Not Forgotten: Event Provides Support for International Towers Residents

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – International Towers residents José Sevilla, Clifton Mills Sr. and Rocky Franklin walked from station to station at the Mobile Hope Resource Fair, learning about services available in the community.

“Basically, I want to be educated more with the situation that happened with us,” Sevilla said.

The Friday event, presented by the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence Youngstown and the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, included representatives from job training, mental health, social service, health and other agencies. It was aimed at International Towers residents but open to all.

Jersey Mike’s, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Avalon Downtown Pizzeria and Perkins Restaurant and Bakery donated food for the event. 

Guy Burney, CIRV coordinator, said the mobile hope conference brings community resources on-site, outside of International Towers, where people are.

“We thought since it’s been such a challenge because of all the things that happened that this would be a great place for the people here and the people downtown to just have a place to walk down and access they may need for themselves and their families,” he said.

Having the various agencies on-site allows residents to access resources and to make required appointments all in the same place, Burney said.

Roxann Sebest, United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley vice president, said the agencies don’t want International Towers residents to be forgotten.

“It was like everyone was thinking about them for those three months, but we know they still have needs,” she said. “We kind of wanted them back with some treats, a picnic, some celebration.”

International Towers residents were evacuated from their homes in mid-June due to concerns that Realty Tower, which was next to it, would collapse. Realty sustained damages in a May 28 gas explosion. The building has been demolished, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the blast that killed one man, injured several others and displaced Realty residents.

Through United Way and other Mahoning Valley social service agencies, International Towers residents stayed in area hotels, retirement communities, family members’ homes and other locations while Realty was being demolished. They were able to return home last month, when crews had knocked Realty down to four floors.

CIRV contacted United Way and suggested the two agencies coordinate their plans.

“Not that they [International Towers residents] weren’t on our radar, but they’re really on our radar now and they had a long three months that really probably rocked them mentally, rocked them physically,” Sebest said. 

It affected them in a lot of ways, and United Way didn’t want those residents to feel forgotten after they returned to their homes, she explained.

“This was a way to say, we’re still here; we’re still going to be here; we’re still going to be doing things for them,” Sebest added. “And we were contacted by a lot of local businesses, [asking], ‘What can we do?’”

She called Friday’s conference and picnic a combination of not wanting to forget residents and local businesses wanting to help. Sebest said residents still reach out, seeking food gift cards, rental assistance and help getting acclimated to being back home. Employees of Bistro 1907, which will reopen next week with a new name, menu and concept, also have been reaching out to United Way for help.

Sevilla has lived at International Towers for about six years. During the time Realty Tower was being demolished, he stayed at Park Vista. He missed home and his friends, including Mills and Franklin, whom he calls brothers.

“It was hard for us,” he said. “We had to pack stuff for 30 days. It was hard.”

The best part about being home is being in his own bed, Sevilla said.

Mills, a two-year International Towers resident, stayed at the Veterans Haven, and Franklin lived with his grandmother while demolition was ongoing. Franklin has lived at International Towers for 14 years.

“I’m happy I’m back, for sure,” Franklin said.

Women of Worth Academy, part of CIRV, is one of the groups that attended Friday’s conference.

“Women of Worth is a sisterhood of women from all ways of love, but we come together as women and our purpose … is to encourage each other, inspire each other, uplift each other,” said Carla Gipson, CIRV assistant.

The group meets monthly and includes information on financial literacy and mental, emotional and physical health.

“We need to have confidence and self-esteem,” Gipson said. “So we’ve had some success stories of women that we’ve been able to encourage to continue their education. Some women need help with their children.”

Women of Worth connects them with resources to help.

Sebest of the United Way said many agencies worked together to help after the Realty explosion.

“I feel like we really came together as a nonprofit community for this in a really great way,” she said, adding that no one was concerned about who got credit for what. “Everyone just chipped in and did it. I think sometimes maybe it takes a tragedy to bring people together in a new way, and I think that happened.”

Pictured at top: International Towers residents Rocky Franklin, Clifton Mills Sr. and José Sevilla.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.