Land banks can offer pathway to homeownership: Matt Martin, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership (Cleveland.com)
By Matt Martin, Trumbull County Partnership on Cleveland.com
Decades of disinvestment and job loss, suburban sprawl, and more recently the profound impacts of the foreclosure crisis have left Northeast Ohio with a glut of derelict vacant properties that litter our neighborhoods and diminish the quality of life for residents. These vacant houses are not just unsightly- they are havens for criminal activity and they destroy the property values of those around them.