Rural communities in Ohio and their citizens (and everywhere) have long been declared medically underserved. One of the key indicators where rural communities are underserved is mental health. This challenge is not only an obstacle to public health, but it is an obstacle to our continued and successful community development. We welcome Janice McFarland, Executive Director of the Life and Purpose Community Resource Center, located in Marietta Ohio, to talk with us about the challenges our communities face and what we can do to be proactive against them.

Who’s on it?
Jared Perry
Sam Tuten
Bret Allphin
Janice McFarland, Executive Director of Life and Purpose Community Resource Center

Recorded
March 2021

Resources

https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/ 
State and county health rankings as determined by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

Life and Purpose Community Resource Center (Facebook)

Life and Purpose Behavioral Health
Agency website - Take Action square is an online portal to submit information for a new patient appointment.

Questions?
Email us at [email protected]

Shout Out!
As always thank you to The Saylor for the hot jams. Check him out NOW on iTunes and Spotify

Have you ever been to a public meeting? Have you hosted one? What was it like? Could it have been better? In this episode, Sam and Bret share their experiences attending and hosting public meetings. We’ll also offer some ideas on how they could be better for practitioners and more meaningful for the folks that you are seeking feedback from. Also, bonus ‘Storytime with Bret’ and an unanticipated (and surprisingly in-depth) discussion about roundabouts in southeastern Ohio.   

Who’s on it?
Jared Perry
Sam Tuten
Bret Allphin

Recorded
March 2021

Resources
Album art photo courtesy of Marietta Main Street: www.mariettamainstreet.org.
(Taken during the public engagement phase of the Enrich Marietta downtown planning effort, December 2019. www.enrichmarietta.com.)

Aside from traditional methods, communities have utilized online engagement platforms like MindMixer (www.mindmixer.com) and Metro Quest (www.metroquest.com) to facilitate public engagement. There are many others, these are just examples.

Questions?
Email us at [email protected]

Shout Out!

As always thank you to The Saylor for the hot jams. Check him out NOW on iTunes and Spotify

What assets exist in your community? Are you capitalizing on those assets? Are you seeking realistic opportunities for development? Is your current development strategy sustainable? Does it build local wealth or local control? Where are we spending most of our energy? Are we ignoring what makes us special? All these questions! Tune in as we discuss these topics and give you an introduction to asset-based development and how it is impacting rural communities across the country.

Who’s on it?
Jared Perry
Sam Tuten
Bret Allphin

Recorded
February 2021

Resources

Asset-Based Community Development Toolkit

Wealthworks

Rural Action - (Shout out to all the fine folks at Rural Action working hard in Southeastern Ohio.)

https://buckeyehills.org/redi - USDA Sponsored planning effort was undertaken in partnership with the University of Purdue and the University of Kentucky. (See this doc for the data on the number of businesses in the region under 100 employees.)

Questions?
Email us at [email protected]

Shout Out!
As always thank you to The Saylor for the hot jams. Check him out NOW on iTunes and Spotify

In this episode, we will be reacting to an episode of ‘Growing Up Poor in America’ produced by PBS Frontline and released in September 2020, which focuses on three families facing the challenges of being underprivileged in Ohio. This episode features three families, two of which are local to the Mid-Ohio Valley. We will discuss the situations portrayed in the film, and discuss the challenges these and countless other families face while also trying to respond to the added challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who’s on it?
Jared Perry
Sam Tuten
Bret Allphin

Recorded
October 2020 & February 2021

Resources
PBS Frontline – ‘Growing Up Poor in America’ – Episode 3 – September 8, 2020.

Questions?
Email us at [email protected]

Shout Out!
As always thank you to The Saylor for the hot jams. Check him out NOW on iTunes and Spotify

In this episode, we do a short 30-minute consulting session on addressing a pedestrian safety issue in your town. We’ll talk about the data available to help you understand the conditions, how to make sensible comparisons to similar areas, and what programs and resources might be available to help you address the issue. We also talk about approaches that communities can take to test out countermeasures before committing to a large project.

Who's on it?
Jared Perry
Sam Tuten
Bret Allphin

Recorded
January 2021

Resources
Ohio Transportation Information | ODOT TIMS (state.oh.us)
Ohio Department of Transportation – Transportation Information Mapping System (TIMS)

GCAT | ODOT TIMS (state.oh.us)
Ohio Department of Transportation – GIS Crash Analysis Tool (GCAT) REGISTRATION REQUIRED TO ACCESS

Questions?
Email us at [email protected]

Shout Out!
As always thank you to The Saylor for the hot jams. Check him out NOW on iTunes and Spotify

Many rural communities today find themselves caught in the ‘digital divide’: insufficient investment and deployment of highspeed telecommunication services have lead to other community challenges including access to education, healthcare, and other public services. In this episode, we will talk about recent research that reflects the state of broadband in Appalachian Ohio. Why don’t we have broadband in many areas? What would it take to get it? How can we deploy it in new areas? How could we pay for it? Who can help us? We will be touching on all these issues, and more!

