Representatives of the Center for Community Progress provided to City Council and Assessment and Report titled, A More Strategic, Equitable Approach to Housing and Building Code Enforcement in Ohio. The presentation was followed by a response presentation from the City Division of Code Enforcement.
To view the recording of the presentations please click here.
To view local media coverage, please click here.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has provided an analysis of the benefits of Covid-19 moratoriums, showing how they have helped limit evictions; however, they recommend the implementation of a communication and outreach plan to make sure that renters and property owners gain awareness of current moratoriums.
To read more, click here.
A study published in The American Journal of Public Health illustrates an impact of blight that most would not consider. The study published in December of 2016 shows the direct correlation between blight and gun violence in urban neighborhoods.
Gun violence decreased by 39% in areas where abandoned properties were remediated. The research concluded that the abandoned buildings and vacant lots may shelter illegal activity and illegal firearms and that reforming the properties may significantly and sustainably reduce gun violence.
The Federal Reserve published an article on REO and Vacant Properties, specifically strategies for neighborhood stabilization.
Research and commentary were received by nonprofit and municipal practitioners, the Federal Reserve, academic and policy researchers as well as private sector partners to illustrate how REO markets operate, how to keep properties occupied despite delinquencies, and an analysis on how communities can stabilize neighborhoods after foreclosures.
To read more, click here.
The Vacant Properties Research Network, A project of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech in collaboration with Econsult Solutions, Inc. produced a national literature review addressing the community impacts of blighted properties.
In the hopes of benefiting policymakers, the research provides new knowledge by revealing the changing patterns of neighborhoods, especially in areas of high property vacancy and abandonment. The review highlights the importance of measuring the life cycles of neighborhoods as well as the policy strategies deployed by communities and the impact they have on the community.
To read the review, click here.
In February 2019, a LSU’s Department of Sociology study showed a statistical connection between homicide, blighted buildings and convenience stores in Baton Rouge.
Now in February 2021, LSU’s College of the Coast & Environment released a study confirming that blight, leads to an increased abundance of disease-carrying mosquitoes.
To view the University’s Press Release, please click here.
To view the study, please click here.
Additional Information
A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the national ban on evictions that’s been in place since September is unconstitutional.
“Although the Covid-19 pandemic persists, so does the Constitution,” U.S. District Judge John Barker wrote Thursday evening, siding with a group of property managers who argued that the ban exceeds the power of the federal government.
For additional information, please click here.
Pinellas County FL is making changes on its code enforcement liens, demolition/condemnation programs, assumingly as a result of the well-publicized, late 2019 $100,000+ fine for a dirty pool and overgrown grass in Dunedin.
For additional information, please click here.
The Duluth City Council has amended an ordinance in an attempt to jump-start repairs to abandoned housing throughout the community. The revised ordinance is intended to remove a financial obstacle for people looking to redevelop condemned properties and turn them into rentals.
The ordinance change received unanimous council support.
For additional information, please click here.