In Its 10th Year, TNP Passes 1,000 Demolitions

WARREN, Ohio – In its quest to “build a better Warren,” Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership expanded its efforts in 2020 to include emergency relief and delivering protective equipment.

Executive Director Matt Martin outlined what the organization accomplished in its 10th year in TNP’s annual report, released last week.

“There is no shortcut to community organizing and no way to do community development without community involvement. These are the ideals we hold dear as we continue to increase home ownership, improve  food access, organize residents and remediate blight,” he said in the report. “We have expanded our organizing efforts to ensure that we can respond to needs in real time by increasing our online presence and utilizing new platforms to digitally share information with residents, staff, and partners. We have ramped up our work in corner stores to mitigate the impacts of food insecurity at a time when its effects are especially acute.”

Through its operation of the Trumbull County Land Bank, TNP demolished 164 blighted houses in 2020 and invested $2.2 million countywide for demolitions through the Neighborhood Initiative Program. Over its history, TNP has demolished 1,016 houses.

Many of the newly vacant lots were put to new use through the Side Lot Incentive Program, in which homeowners on adjacent properties took ownership of the lots and received Lowe’s gift cards from Huntington Bank. In total, 196 side lots were sold last year and 29 gift cards were awarded. Six commercial lots were sold, along with 73 properties cleared through the Neighborhood Initiative Program.

Houses renovated by TNP resulted in $470,867 in property sales, with 70% of buyers being first-time homeowners and half being between the ages of 25 and 44. 

Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership acquired 216 properties in 2020. Its current vacant land inventory totals 1,467 properties, with 1,400 of those being residential sites.

On the food access front, the Warren Farmers Market saw a 25.6% year-over-year increase in the use of SNAP vendor reimbursement and a 33.8% increase in SNAP transactions.

A collaboration with Flying High Inc. helped a Warren community store sell locally grown produce. In addition, TNP worked with Cottage Market in purchase a new freezer that allowed the Niles convenience store to offer fresh food.

The full report can be read HERE.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.