Monessen PA is, essentially, giving vacant homes to anyone who is willing to repair them. And two officials overseeing the plan said “it is working.” For more information please click on the following links. LocalREAD MORE
CCP Report on Land Banks and Community Land Trusts
A new report from the Center for Community Progress titled, ““Land Banks and Community Land Trusts (CLT): Partnering to Provide Equitable Housing Opportunities Now and for Future Generations” discusses land banks and CLTs, promising modelsREAD MORE
CCP & Federal Reserve Study “Tackling Vacancy and Abandonment: Strategies and Impacts after the Great Recession”
The Center for Community Progress and the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and Cleveland released a new report titled “Tackling Vacancy and Abandonment: Strategies and Impacts after the Great Recession”, containing articles by national expertsREAD MORE
Albany County (NY) Blight to Betterment Task Force Report
The Task Force consisting of legislators, staff and community stakeholders was convened in June 2020 and has released their report. Per Co-chair Matt Peter (County Legislature 5th District – D) “blight is both a countyREAD MORE
Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative – Springfield Illinois Analysis
City of Springfield, IL recently utilized Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative Fellow Megan Willis-Jackson to provide an analysis, and recommendations to address vacant and dilapidated housing. Recommended changes included changes to; Inspection processes Legal processesREAD MORE
JAMA Study Municipally Funded House Repairs and Crime Rates
Recent article in the Wall Street Journal, discusses a July 2021 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, that “found a tight link between municipally funded house repairs and a drop in crimeREAD MORE
Pennsylvania House Bill 1827 Focus on Code Enforcement
Pennsylvania once again is at the forefront in the fight against blight and with new proposed legislation shines the spotlight directly on code enforcement. House Bill 1827, would give local governments the opportunity to applyREAD MORE
CA SB 296 Code Enforcement Safety Law
California Governor Newsom signed SB 296 “Code enforcement officers: safety standards” into law. “The Legislature finds and declares that code enforcement officers are disproportionately at risk for threat, assault, injury, and even homicide due toREAD MORE
Ohio Neighborhood Protection Act
Newly proposed legislation would require vacant property owners to file contact information with the county auditor’s office. For more information, please click here.
Community Engagement – “Neighborhood Academy”
The Jackson MS (recent recipient of 1 of 8 $100,000 “Love your Block” grant) Director of Planning and Development seeks to establish a “neighborhood academy”. The purpose of the academy would be “to provide homeownerREAD MORE
Nuisance Ordinances – More Trouble than its Worth?
For one particular community that may be the case. Richmond KY may soon repeal a 2019 chronic nuisance property ordinance that imposes a civil fine on hotels and motels that are found to be aREAD MORE
Financial Support to Address Blight from New and Interesting Sources
We have previously provided numerous innovative and creative approaches and partnerships to addressing blight in local communities. In a recent feature, East Orange NJ was highlighted as the latest recipient of launch the ”#DrivingForChange program”,READ MORE