Reinvest Toledo showcases neighborhood training and advocacy as residents urge council to forgive housing debt, restore CDBG aid

Reinvest Toledo presented its neighborhood-focused model of "advocacy, training and connectivity" to the Toledo City Council Housing and Community Development Committee on June 26, and several residents and nonprofit leaders used the public-comment period to press the council to release city-held debt on four housing portfolios and to restore Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) support for a local financial-wellness program.

The presentation, led by Amelia Givens on behalf of Reinvest Toledo, framed the group's work as grassroots leadership development. Givens introduced board members and invited community witnesses to describe projects including a youth-focused ‘‘Power Tour,’’ neighborhood estate- and long-term-care planning with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, and a land reuse visioning project in Englewood. "Reinvest Toledo simply we exist to help affect positive change in low to moderate incomes to communities," Givens said as she outlined the group's three tools.

The presentation featured multiple short testimonies from neighborhood leaders and partner organizations. Tina Hall, a member of the Lincoln School Coalition and the Raised Voices Advocacy Cohort, said the cohort had "advanced 3 powerful initiatives" tied to the city's Forward Toledo plan…