New nonprofit eyes Springfield neighborhood for improvement efforts, housing stability

“People here are willing to consider all kinds of solutions and have a ‘let’s do it’ attitude regardless of their political inclinations,” Gruia says. “Leaders here are people who bring a desire to help better the lives of their neighbors. Using a faith reference, it’s a revival going on in this town.”

With a group of local residents, UpTurn Ohio is focusing on the Northern Heights and Springhill Neighborhood, bordered by East McCreight Avenue, Buck Creek, Warder Street, Spring Street and both sides of North Limestone Street for their first effort.

Gruia says in learning about the community and its traditions, he sees a long-standing tradition for people to step out and really try to help each other. Originally from Romania, he says he’s come to love the Springfield community for the willingness of everyone to work together.

Gruia founded UpTurn Ohio after conversations with local political leaders, non-profit organizations, community development experts and members of the faith community. His vision is to empower residents of Springfield to improve the quality of their lives, neighborhood by neighborhood. The organization is a 501c(3) not-for-profit Community Development Corporation.

Thomas White, neighborhood resident and executive director of UpTurn Ohio, said he has always wanted to make an impact on his community.

“I did not envision serving as executive director at first,” White said. “I’m an entrepreneur, and it took a paradigm shift for me to consider it. I applied, reluctantly, but now it is definitely where I need to be.”

The Northern Heights/Springhill area is an older neighborhood that has a lot of history and includes long-standing businesses. As more and more of the housing has been converted to rental property over time, some of the neighborhood has experienced a decline in home maintenance by absentee owners.

UpTurn Ohio wants to empower those living in the area to work together to overcome poverty, develop and implement community-led projects and create a prototype neighborhood structure demonstrating the potential for citywide impact.

White says he’s been working with neighbors to build trust and break down barriers so UpTurn Ohio gains traction.

“My neighbors and I all desire the same thing,” he said. “We don’t want to live in isolation. We are interested in creating a sense of place. We are creating group meetings to build a cohort that gets us moving together.”

“We are inviting people who join with UpTurn Ohio to become Springfield Champions,” Guria said.

What it means

UpTurn Ohio will help connect neighborhood residents with non-profit services, local business, educators and community leaders to achieve goals. They will help local residents connect with the resources that can support them, including the Neighborhood Housing Partnership, Habitat for Humanity, Opportunity Investment Corporation, Metropolitan Housing Association, Springfield’s Community Development Department and the Small Business Administration, as examples.

“We are all stakeholders and have a vested interest in the future of Springfield,” Guria said. “By making the right connections, we can empower neighborhoods to emerge out of poverty and thrive. We invest deeply in one Springfield block at a time, building upon each neighborhood’s strengths and goals to create a flourishing community. We do this by aggregating and coalescing public-private-nonprofit resources.”

Springfield Community Development Director Shannon Meadows welcomes the approach UpTurn Ohio is taking.

“Asset-based community development is well placed to empower neighbors in all communities to thrive,” she said. “UpTurn Ohio is focused on building relationships and empowering neighbors to work to their highest potential. This type of work enhances both the physical and physiological environments of neighborhoods.”

Meadows emphasized neighborhood improvement benefits from collaborative efforts that combine public and private efforts. “A block-by-block approach of asset-based community building strengthens neighborhoods.”

Soup Suppers a start

Currently UpTurn Ohio is actively engaging in ongoing conversations with residents of the Northern Heights/Spring Hill neighborhoods. Neighborhood connections are being encouraged through Soup Suppers and meetings scheduled at locations scattered throughout the neighborhood - the 616 Building, in homes, and at Springhill Church. White said the gatherings help build trust and relationships so neighbors can identify shared goals they want to pursue, together.

“The great thing about the community response is that trust is being built and more trusted voices are being heard. A couple of people have taken on new roles and really stepped up to make the community better,’ “ Gruia said.

One already identified priority for the area is maintaining housing affordability and stability.

“Helping renters afford rent, advocate for themselves and avoid eviction is important to housing stability, an important measure of the health of a community,” Gruia said. “Working with local banks to helping renters become home owners is a great step toward housing stability.”

White says there is already an underutilized community garden, the focus of another UpTurn Ohio goal. “We want to bring awareness and encourage involvement.”

Long-term process

Additional goals of UpTurn Ohio include the following:

Building relationships is a long-term process, but Gruia and White point to involvement and connection as essential to change.

“This is a slow process with lots of steps because it is citizen centered,” White explains. “It is designed to help residents identify what they want their neighborhood to become.”

“In order to change our lives, we always do it through relationships,” Gruia said. “It takes time, and it takes energy, but if you live in a community that has involvement and connection, you know it. You feel it.”