Becky Johnson

Becky Johnson's Latest Articles

City Gospel project builds facilty, new chances

By Becky Johnson

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General

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September 20, 2011

Before construction begins on a new, expanded City Gospel Mission downtown, a partnership with Building Value shares construction benefits far beyond an updated facility. Founded in 1924 by James Gamble, the agency has a long history of improving the lives of disadvantaged and struggling Cincinnatians. But the agency outgrew its landlocked, 1940’s building in Over-the-Rhine, which led to plans for an $8 million project to relocate to Dalton Avenue. To redevelop the site, City Gospel Mission will renovate the former Trane facility on Dalton and build additions that create a campus feel. That requires tearing down the old Beech Acres facility next door on York Street -- and deconstruction is something Building Value does very well. This subsidiary of Easter Seals Work Resource Center salvages reusable building materials through deconstruction and resells them to the public. Far more than a recycling center, Building Value provides resume-building jobs in construction and retail to those who have been denied past employment through lack of education, experience or luck.   With his sporadic work experience, Akeem Hill couldn’t break into the construction field. Building Value cracked open that door. After months working on a deconstruction team, taking certification classes and getting help writing a resume, Hill landed an internship with Messer Construction. He'll be working on the City Gospel project. “I’ll have the awesome chance to shadow different people,” Hill says. “I’m interested in heating and cooling and have been told that I’ll have the opportunity for schooling if things go well.” The goals of both Building Value and City Gospel Mission have dovetailed with this project. "Building Value is employing people who are focused on getting their lives on track.That’s our mission, too,” says Jason Williams, public relations director for City Gospel Mission. “Those people on the front end of this project will be helping those people on the back end -- the folks who share similar pasts with the guys who are working on the site and improving their lives now.”   By Becky Johnson

Women’s Fund takes wrench out of car problems

By Becky Johnson

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Diversity

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September 20, 2011

In Cincinnati, one working car may mean the difference between privation and stability for a woman struggling with poverty. Affordable housing will always be a flashpoint of concern for poverty activists. But affordable transportation inflicts its own damage to a family.   Women, in particular, are vulnerable to the poverty that accompanies a lack of transportation. Even without local studies to measure the numbers, organizations like the Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation know that inadequate transportation is a solid barrier in a woman’s fight to become economically self-sufficient.    “Take a couple,” explains Vanessa Freytag, executive director of the Women’s Fund. “If they have one car, the husband usually gets the car. In a single mother's situation, she often doesn’t know how to take care of it. She’s also trying to get her kids to day care. Men don’t [usually] have to do that.” Many low-wage hotel and restaurant jobs are often far from the inner city homes of single mothers, creating more transportation issues. Meghan Cummings, development officer at the Women’s Fund, sees a perfect storm of challenges for women in Cincinnati.  “The jobs are outside the beltway, child care is harder and harder to find, and there’s not affordable child care near the jobs," she says. "Women don’t have a personal vehicle, and we don’t have a transportation system with enough spokes and layers that will help get women to where they need to go.” With few local resources available to ease women’s transportation needs, 1000 Women Strong, a project of the Women’s Fund, found the perfect “vehicle” to combat this problem. “Strut Your Stuff,” scheduled for Sept. 24 in Pleasant Ridge, is an interactive car care clinic that teaches women the basics of maintenance and offers tips for visiting the mechanic. Expert mechanics like Dale Donovan, host of the The Car Show on 55KRC, will answer questions and encourage women to take care of their cars with confidence. Best of all, a portion of the ticket cost will fund the Samaritan Car Care Clinic, a local outreach program that provides free car maintenance and repair for women living in poverty. Impoverished or not, “feeling more confident and safe about your vehicle is important for every woman,” Freytag says. Do Good: Donate: The Greater Cincinnati Foundation always accepts donations. Get Involved: Contact Vanessa Freytag to find out how you can help. Attend: Visit the Strut your Stuff event and support the Samaritan Car Care Outreach. By Becky Johnson

Building a Green Legacy in OTR

By Becky Johnson

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General

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May 24, 2011

The US Green Building Council's Legacy Project partners with preservationists and affordable housing advocates in Over-the-Rhine for a first-of-its-kind green historic housing development. 

Building a 21st Century Arts Center with parProjects

By Becky Johnson

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General

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April 26, 2011

Who would have thought old shipping containers could be trendy? parProjects' founders, Jonathan Sears and Chris Hoeting, plan to use the containers for more than storage, building a community arts center in Northside out of the sustainable structures. 

The Latest Wave of Immigration Comes to OTR

By Becky Johnson

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General

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February 22, 2011

Over-The-Rhine has always served as a port-of-entry for immigrants in Cincinnati. Now out-of-town professionals are the latest wave choosing to live in the neighborhood for its character, community and opportunity.