SitemapApril is Fair Housing Month, honoring the passage of the Fair Housing Act back in 1968 and current efforts to make homes affordable for everyone. Local and regional advocates for affordable housing in the Mahoning Valley recently met at the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
The Youngstown Columbiana Association of REALTORS hosted a discussion on collaborative, public finance-based solutions for increasing housing in the Mahoning Valley. Several speakers outlined challenges and solutions to increase housing in the area, starting with Mahoning County commissioners Geno DiFabio and Carol Rimedio-Righetti. “We can’t fail; we have to get this done,” DiFabio said. “We expect people to move here for jobs, we’ve gotta have a place for them to go.”
Commissioner Rimedo-Righetti said there’s great economic value in the area, but homes need to be less expensive to attract new residents. “This is much needed in our community, because as we see economic development building across the country, hopefully that will stay,” she said. “We want people coming into the community who need affordable housing, not $500,000 homes but within the $60,000 - $90,000 range so they can actually come here and live comfortably.” Angela Javorsky with the Youngstown-Columbiana Association of REALTORS provided figures comparing average residential sale price changes from 2024 into 2025 for Mahoning and Trumbull counties. In 2024, Mahoning County had 500 homes on the market with an average listing price of $189,799. In 2025, there are 477 available units listed at an average price of $196,412, a 3.5% increase. In Trumbull County, there were 409 homes on the market in 2024 with an average listing price of $156,571. In 2025, there are 357 available units listed on average around $185,265, an 18.4% increase. “Locally, we are well below the average state prices, which makes our area so attractive,” Javorsky said. “In March of 2025, already there are 45 homes for sale in Mahoning County, 268 in Trumbull County and 199 in Columbiana County.” Javorsky also explained the specific challenges the Mahoning Valley is facing in the housing market. “Homeowners are reluctant to sell. There’s also limited infrastructure due to high cost and local government restrictions, like zoning issues and access to public utilities,” she said. “Our area is resilient and remains affordable.” Assistant vice president of the Ohio REALTORS, Veronica Cardello, explained how the organization helped introduced the Housing Ohio guidebook to address some issues. “We were trying to figure out how to solve Ohio’s housing crisis, not just necessarily in one particular area of Ohio, but as a whole,” Cardello said. “After nearly two decades of demolishing related areas and weighted properties and everything like that, we didn’t have a solution for what to do with those properties after we formed out. So this is one solution.”
The second half of the session was led by moderator Mandy Hicks with Bricker Graydon and a panel of local experts, consisting of: Alexa Sweeney Blackann, interim CEO of Lake to River Economic Development Nick Chretien, Planning and Regional Development Manager, Western Reserve Port Authority Ian Beniston, Executive Director of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation Jacquelin Lewis, Partner, Bricker Graydon LLP Beniston provided his perspective on possible solutions locally to improve housing opportunities for homeowners and renters.
To read the full story from Mahoning Matters, click here.