SOMETIMES IT’S NOT THE NUMBERS, IT’S THE DEDICATION. And this rings true with the dedicated staff of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC).
In revitalizing and strengthening regional neighborhoods, with an emphasis on Youngstown and Mahoning County, YNDC’s housing focus is on renovating old homes and building new ones (including entire neighborhoods). In addition, they offer housing counseling to individuals and families, and provide roofing and home repairs for existing homeowners…and more.
They renovate vacant houses with the goal of finding buyers. Additionally, they own commercial properties near the homes they’ve built or restored. “We do that in the vein of improving the neighborhood,” YNDC Executive Director Ian Beniston states, “Working in a neighborhood where there are some challenges, doing these things incrementally to improve them.”
Results are impressive. In 2025 alone, they’ve built 9 single-family homes and 6 rental units with 22 more under construction, rehabbed 4 vacant homes for sale or rent, and completed 163 owner-occupied home repair projects. Since their 2009 founding, they have built 27 new homes, rehabbed another 176, and completed 2,206 home repair projects. Their homeowner-counseling service has assisted 2,449 residents.
Building Blocks
“Our strategy at YNDC has always been to build from strength,” YNDC Housing Director Tiffany Sokol states. “Look at Mineral Springs Avenue and Cliff View Street [on Youngstown’s South Side]. These are two streets we have fully redeveloped, but it’s building from strength. Mineral Springs is directly across the street from the Youngstown Playhouse. The streets on either side of it are very strong. It dead ends into Mill Creek Park. So there are a lot of assets around it and we can build from strength that’s already there. The same with Cliff View, great access to the freeway, and the park. It’s not just about finding vacant land, it’s finding vacant land that’s viable, marketable.”
Building complete new homes is just one part of the equation. “We've been taking more of a fix-it-first approach, fixing what's already there,” Ian states. “Also it’s not always about finding a whole street. A lot of the houses that we're building are infill to stabilize the block where we've perhaps renovated a couple of houses, assisted the existing homeowners.”
Understanding that stability comes from more than just housing, YNDC provides additional services to the region. They operate the Glenwood Fresh Market, a produce prescription program, in partnership with Mercy Health. It offers residents of Youngstown year-round access to free fresh fruits, vegetables, and additional healthy foods. The market also provides free health screenings, nutrition literacy courses, cooking demonstrations and other resources.
The Raymond John Wean Foundation and the City of Youngstown founded YNDC in 2009. The Wean Foundation’s ongoing support provides the basis of YNDC’s neighborhood-transforming work. On YNDC and its leadership, Wean Foundation President Jennifer E. Roller states, “It’s one thing to ask for community input, another to apply it and quite another to execute your role with such inclusive and deliberate intention that the residents lead the efforts. A level not many of us reach. That’s YNDC.”
Having an Impact
“We think the power in our work is that it is part of this long term neighborhood revitalization. When we’re selling someone a house, we’re not just selling them a home,” Beniston states. “They’re buying into this longer-term neighborhood improvement effort that’s happening and, hopefully, becoming a part of it as well, over time.”
Housing Director Sokol agrees, adding, “But it’s not about just building a house for them. It’s about positioning people for success, so both in their housing situation and their own financial situation, a family has the ability to build and generate wealth, as well as have a healthy place to live. That’s the core of what we’re doing here. Why I’ve invested so much of my life and career into housing is that housing impacts all of those other things, generational wealth and health. The studies show that having quality housing also impacts things like education and career attainment.”
Farmers Has the Tools to Help
The YNDC leadership has wisely sought partnerships with sources across the region, such as Mercy Health. Additionally, Farmers National Bank has a strong history with the organization. Deborah Grinstein, Community Development Officer at Farmers Trust Company, also serves as the current YNDC President. “It is an honor to work with Ian and Tiffany,” Grinstein says. “My involvement with YNDC since 2011 is a reflection of Farmers National Bank and Farmers Trust Company caring for the community. Nonprofits like YNDC enhance the quality of life, and in doing so, enhance economic development throughout the Mahoning Valley. YNDC and its partners have carefully created beautiful spaces where there was once blight. Views from the homes are spectacular! Youngstown neighborhoods are once again green and inviting.”
Gregory L. Ensley, Farmers Senior Vice President and Market President Southern Mahoning Valley, worked with YNDC to secure these loans. “All the units supported through the project were targeted households with annual incomes of eighty percent of the Area Median Income and lower,” Ensley states, adding that “the bank will typically make a charitable contribution towards the project, and provide below-market rates so YNDC may qualify for the grant funds used to repay the borrowed funds.” As far as their relationship, Ensley states, “Ian and his team at YNDC have a true passion for what they do, and Farmers has been proud to partner with them.”
A Transforming Mission
Tiffany Sokol brings to her position an unmatched dedication. “I live in this neighborhood, so it’s very personal to me,” she says. “When I walk into places that have been abandoned, I see the beauty and the value that at one time everyone saw. I know my neighborhood and I want to transform it so that the way I see it, how it could be, becomes a reality for as many people as possible, so they can have a high quality of life and a very good place to live.”