It's one Youngstown non-profit's goal to create a community park on the city's East Side, as a way to boost the area's curb appeal and offer a space for families to enjoy. 

Through donations and grants, the property could also be the site of new homes. City beautification, community outreach, and youth engagement are top of mind for the team behind The Persayus Way Project.

"You can't have a healthy community without rebuilding," explained Million Perry-Phifer, CEO of The Persayus Way Project. "You can't have people without housing. You can't get grocery stores without housing, without people. You can't provide. So, we have to provide the housing. We have to provide the better areas and the better neighborhoods."

The non-profit is named after Persayus Davis-May, a 10-year-old who was killed by gun violence on Youngstown's South Side in the summer of 2021. The group recently acquired 21 parcels on nearly 14 acres of land on Youngstown's East Side, all in efforts to create a community park. The land is located on Gary, Colby, and Armstrong Avenues, just south of McGuffey Road. 

"The park will consist of a recreational area," Perry-Phifer said. "It'll have community resources such as a community garden. It'll have educational components to it. It'll have an event space area and outdoor pavilion area."

Only seven parcels will be used for the park. The remaining land will be used to construct residential properties.

"The Persayus Way Project will be out there fighting for the grants and working for the grants and getting the houses built," Perry-Phifer added. "We will be working with local, county-wide, and state-level partners for these homes."

There's been mixed reactions on whether city parks help mitigate or inflate crime. Perry-Phifer told 21 News it takes a community effort to maintain a safe park space.

"Our parks don't have the same issues as Poland parks may have or Boardman or Canfield," he said. "It's different. It's Youngstown. People would have to be willing to work in the community and get it done. We've been doing a lot of work and it's coming our here more than we expected."

The $159k park will be entirely built through donations and grant funding. The non-profit is aiming to complete the park within 3 years.