Wood County awarded funds for demolishing blighted homes

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Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has awarded more than $3.8 million in additional demolition grants to
87 Ohio counties. The additional grants were a reallocation of unrequested funds from the Ohio Attorney
General’s "Moving Ohio Forward Program."
Wood County will receive $29,265.
"The Ohio Attorney General’s Moving Ohio Forward Program has been successful in helping the many
Ohioans who were victims of neighborhood blight caused by the foreclosure crisis," said DeWine.
"By demolishing abandoned, blighted homes, we have been making a real effort to help stabilize
neighborhoods and remove public safety hazards. I am pleased to make these additional funds available so
counties can demolish additional structures."
DeWine designated $75 million of Ohio’s settlement share for the demolition program, allocating funds to
each of Ohio’s 88 counties based upon the percentage of foreclosures that occurred in that county
between 2008 and 2010, the period of the settlement. In Phase One of the grants, counties were required
to provide matching funds for any grant above $500,000. However, several counties did not apply for
their full allocation, leaving $3,820,826 in unrequested funds.
For Phase Two grants, DeWine has reallocated the unrequested funds based upon the same formula as the
original allocations, with each county receiving a minimum of $7,800 for the demolition of at least one
more blighted structure. Counties that did not use their full allocation in Phase One of the grants were
given the opportunity to request funds from their unused allocation to fund specific demolition
projects. Warren County was the only county that declined additional grant funding.
DeWine said counties would have until Sept. 30, to use the Phase Two grant funds, and no matching funds
will be required to utilize the Phase Two grants. Counties have until May 31 to use the Phase One grant
funds. A decision on unused grant funds from Phase One would be made after that time.

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