LORAIN, Ohio — Lorain leaders hope a new approach will bring valuable resources back to the city’s underserved communities. This month, the city hired an out-of-state consultant to help attract new grocery stores, pharmacies and other retailers.
Some South Lorain neighbors say their declining access to fresh groceries and medicine is another blow to a neighborhood once propped up by industry.
“You see these old buildings and old cars and just some empty houses, abandoned houses, people walking around,” said Maliyah Noble. “It makes the city look a little bit bad.”
Noble and her partner, Daniel Peterson, said the south side has untapped potential, and they’d like to see more amenities closer to home.
“They need to build more food [options] out here, have more stores where people could actually get everything from instead of waiting,” she said.
The couple walks to the nearby dollar store for basic items, but they rely on rides to get to the closest grocery store for fresh produce and healthy meals.
“The main thing you’ll find (at the dollar store) is chips, juice, little TV dinners and bread and stuff. It’s not enough for a family,” Noble said.
City leaders recalled a time when three full-service grocery stores operated in South Lorain. They all closed as nearby industries began declining. More recently, pharmacies have started following suit.
In recent months, two Rite-Aid locations closed their doors within 2.5 miles of each other.
RELATED: Why are so many pharmacies closing? Rite Aid announces 20 Ohio store closures this month
At the time, an expert explained struggling companies are more likely to pull out of lower-income neighborhoods because profit margins are generally lower. It can result in further loss of resources for already underserved communities. The geographic areas without adequate access to healthy and affordable food or medicine are known as food or pharmacy deserts.
“Data shows us that lifespans are sometimes 10-15 years less because of living in a food desert,” Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley said.
The mayor and his staff have been looking at ways to stop the exit of resources and bring in new amenities in Lorain’s South and Central neighborhoods.
“We need to act now and find ways to supplement what’s been lost and bring services into those areas because they’re just not there,” said Lorain Safety/Service Director Rey Carrion.
This month, the Board of Control approved a $22,500 contract with Retail Solutions, LLC. The Alabama-based consultant will help create strategies and connections to recruit new retail.
“There’s a lot of exciting things happening. But you’ve got to get the training and get the connections in order to attract these things to our city,” Bradley said.
The city hopes to work with local stakeholders and leverage the connections already built by Retail Strategies to find a good fit for South Lorain.
“Starting with groceries, following with pharmacies and then following through with other basic needs that a healthy community— whether it’s old or new, poor or flush with money— should have,” Carrion said.
City leaders believe attracting new retailers could help recruit other investments and lead to a better quality of life for residents.
Bradley said, “We’re trying to make our community better, but we’re also trying to make our citizens healthier.”
In February, Carrion and representatives from other local agencies and organizations will attend a clinic in Alabama to begin developing strategies.
