An $850,000 federal grant will implement crime-reduction strategies on Youngstown’s South Side

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and its partners – the city of Youngstown, Youngstown Police Department, and Youngstown State University – were awarded an $850,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to implement crime-reduction strategies on the South Side.

The YNDC is a multifaceted neighborhood development organization launched in 2009 in partnership with the city and The Raymond John Wean Foundation to develop strategic neighborhood reinvestment in neighborhoods throughout the city.

The target areas are Market Street, South Avenue and the Taft and Cottage Grove neighborhoods.

The grant will fund crime-reduction activities in four key areas: small-business safety, residential-property safety, community empowerment and neighborhood revitalization.

In 2015, YNDC and its partners were awarded a federal planning grant to analyze crime data, engage community members, review evidence-based practices and develop a crime-reduction implementation plan.

The plan was finalized in January 2017 and submitted to the DOJ for review, along with an application for implementation funding.