Today, Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-13) member of the House Appropriations Committee, announced $4.35 million in federal funding for three community projects in Youngstown’s South Side as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package that was signed into law on March 10th. These projects were included in the $18 million in federal dollars Ryan secured for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District.
“Funding for these projects will make a big difference here in Northeast Ohio as we rebuild and put people back to work. These investments will help feed folks in our community, educate our children, and provide them with out-of-school activities and better health care,” Congressman Ryan said. “It's my priority in Congress to bring back Ohioans' hard-earned tax dollars to help create jobs and ensure a good quality of life for everyone who lives here, and I’m proud of the robust investments I fought for to do just that in our community.”
As Chairman of the House Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee and Vice Chair of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Ryan successfully secured $18 million dollars in federal funding for all ten of the projects he submitted for the 13th Congressional District.
The nearly $18 million in total funding contains $4.35 million in total for Youngstown’s South Side, including projects at the Youngstown Community Food Center, the Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown, and the Mahoning Valley Community School.
Find a detailed description of those projects here and below.
$1.5 Million for Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown Community Backyard Project
Project Description:
For 50 years, the Boys and Girls Club Youngstown (BGCY) has been in the forefront of youth development, working with young people from disadvantaged economic, social, and family circumstances to enrich the lives of boys and girls that other youth agencies have had difficulty reaching. The Backyard Project is an action plan to renovate and upgrade over 200,000 sq ft. of property owned by the BGCY. The requested fund would be used for renovations & upgrades that are essential to expand their services and programming to their over 900 members and the community as a whole. The goal of the Backyard Project is to build leagues such as flag football, basketball, rugby, baseball and more, and other community focused initiatives for youth in the City of Youngstown. The Backyard Project will not only impact the members of BGCY but will visually improve the South Side neighborhoods of Youngstown that stretch between Oak Hill Avenue, Market Street, and adjacent roads. By adding a walking trail to the campus, families will have the opportunity to model a healthy lifestyle by exercising themselves while their children play on the fields. This project will provide quality facilities for youth in Youngstown to grow their passion and it will enhance the quality of life for the community. Their dedication to community service and enhancing children’s lives make this an excellent use of taxpayer funds.
$850,000 for the Mahoning Valley Community School
Project Description:
The Mahoning Valley Community School is an Ohio public community school designated as a drop-out recovery and prevention school sponsored by the Office of School Sponsorship at the Ohio Department of Education. The school provides intensive credit recovery, a trauma-informed approach to education, and a social emotional learning curriculum embedded in a restorative justice model of supporting student wellness and promoting positive behavior. This funding will be used to establish itself as a Community Learning Center in order to reach more families and students in the Youngstown area and surrounding regions. The Community Learning Center project will incorporate a multitude of services on-site, including medical services, vision and dental care, child care, clinical counseling for students and families, after-school support, industry credentials, and other critical resources that effectively remove barriers to academics and improve the lives of community members overall. Youngstown, Ohio is one of the highest poverty areas in the United States, and the addition of a Community Learning Center in the heart of the city would significantly improve outcomes for youth and their families and restore hope for a better life for those in the community it serves, making this project an excellent use of taxpayer dollars.
$2 million for the Youngstown Community Food Center
Project Description:
Youngstown Community Food Center Inc.(YCFC), also known as Gleaners Food Bank, has been serving socially and economically disadvantaged persons in Northeastern Ohio for over 30 years. They operate in an inner-city food desert and have a strong network of volunteers and community partners that support their important work. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they saw a growing demand for their services and soon realized they had outgrown their physical space (15,000/sf). These funds will be used for a capital improvement project for them to increase their capacity and to expand their services as an emergency services distribution location for those in need. Their plans include demolishing a condemned structure and building a new building with refrigerated and dry storage across the street to expand their distribution service and to create a hub for weekly produce markets so that the community has access to fresh and healthy food on a regular basis. Additionally, funds will be used to make needed renovations to their existing building which would include establishing a drive-through service capability as well. Ensuring all have access to fresh and healthy food is certainly a worthy use of taxpayer funds and would allow the YCFC to continue meeting the needs of the community for years to come.
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