DeWine announces more than 14,000 structures razed through Demolition Grant Program
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has issued a report detailing the work of “The Ohio Attorney General’s Moving Ohio Forward” Demolition Grant Program. The report shows the program, which concluded at the end of 2014, helped remove more than 14,000 abandoned and blighted housing units across Ohio.
“While the number of blighted structures we have removed is an impressive figure, the true success of this program is measured by its visible impact in the towns, on the streets, and through the lives it has touched,” said Attorney General DeWine.
DeWine announced the program in February 2012 shortly after the National Mortgage Settlement was finalized with 49 states and the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers.
The settlement addressed robosigning abuses which worsened foreclosure issues during the recession. Affected borrowers received direct assistance in the form of cash payments, loan modifications, and reduced interest rates. States also received discretionary funds to help alleviate issues caused by foreclosure.
• In Highland County, the attorney general's office payment was $315,783, with a county payment of $259.75. The 41 units demolished in Highland County were done so at an average cost of $7,708.36.
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DeWine used the discretionary funds to create his Moving Ohio Forward Demolition Grant Program to benefit neighborhoods and communities which were also victims of the foreclosure crisis.
The program dedicated $75 million of Ohio’s share of the settlement funds for the demolition of abandoned and blighted structures across the state. Each of Ohio’s 88 counties received a proportional allocation of the funds based upon the number of foreclosures in each county between 2008 and 2011. To maximize the reach of the program, counties were required to provide matching funds for any grant amount beyond the first $500,000.
The program, which concluded on December 31, 2014, resulted in the demolition of more than 14,600 blighted housing units at an average cost of $8,148.75 per demolition. The program was able to dedicate more than $119 million toward blight demolition through both the program grants and matching funds.