Expo gathers residents for feedback

Changes coming to target neighborhoods thanks to grant

Residents in South Lorain can expect some changes coming to their neighborhood thanks to a Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant awarded to the Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority and city of Lorain.

The $500,000 grant is the latest in a line of 22 planning grants awarded to the city from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development the past four years.

“What this grant is essentially allowing us to do is upgrade these target neighborhoods with everything from housing to amenities,” said Judith Carlin, CEO of Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority during an expo June 8 at Stevan Dahanos Elementary School.

After receiving the grant in December, the Housing Authority and the city of Lorain wanted to introduce the planning grant to the community to see how best to use it.

“This expo that was held at Stevan Dahanos Elementary School is to expose the community residents to the projects ahead as well as hear from them on what they are looking for in this area,” Carlin said. “It is just the first of many that we will do over the coming years.”

During the expo, community members not only learned about the plan for South Lorain, but also were provided with a variety of resources available to them including United Way of Greater Lorain County and Neighborhood Alliance.

“I think this expo is very very helpful,” said Diamond Reyes, 20, who lives in the area. “I feel that we need more expos like this with resources provided because a lot of people need help but are afraid to ask.”

In South Lorain, the poverty rate is 26.3%, according to the Census Bureau of Ohio.

To be eligible for the Choice Planning Grant, a target area must have a poverty rate of 20 percent or higher.

“Over the next two years, we will have a variety of processes in place to push forward with the grant,” said Matt Kusznir, director of the city’s Department of Building, Housing and Planning. “Right now, we are in the community engagement process and needs assessment phase.”

The long road ahead, according to Kusznir, includes continued visioning of the transformation, drafting housing, neighborhood and people plans, the transformation itself, action activities during the transformation and continued support of HUD activities once the transformation is complete.

The Housing Authority and the city plan to apply for another grant by the end of 2025 to continue transforming the area, officials said.

Information on more planning grant expos will be announced through the Housing Authority and city websites.