
Three out of five owner-occupied units have three or more bedrooms, while about one-third of rental units are this large.
A visual inspection, or "windshield survey," found that one in four units is in substandard condition and that almost half of these have problems severe enough that they are not suitable for rehabilitation. About 37 percent of housing units in Youngstown were built before 1940.
Housing problems are defined by HUD as overcrowding, physical deficiency of the unit, or household payment of 30 percent or more of income on housing. Payment of more than 30 percent of income on housing is considered a cost burden, and payment of more than 50 percent of income on housing is defined as a severe cost burden. Of the households with incomes of 0-30 percent of MFI, more than half spend at least 50 percent of their gross income on housing expenses, and almost three in four have some kind of housing problem. In this income group, both renters and owners have substantial housing problems. There are 3,545 renter households and 1,538 owner households in this income group with severe cost burdens.
Among households with incomes of 31-50 percent of MFI, two-thirds of renters and one- third of homeowners experienced a cost burden. Also, related families of all sizes are more likely to have housing problems than are elderly or one- to two-person households. At this income level, only 15 percent suffered a severe cost burden; for households with incomes above 50 percent of MFI, severe cost burdens were almost unknown.
An estimated 153 homeless individuals are in shelters in Youngstown on any given day. More than half of these are members of families. No estimate of unsheltered homeless people was made. There are six shelters in the area with a total capacity of almost 250 beds, of which 178 are for emergency housing, including shelters for victims of domestic violence and runaway youth. The remaining 70 units are transitional housing, which is designed to assist homeless persons in attaining self-sufficiency.
The greatest need for assistance to the homeless in the future is believed to be the provision of supportive services to help homeless people find permanent solutions that will meet their needs.
The Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority (YMHA) owns and administers more than 1,800 units of public housing in Youngstown. Of these, 852 have one bedroom or are efficiency units, 497 have two bedrooms, and 489 have three or more bedrooms. As of March 1995, 274 of the Authority's public housing units were vacant, mostly within the city; of these, 108 were vacant because they were undergoing rehabilitation. There are substantial ongoing rehabilitation needs in the authority's public housing, with costs estimated at $21 million over the next 5 years. YMHA has already modified 77 units for persons with disabilities.
The Authority also administers 130 units of assistance through the Moderate Rehabilitation program, a HUD program of assistance to landlords who provide affordable rentals. The YMHA also administers nearly 1,200 units of rental assistance through the tenant-based Section 8 program, most of them in Youngstown.
The city provides funding for nonprofit organizations for affordable housing programs. Among these is a home repair service, for which there currently is a 2-year waiting list.
Barriers to new construction are not a pressing issue in Youngstown. Of greater concern, however, are limitations on the use of existing structures. For example, while a zoning ordinance amendment in 1990 expanded the number of possible group home locations, group homes are still not permitted in single-family zoning districts and are restricted in other ways. Other zoning options that would allow shared housing or accessory apartments in what is now single-family housing are under consideration.
Code enforcement has been cited as a tool to prevent deterioration of the housing stock. To be effective, however, it must be coupled with rehabilitation subsidies and with infrastructure improvements, both of which require financial resources.
Since Youngstown's housing stock is relatively old, the risk of lead-based paint is fairly high in many housing units. According to HUD benchmarks, there may be 29,587 housing units affordable to low-income people in Youngstown that are at risk of containing lead-based paint hazards. Two-thirds of these homes are rental units.
The Mahoning County Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has operated since 1991 in the Youngstown area. In 1994, 4,160 children were screened, and elevated blood- lead levels were found in 34 percent of them. In addition, 204 housing units were inspected for lead-based paint. An ordinance that would require lead inspections of private dwellings in certain situations is being considered.
Minority business assistance, building facade improvements, and a mini-loan fund are some of the economic development needs for the city. Public infrastructure and facility needs include: street resurfacing, sidewalk improvements, matching funds for bridge and road repair, and construction of a new fire station. Public service needs include: community policing patrols, seasonal recreational programs, and programs to address crime awareness, day care, rodent control, and community health.
The Community Development Agency and the Planning Department of Youngstown
are the key coordinating agencies for the plan. Other organizations include: the
Housing Authority, the Youngstown Area Community Action Council, the Interfaith
Home Maintenance Service, and the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley. Twenty of
the local organizations that responded to the survey mentioned earlier suggested
that coordination among organizations was not needed as much as additional
resources.
Based on citizen input and analysis of available data, the following groups have been designated as being the highest priority for the city:
The three priority areas for non-housing community development in Youngstown are:
The main focus of the city's anti-poverty strategy is on economic development. For example, an industrial park developed by the city now employs 800 persons, many of whom were formerly unemployed or on welfare. Twenty organizations that responded to the city's survey administer anti-poverty programs, such as job training and supportive services.
In addition to the HOME, CDBG, and ESG funds that the city will receive this
year for the Consolidated Plan, it has the potential to access other Federal
programs such as: Section 202 elderly housing, HOPE 1, HOPE 2, HOPE 3, and the
Low Income Housing Tax Credit. The city will also have access to more than $3
million in State resources and about $1 million in local resources.
Listed below is a sampling of projects to be implemented in the first year of Youngstown's Consolidated Plan:
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
