Steps to destroying an abandoned house:
1. A report of an abandoned property can be sent to the Health and Hospital Corporation.
2. An inspector will check the reported property within five days.
3. The owner of the property will be notified within days after the inspection.
4. Another inspection will be made within 14 days.
5. A violation will be made, confirmed the property as vacant.
6. A hearing will be within 45 days.
7. The property will be ordered to be repaired or demolished within 45 days.
8. Demolition will take place.
Source: indy.gov
• Officials believe Indiana could destroy 4,000 of the more 50,000 abandoned houses in the state.
• The money for demolition comes from a $75 million federal grant.
• The aim of removing the buildings is to improve property values and reduce crime.
INDIANAPOLIS — A $75 million federal grant to demolish thousands of blighted houses will make a “small dent” in the number of abandoned properties plaguing Indiana, state officials said Monday.
Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann and housing leaders said knocking down blighted and abandoned homes will help maintain property values and reduce crime.
The money comes from the Hardest Hit Fund, which is used to help unemployed or low-income homeowners keep their houses.
Officials estimate about 4,000 of the state’s more than 50,000 abandoned homes will be flattened but concede that represents only a dent in efforts to clean up affected cities.
“It’s a very, very large problem, particularly in larger municipalities,” said Mark Neyland, director of asset preservation for the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. “If we really wanted to, we could probably find 4,000 homes just within the Marion County area to be demolished.”
RealtyTrac reported about a third of Indiana’s foreclosed houses are abandoned. That’s one of the highest percentages in the country.
Indianapolis also was ranked among the top 20 metro areas with the highest number of abandoned homes last year. State officials said there are about 10,000 to 12,000 blighted and abandoned homes in the city.
Cities and counties can apply for a portion of the grant starting this month. Preference will be given to municipalities with plans for the properties after demolition, places riddled with former methamphetamine labs and areas where programs to deal with abandoned housing already are in place.
Money will go to both urban and rural areas, where grants could yield greater results. In those areas, Neyland said, a few demolitions could make a greater difference in neighborhood quality.
Only about 20 homes in Lawrence are uninhabitable and abandoned, Mayor Dean Jessup said. Grant money from another program is funding demolitions of three abandoned homes that burned to the ground, and a former hotel that had become a hub of prostitution and drugs is another site the city hopes to redevelop, he said.
“Many of things in that neighborhood are not, shall we say, beautiful anymore,” Jessup said. “We see an opportunity there.”
State Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis, who co-authored a bill to speed the sale of abandoned or vacant properties, praised the grant program.
“Sometimes to have rebirth of a community, you’ve got to tear it down,” Merritt said during the program announcement.
Read More
Over 3,000 Cardinals join the Ball State family of alumni following commencement
By Ella Howell / 19 hours agoThe Quad filled with approximately 3,000 graduating Cardinals and their loved ones the morning of May 4 in preparation for the 198th Ball State University Commencement.
Board of Trustees approves new Ball State Athletics Performance Center during May meeting
By Olivia Ground / YesterdayThe Board of Trustees met May 3, revealing plans for an upcoming renovation of the College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) building, plans for an upcoming sports performance training center, changes in the university core curriculum and many hiring and human resources developments being made in the upcoming months.
