A COMMON FOE

A COMMON FOE

Housing abandonment

The Washington-based nonprofit National Vacant Property Campaign is working to help reclaim American cities. A local group hopes to bring the organization to Mahoning County. According to the NVPC:

Vacant property accounts for an average of 15 percent of American cities.

Vacant properties equate to $3 billion to $6 billion in lost tax revenue for local governments.

More than 12,000 fires break out in vacant structures each year in the U.S., resulting in $73 million in property damage annually. Most are the result of arson.

A 2001 study found that houses within 150 feet of a vacant or abandoned property experienced a net loss of $7,627 in value.

One study found that blocks with unsecured vacant buildings had 3.2 times as many drug calls to police, 1.8 times as many theft calls, and twice the number of violent calls as blocks without vacant buildings.

Source: The National Vacant Properties Campaign