Building Better Neighborhoods special brings homeowners immediate answers

CLEVELAND - Building Better Neighborhoods is a community commitment of NewsChannel5, but it also something we recognize that no one individual, group or government agency can accomplish on its own.

That’s why Thursday night the station brought together people from government, along with organizations involved in the foreclosure crisis and community leaders, in an attempt to help people better understand the scope of this problem and work together towards helping people improve their neighborhoods.

“As difficult as this problem is,” said former Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis, “it is very rare in government that you see a problem that is finite and is solvable potentially but this is one of them,” he said during the special that aired at 8 p.m. on NewsChannel5.

“I think if we all work together we can bring the resources to the table we can help to bring these properties down for the benefit of the real victims of the foreclosure crisis who are the people in these communities who have played by the rules but are suffering in a sea of vacant properties."

In addition to panelists in our studio including Rep. Marcia Fudge and Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic, there were satellite locations set up for experts to offer their help in Akron and Cleveland.

"Many people are frustrated out there and I just want to say one thing," Plusquellic said. "The legal proceedings take so long that people want to blame the city, the congresswoman, but we have to go through a process and if a house is in foreclosure it may take a while. If a house is tied up in probate court it will take a while. So most communities understand that we're trying to do everything we can."