Rescue Mission wants to change location for new shelter

YOUNGSTOWN — The Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley wants to change the location of its proposed new shelter, but it seeks the neighborhood’s blessing first.

Nearly 60 residents attended a town-hall meeting tonight hosted by Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, Councilman Nate Pinkard, D-3rd, and John Muckridge, the mission’s chief executive officer, at the Eugenia Atkinson Recreation Center to discuss the potential change.

The mission has been fundraising for a new shelter, which will cost about $4.95 million, because the current shelter, the former YMCA building for black people on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, is outdated, in disrepair and doesn’t have the capacity to handle more clients.

Recently, the Mahoning County Land Bank acquired property a few hundred feet away from the current shelter, along the boulevard, Fleming Street and North Worthington Avenue.

The mission proposed purchasing the property for its new building, instead of the 17.5 acres on the South Side it was deeded by the city. Muckridge said the South Side property would return to the city.

For the complete story, read Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com