Who's on it?
Jared Perry
Sam Tuten
Bret Allphin

Recorded
January 2021

Resources
Research and policy items referenced in this discussion.

FCC Broadband Map. 

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) - FCC Auction 904 – Major funding program we discuss in the episode. 

RDOF results map showing bidders and service offering. 

RDOF Deployment timelines for winning bidders. (If your area of interest was selected by a bidder, this gives you an idea of when to expect service to comply with FCC requirements. Exact schedule determined by the bidder themselves.)

Questions?
Email us at [email protected]

Shout Out!
As always thank you to The Saylor for the hot jams. Check him out NOW on iTunes and Spotify

What is the brain drain? Is it happening here? Is it real? Hot takes only! In this episode, we talk about the challenges smaller communities face in providing opportunities to young people, what leads folks to find opportunities elsewhere when the time comes and other realities.  How does the ‘boomerang’ concept play into this discussion of career opportunities and community development? Tune in to find out!

Who’s on it?
Jared Perry
Sam Tuten
Bret Allphin

Recorded
January 2021

Resources
https://bb2careers.org/ (Building Bridges to Careers – Connecting Education to Community and Careers)

https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/republicans/2019/4/losing-our-minds-brain-drain-across-the-united-states (Interesting data, interactive maps, VERY LONG READ)

Questions?
Email us at [email protected]

Shout Out!
As always thank you to The Saylor for the hot jams. Check him out NOW on iTunes and Spotify

Housing Affordability? Affordable Housing? Are those the same thing? They are not! In this episode, we talk about how local communities and specifically local governments can impact housing issues (or not), how much folks spend on housing, and how various types of housing is perceived. We’ll be referring to recent efforts around expanding housing, revising zoning, and related public policy discussions across the country. Also, hot takes on the family home as the key, and sometimes the only asset many families possess. Plus, our BIG announcement – right off the bat!

Who’s on it?
Jared Perry
Sam Tuten
Bret Allphin

Recorded
January 2021

Resources
https://streets.mn/2018/07/30/two-perspectives-on-the-housing-crisis-affordable-housing-vs-housing-affordability/

Questions?
Email us at [email protected]

Shout Out!
As always thank you to The Saylor for the hot jams. Check him out NOW on iTunes and Spotify

From the fellas at My Town Hustle, we wish you all a Happy Holiday, no matter what you celebrate as we end this crazy year.  We hope you all are staying safe, healthy, and looking forward to a new year.  This episode is very simple, we are sending holiday cheer and we wanted you to know that we will be back in 2021 for Season 2!

If you have any questions for us or what to reach out about a particular topic, hit us up at [email protected]

Thank you to all of our listeners and we are so excited to come back in 2021.

Amazonification, ever heard of it? Or Accessory Commerical Units?  Well, check it out, another Idea Session is here.  On the last Idea Session, Bret wasn't there but now he is, and we get to hear his ideas on bringing back accessory commercial districts in our towns.  We are feeding off our last Idea Session more as we discuss the possibility of putting small commercial pockets back within our residential areas.  Redeveloping our residential districts to accommodate all needs.  We discuss the importance of shopping local & small, especially during a pandemic, and avoiding the big box stores, and getting away from the importance of driving to get your goods, moving away from the Amazonification of shopping, and pushing for more commercial pockets in our neighborhoods.  As we adventure away from the discussion of accessory commercial districts, we discuss the hidden power that smaller communities have, and here at My Town Hustle, we firmly believe that our smaller communities have the power and the will to make changes, move forward, and do not and should not wait for the outsider to come in and save them.  Rethink your environment for the future, bring back the importance of you and not the importance of your car.

Who’s on it?
Sam Tuten
Jared Perry
Bret Allphin

Recorded
November 2020

Resources
'Accessory Commercial Units' for a 15-Minute City
Coronavirus is Speeding Up the Amazonification of the Planet
Image of Building in Marietta, Ohio in the middle of residential calling for a new life.

Questions?
Email us at [email protected]

Shout out!
As always thank you to The Saylor for the hot jams. Check him out NOW on iTunes and Spotify