Multiple agencies trying to help the 73% living in poverty with a new Alliance center

ALLIANCE − The former Alliance Neighborhood Center looks the same from outside − old and there.

Inside, though, a rebirth is starting to take shape at 405 S. Linden Ave., and officials believe it can become a cornerstone for positive change in one of the city's most impoverished areas.

About 73% of those who live around the center are in poverty, according to 2021 city statistics. The neighborhoods in this area are bordered by South Union Avenue, South Street, South Mahoning Avenue and East Broadway.

More: Food desert in north Alliance creates trouble for residents

"Poverty runs rampant in this area," said Stacie Bacorn, executive director of the Alliance YWCA.

Hoping to improve the situation, Alliance YWCA and four other agencies have or will open a variety of services inside the facility, now called "The Commons." The other tenants are StarkFresh, Men's Challenge, Sports Outreach and the University of Mount Union.

The services they'll offer included a clothing store, a grocery store, job training and life skills programs, a sports ministry and health and wellness care. There also will be community rooms for smaller groups to use.

The Commons is supported and managed by the Greater Alliance Foundation in partnership with Mount Union and a network of other agencies. Stark Community Foundation provided funds for initial startup expenses.

Some services are already available, but the revitalization should be completed by fall, officials said.

Clothing for $2 or less

Already open in The Commons is Alliance YWCA's Clothing Boutique, which relocated there from the non-profit's East Market Street facility. Women's and men's clothes and other items are sold for $2 or less.

"You don't realize the struggle until you're having − transportation issues. You can't access food. You can't access clothing. We're trying to eliminate barriers," Bacorn said.

Bacorn said the move has boosted foot traffic, sales and has allowed them to expand inventory with a larger facility. The store has been in its new location since September.

"I feel it was the best move for that program," she said.

Bacorn said the agency charges for its clothes because "we believe in personal accountability," and there are no children's clothes. She said there are other non-profits in Alliance that have children's clothes.

All of the proceeds go back into the program.

Neighborhood grocery store to open there

Canton-based StarkFresh is setting up a full-service grocery store inside The Commons. The non-profit has been operating a mobile truck in the area for several years, but this will be a permanent location.

StarkFresh recently moved in shelving units and outlined space for the store. It could be a few months before it opens.

"It is a throwback to the mom-and-pop owned stores that each neighborhood used to have nearly a century ago," said StarkFresh executive director Tom Phillips. "You can walk into the store and be able to purchase any ingredients you need."

Phillips said the store will be open to anyone, and SNAP or EBT shoppers can receive 50% off on fruits and vegetables. "We won't be able to start accepting WIC cards until later, but that, too, is something being planned," he said.

Phillips said the area around The Commons is defined as a "food desert" in which 100 or more households are a half-mile from the nearest supermarket and have little or no transportation capable.

He said for-profit stores avoid these areas because foot traffic rarely meets profit margins. His agency attempts to break even, not generate a corporate profit, as it provides affordable food.

StarkFresh plans to hire two full-time employees and six to seven part-time workers at The Commons. Phillips said they are projecting roughly 750 customers per month, or 9,000 per year, during the first year of operations.

"The impact of the Alliance grocery store location will be immediately felt by the neighborhood," Phillips said.

Improving health, literacy and lifestyles

Mount Union's Kristine Stills, founding dean of the College of Applied and Social Sciences, and Abby Schroeder, director of the Regula Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement, secured funds for The Commons.

Schroeder said a $310,000 grant from the Alliance Community Health Foundation will fund health and wellness programs, including a pharmacy, with Mount Union in charge.

Another grant from Stark Community Foundation for $100,000 will cover classroom supplies, laptops and other resources for Mount Union to create mentoring and enrichment programs for children and adults at The Commons.

The children's classes will focus strictly on literacy, Schroeder said.

"In all of this, nothing will be duplicating services, but adding to them," she said.

This is the second revitalization there

Douglas Schwarz, executive director of the Greater Alliance Foundation, said this is the second time this facility has undergone a revitalization. The first time, in the early 2000s involving different folks, fizzled after a few years.

"Through circumstances, funding and poor management, it just lost its momentum," Schwarz said. "For the last 10 years," it has been mostly empty, except for a couple years when the Alliance City Schools used rooms there.

It also has been the home for several years to the annual Friends of the Rodman Library book sale during the Greater Alliance Carnation Festival. Schroeder said the book sale will still have a place at The Commons.

Schwarz said the Greater Alliance Foundation secured a 99-year lease for control of the facility in 2018, sparking the project that has become The Commons. "With us involved, there is a backstop," he said.

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @bduerREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Former Alliance Neighborhood Center to have stores, vital programs