YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The need to add housing for people who will come to the area to fill jobs at Ultium Cells, Kimberly-Clark and other companies has become increasingly apparent.
The problem is not unique to this region; lack of affordable, quality housing is a national issue. But for an area that is looking to capitalize on its prospects, it’s acute.
Among the local organizations addressing the problem are Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. in Youngstown and Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership in Warren.
YNDC in July moved forward with its partners to build 16 houses in the city. That followed groundbreakings in June for three new houses in Sebring, Campbell and Struthers, and on three new duplexes.
TNP, which like YNDC has long focused on rehabilitation and demolition, broke ground in July on construction of four single-family houses on the site of Warren’s Emerson Elementary School.
Joe Koch Construction is working with both YNDC and TNP and is on track to complete 50 houses this year, according to a Regional Chamber news release.
Available, affordable housing plays an important role in attracting potential employers too.
“The employers, the businesses, the site selectors that come here, the first question they ask is where are our employees going to live,” Jim Kinnick, executive director of Eastgate Regional Council of governments, said in January.
Eastgate and the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber have partnered to address workforce retention and expansion issues.
Company executives displeased with local options move to Solon or Aurora instead, Alexa Sweeney Blackann, interim CEO of Lake to River Economic Development, said during a panel discussion in April.
The problem isn’t restricted to one segment. A housing needs assessment by the Greater Ohio Policy Center released in November found that the Valley lacks housing in a variety of options and prices.
Efforts by groups such as YNDC and TNP can only expand economic opportunities in the region, and we welcome more.