Housing

Rebuilding neighborhoods in the wake of foreclosures

What can you do about the foreclosure epidemic?

The problems around foreclosure are overwhelming to many Cleveland residents, for which the daily realities of foreclosure can’t be avoided.

Yet many resident-led groups are taking action on this issue, transforming adversity into a new vision for their community.

Examples are plentiful:

Groups of residents have reached out to neighbors in danger of foreclosure to connect them with needed assistance to save their homes.

A block club painted boards on abandoned houses, cleaned up their street, and made a community garden out of what once was a vacant lot.

A resident-led arts organization fixed up vacant storefronts by hanging paintings and making murals.

A small group of residents from one neighborhood conducted research on house flipping and predatory lending that led to a detailed report on mortgage fraud. The report helped the community better understand this issue and has led to numerous indictments of predatory lenders.

Here are two things you can do about the foreclosure crisis now:

1. Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP) is a community organizing group that is currently working in several Cleveland neighborhoods reaching out to residents who are in danger of going into foreclosure. They work with local residents to reach out to their neighbors in danger of foreclosure to provide assistance so people can stay in their homes.

If you are interested in doing similar work in your neighborhood, ESOP organizers will meet with you and your group or organization to prepare you to do this type of outreach. This FREE training is available to you and your neighbors, block clubs, neighborhood associations, and nonprofits. If you are interested in this training and assistance to stop foreclosures on your street, call Jimmy Rudyk at ESOP at 216.361.0718 or e-mail him at jimmy@esop-cleveland.org.

2. Get a copy of the Neighborhood Connections Foreclosure Toolkit. This booklet is a user-friendly resource that provides information on the foreclosure epidemic and lists things you and your neighbors can do to deal with foreclosures in your neighborhood. Download it or call 216.393.4642 to order a paper copy.

Neighborhood Connections hosted a conversation on the foreclosure epidemic earlier this year. Click here to read more. Listed below are more resources: