MIDDLETOWN, Ohio –
There could be changes on the horizon for low-income housing in Middletown.
This comes after City Manager Doug Adkins blogged about what he sees as an overabundance of rental properties in certain neighborhoods.
Adkins said some neighborhoods approach 80 to 90 percent rentals. He says that's bad for the city, especially since those houses are more rundown than houses in other cities nearby.
It is without question that parts of Middletown are in the throes of extreme poverty, with streets like Baltimore Avenue and Crawford Street just two of many.
And with that the city has observed steady crime rates and police calls for service.
Adkins declined to talk to us today for this story, but his blog post states clearly what he thinks is the problem.
"The real problem is the abundance of worn-out housing stock in Middletown at the end of its useful life. We have too much older, worn-out, smaller, lower value housing units than surrounding communities," he wrote.
READ https://citymanagermiddletown.com/2017/01/11/section-8-update/" rel="nofollow - Adkins' complete blog post.
Middletown used to have a disproportionate amount of Section 8 housing, which was reduced and not without some controversy. But Adkins says he never was one to bash Section 8 or its participants.
He adds that those who were kicked off the program for breaking the law are still contributing to the crime problem in Middletown.
"We have a large amount of 70+ year old, smaller housing that is reaching the end of its useful life," he wrote. "What has taken place is that instead of having a Section 8 family in a $15,000 house, we have an extremely poor non-subsidized family living in the $15,000 house."
Adkins says a housing study under way will recommend large changes that will reduce poverty rates over time and make housing more competitive.
He says the changes will require difficult decisions.
I asked if part of that meant acquiring houses and tearing them down, but Adkins did not respond to questions today.
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Beginning In 2009 Doug Adkins, with the approval of Judy Gilleland, made several significant policy changes regarding the usage of HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Improvement Partnerships (HOME) program funding then totalling $1.1 Million annually. Contrary to the 2005 Master Plan, these were:
1. Eliminate the former Ward 1 and 2 CDBG target areas and make the ENTIRE CITY a target area (including the Highlands, Renaissance, Manchester, etc.);
2. Eliminate the Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program;
3. Divert over $500,000 from the Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program revolving loan fund to help conduct the nearly 400 house mega residential demolition blitzkrieg;
4. Eliminate CDBG-funded First-Time Home Buyer Education Classes (during the last year of my tenure 300 prospective home buyers attended classes held at One Donham Plaza);
5. Farm-out the HOME-funded First-Time Home Buyer Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance (DPA) Program to a Hamilton-based entity (funding allocated for this purpose is now about $200,000 compared to $400,000 plus during the last year of my tenure);
6. Scale back the Elderly/Handicapped Owner-Occupied Emergency Home Repair Program from $500,000 annually during my tenure to $100,000 today;
7. Wastefully spend HUD Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds. In contrast to the proposal that I prepared and submitted to Ginger Smith in late 2008, only 10 rather than 80 foreclosed homes were bought, rehabilitated and resold. Furthermore, over $200,000 of these Residential Foreclosure Funds were siphoned off to acquire and demolish "downtown" properties that were eventually sold to Liberty Spirits LLC for $1.00; and,
8. Nearly two-thirds of the city's annual CDBG allocation of $700,000+/- are devoted to administration, program delivery (a HUD term for related administrative costs) plus Housing Code Enforcement staff costs. In addition, $25,000 in allowable HOME Program administrative funds are given to the Hamilton-based entity to undertake the downscaled First-Time Home Buyer Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance (DPA) Program.
Of course, Doug Adkins and Kyle Foooks succeeeded in haphazardly wiping out hundreds of former Ward 2 homes. I encourage anyone to drive down some of the affected streets to see the results of their priorities.
The above facts speak for themselves!