Blessing Box on the Columbiana Circle donated by Local Family

Blessing Box on the Columbiana Circle donated by local family.

Shirley Elosh and her family live in beautiful Columbiana.  Shirley wanted a Blessing Box for her church.  But where do you go to have one made? They didn’t have the tools or equipment to take this endeavor on. So she began talking about this desire and need to everyone.

They ended up being blessed with two beautifully crafted Blessing Boxes.

Two different, dedicated groups of men who loved to work with wood, planned, bought all the materials needed and desiring no payment or notoriety, whatsoever, put the two boxes together and then delivered them.

One of them went straight to her church and has been filled with cans and boxes of food by different volunteers and has been a blessing to the local community.

The other box, equally beautiful, sat in her garage for the past three months, waiting for an assignment.

Now, we do have other organizations and churches and individuals who reach out and help those in need in our community, but this Blessing box is just one more way to help.

Shirley contacted Columbiana City Hall and we have place the box on the Columbiana circle for the community and anyone in need.

Volunteers will be filling the box, each taking turns,  but ANYONE is able to add or remove articles from the box.

There are some “rules” of what can and cannot be placed in this box.

Frozen articles, milk products, meat, eggs, or cheeses cannot be placed with this box.

What is needed are articles like; Toilet Paper, toothbrushes, shampoo, soaps, wipes, deodorant, etc.

The food articles could be boxes spaghetti, tuna, canned veggies, canned meats, rice, noodles, canned soups, gravy, any packets of food, individual servings, etc.

Even articles like diapers, baby wipes could be very helpful for folks at this time.

Avoid putting anything in glass jars for safety purposes. Leave nothing on top of the box.

What a beautiful blessing this will be for folks who are in need and those who give will be blessed, too!

Special thanks go to the  men who did all the work with the boxes. These men do not want to be known, but our gratitude and prayers go to them.

CRA Tax Abatement Program

The purpose of the CRA is to encourage revitalization of the existing housing and building stock and the construction of new structures.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Residential:
Residential applicants will pick up an application (CRA Form 1) when applying for a building permit. Residential applicants will have 1 year from completion of project to complete application, in order to have it filed with the county auditor.

Business:
• Prior to construction business applicants will pick up and fill out an application (CRA Form 1 and CRA Form 2).
• The business may begin construction of its facility after steps 1-12 of the business process (CRA Form 2) are completed.
• All commercial and industrial projects are required to comply with the state application fee, presently $750.00, requirements of ORC Section 3735.672 (C) and the local annual monitoring fee of one percent of the amount of taxes exempted under the agreement – a minimum of $500 up to a maximum of $2500 annually unless waived.

Information & Forms

Please click below for the applicable forms. Residential applicants need to fill out form 1 only and business/commercial applicants need to fill out forms 1 and 2. Completed forms should be filed with City Hall.  If you have further questions, please contact City Hall at 330-482-2173 option 6.

Community Reinvestment Area Fact Sheet

CRA Residential Application (Form 1) FILLABLE

CRA Residential Application (Form 1)

CRA Business Application (Form 2)

Columbiana County Community Housing Impact & Preservation Program(CHIP)

FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR COLUMBIANA COUNTY HOMEOWNERS IN NEED OF REPAIRS AND HOUSING REHABILITATION

The PY 2016 Columbiana County Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) program will begin accepting applications on November 1, 2016.

Funding is available to assist Columbiana County homeowners in need of home repairs and housing rehabilitation. The CHIP program is funded through the Ohio Development Services Agency. The grant is a partnership between the Columbiana County Board of Commissioners, City of Columbiana, City of East Liverpool, and the City of Salem. Funding has been budgeted to each of these communities to provide assistance under the CHIP program.
To be eligible, the home must be located in Columbiana County and used as the primary residence of the homeowner, have a household with a total gross anticipated annual income of less than 80% of the Area Median Income. (Example: a family of three must have an income at or below $39,900), current on property tax, and meet secondary eligibility items associated with the home itself. This may include items such as maximum value and ability to address the required repairs with maximum funding allocations.
Complete applications are reviewed on a first come, first serve basis taking into account the health and safety repairs needed.

In addition to the repair assistance, the program will also provide homeownership assistance that includes down payment/closing cost assistance, and housing rehabilitation.

To apply, please contact the following organization listed according to the area your home is located.
If the home is located within the City limits of East Liverpool or Salem, please contact Hall Community Development LLC, 635 Bachtel St. SE, North Canton, Ohio 44720 or call 330-499-8266.
For all other areas of Columbiana County, including the City of Columbiana, please contact the Community Action Agency of Columbiana County, Inc., 7860 Lincole Place (lower level), Lisbon, Ohio 44432 or call 330-424-4013.