Mission

Vision

The Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Youngstown/Warren Region through the creation and support of healthy neighborhoods.

Mission

To identify and develop leaders, to organize neighborhoods, and to build capacity to achieve healthy communities.

Goals

To organize individuals, organizations, and neighborhoods working on quality of life issues in the Valley into a supportive and united entity that can deliver people and get things done;

To train individuals and organizations to identify the needs of the community and to hold public institutions accountable for meeting those needs;

To provide resources through technical assistance and support and to assist local organizations in developing membership, raising funds, and identifying issues and problems which block the attainment of a healthy, vibrant community;

To link neighborhoods to larger community initiatives; regional, state and national for the betterment of the Valley;

To give hope to individuals and local grassroots organizations working to create healthy, sustainable neighborhoods; and

To encourage individuals and neighborhoods affected by a problem to create a campaign to address the issue.

MVOC Accomplishments 2008/2009

• Launched a Comprehensive Vacant Properties Organizing Campaign to address the most critical issue facing urban neighborhoods in the Valley.  Youngstown alone has 4,500 abandoned buildings and 22,000 vacant lots.  MVOC has convened area legislators including the Mayor, Congressman, County Commissioner, State Senator and State Representative, city council members and others to work together with religious and community leaders to fight for additional resources from the state and federal government for the Valley.  Key steps in this effort have been a 1,000 person community meeting with Lt. Governor Lee Fisher, surveying every parcel of land in Warren and Youngstown, meetings with top White House and HUD officials, and multiple meetings with the Department of Economic Development for the State of Ohio.  MVOC's goal is to obtain 30 million dollars in aid to stabilize the vacant properties crisis facing the region. 
• Developed a Health Equity Organizing Project beginning with a Corner Store Clean-up Campaign to address the longstanding problem of five local corner stores on the Southside of Youngstown that were havens for underage drinking, drugs, crime, prostitution, and a lower quality of life.  More than 300 people were involved in the campaign that led to the clean-up of the stores and a successful dry precinct vote.  The project has now evolved to examine the issue of food deserts, access to healthy foods, transformation of corner stores to mini community grocery stores, and the expansion of urban farming and local food markets.
• Played a key role in building community support for the creation of Community College in Mahoning Valley.  MVOC worked with Lorain Community College staff to circulate surveys, hold public meetings, and rally churches and neighborhood groups to formally sign on to the proposal.  In February 2009, the Valley was awarded a 1.9 million dollar federal grant for the creation of a community college.  Mahoning Valley was previously the only major metropolitan area in the state not to have a community college.
• Held a series of community meetings in Warren to address the issue of poorly maintained rental property.  The campaign culminated in a two hundred and fifty person public meeting led by clergy and neighborhood leaders that led a policy change in March of 2008 increasing the city?s rental fees in order to hire additional inspectors with the goal of inspecting the city?s 6,000 rental units annually.
• Sponsored the creation of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC), a CDC that is able to work comprehensively on a targeted citywide scale. The YNDC will provide the community with a high capacity and multifaceted organization and is already undertaking innovative projects to manage vacant land, create green jobs, and rehabilitate abandoned homes.  In just over one year, YNDC now has a 1.4 million dollar budget.
• Led a broad non-partisan Get Out the Vote Campaign in the fall of 2008. MVOC registered more than 500 voters, knocked on over 2,200 doors, and made 17,000 phone calls to encourage voters to support the local WRTA levy and put an end to predatory pay day lending in Ohio. 
• Created five new neighborhood organizations in Youngstown and Warren that have undertaken projects ranging from the clean up of 2,000 illegally dumped tires to speeding cars to community clean ups.  More than 400 people are involved in these new groups. 
• Won a landmark ten point agreement with the owner of more than 300 properties in Youngstown that includes the owner paying for the demolition and rehab of 34 properties, most of which are in need of immediate removal.  More than 200 people from every side of Youngstown were involved in public meetings and negotiation sessions.