TNP Leverages $19 Million Over 10 Years
By Matt Martin, Executive Director
WARREN – The new decade presents an opportunity to reflect on the work of the Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, our community and the journey from our beginning in 2010 when our neighborhoods were experiencing the worst effects of the housing market crash and economic recession. Blight and vacancy soared alongside unemployment and foreclosures.
Warren, like many other post-industrial cities, faced the enormous challenge of stepping forward and paving a new path with a smaller population, a weakened economy and blighted housing stock. TNP was formed to combine a commitment to neighborhood revitalization with the principles of community organizing to identify and develop innovative resident-driven strategies and resources.
We move into 2020 having addressed significant challenges, celebrated our successes and identified a new set of challenges. Like many of Ohio’s smaller cities, we are doing better than we were a decade ago but not as well as we could be.
We operate the highly successful Trumbull County Land Bank, reaching out to neighbors of land-bank owned properties for input on the future of their neighborhoods. The land bank was created a decade ago, in large part the result of a grassroots organizing effort. TNP manages it in a manner that is accountable to the public and responsive to community needs.
This enabled us to secure $13 million in demolition funding and leverage more than $6 million in renovation funds to stabilize neighborhoods and property values, increase safety and improve quality of life. We have renovated more than 350 salvageable houses, demolished 650 that could not be saved and revitalized 1,100 vacant lots. At the same time, TNP has assisted dozens of homeowners with emergency repairs.
Beyond structural improvements, TNP works with residents to identify significant issues affecting the quality of life. These include food insecurity, hazards presented by lead paint, developing and updating community spaces, public art and brownfields.
In 2019, TNP added fresh food sales to five corner stores, connected 350 volunteers to projects, installed a new playground at Quinby Park, hosted over a dozen public events, canvassed more than 2,500 residents for input on the development of the Warren Park Action Plan and held student mentoring programs at five locations.
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