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Published:Friday, October 3, 2008
YOUNGSTOWN — Thanks for the $2.7 million to stabilize the city’s neighborhoods, particularly through demolitions, but the money awarded by the federal government isn’t enough, some public officials and city residents said today.
Standing in front of a dilapidated house on Mineral Springs Avenue in the city’s Idora Neighborhood, they questioned how Youngstown, with a foreclosure rate of 14.7 percent, got about $2.7 million, less than nearly every other city that received money from this U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program.
The rates from HUD for the previous 18 months, starting with September, show Youngstown with the highest foreclosure percentage among Ohio’s larger cities.
“The current federal allocation isn’t enough,” said Eva Ladson, a North Side resident who lives on Crandall Avenue in a neighborhood filled with vacant homes. “We are grateful for the $2.7 million. But what we’ve received is like putting a Band-Aid on an open surgical wound.”
Much of the money is to be used by the city to demolish vacant and blighted structures.
To take care of that problem would cost $10 million, said William D’Avignon, the city’s community development agency director.
The city has asked the state to give it some of the $116.9 million it received from HUD to be spent for this effort throughout Ohio.
For the complete story, read Saturday’s Vindicator or Vindy.com
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Put whoever is torching dilapidated places every night on the payroll, they'll probably do it for minimum wage just as efficiently.
The foreclosure rate and the amount of truly inhabitable structures are not directly related. This article is more propoganda by median intellect writers.
This article would have you believe that a foreclosed home is automatically deemd "blighted and vacant". This is simply not the case. There is a secondary market for foreclosed homes. It is asinine to think otherwise, but holy crap, Youngstown didn't get as much money as other cities who have a lower foreclosure rate? There must be someone else out to get the people of Youngstown.
Use your brains. Why don't we just tear down every home that gets foreclosed on and then ask the government to build us new ones.
I am not saying there is not an issue in Y-town with vacant and blighted homes, but this article would have you believe Y-town is getting screwed in the matter.
Pelosi/Sharpton 2012
This is the first federal allocation of its kind (regarding demolition). The money comes from Housing and Urban Development (HUD). $260 million was allocated to the State of Ohio based on a formula created by HUD, however, there is no formula in place at the state level as to how these dollars were to be distributed. It was discretionary and the allocation Youngstown received (certainly in comparison to other urban centers in Ohio) was under funded, to say the least.
The effort now is two fold:
1. Short term: Lobby the state for more money through it's discretionary fund by making the argument that if Youngstown is able to receive nearly $10 million, the aprox 10 or 15 entire neighborhoods that make no sense to maintain any longer but yet create a great burden for the city to continue to absorb (as identified in the Youngstown 2010 Plan) can be completely eradicated and future demolition dollars for demolition in existing neighborhoods can be increased/stronger focus.
2. Create a formula (consistent w/ HUD principles) that the state can use so that discretion (i.e. political factor) can be eliminated (or minimized as best possible).
Important sidebar: An 8 month, 65 page, comprehensive Vacant Properties report on Youngstown (conducted by the National Vacant Properties Campaign www.vacantproperties.org) is nearly complete (I have read draft). It will greatly help aid with the education/organization piece attached to this effort (and future ones).
Dr Gonzo, I don't know if you live in ytown or not, but if you don't, let me tell you that that 14% foreclosure rate doesn't even compare to the actual amount of dilapidated homes in Youngstown. Their is no doubt that the number of homes is higher than 14%.
As usual, our State Reps let the bacon slip through their hands again. YSU gets the largest funding from the State budget, which has to be funded anyway.
Its been a long time since Youngstown got a fair shake from Columbus.
Maybe what we need is to get rid of the lifer politicians we have and put some new faces in the Statehouse.
In all fairness I should disclose that I have not lived in the city since 2002.
My only major point, however, is that there is not a DIRECT relation between foreclosures and houses that must be torn down. There are several steps and phases in between that aim to get the house resold or rented and back in the category of habitation.
Anyway, Youngstown is an anomole in so many ways that apparently as soon as a home gets foreclosed on it is automatically delapidated and needs to be torn down. This is of course typical Youngstown media spin and lends to the s**thole attidude many people have of the city, both residents and former residents.
i don't get way they don't use the dilapidated homes as training for firefighters. Let the areas aound youngstown who have volunteer firefighters use the homes too for training. They would be controlled fires instead of someone else setting them and not controlled.
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