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evitalization and Resilience
As the first decade of the new millennium drew to a close, Cleveland residents looked at their community
with optimism, blended with some harsh realities.
Cleveland has continued to struggle with the results of the mortgage lending and foreclosure crises. As
Judge Pianka told a reporter from Suites magazine in late 2009, “[i]f the [mortgage] crisis ended tomorrow,
we’d be dealing with the fallout for another five to ten years.” 52 At that time, it was estimated that Cleveland
had more than 10,000 vacant homes; since then, that number has risen to more than 15,000. 53 In 2009,
economists and Washington, D.C. officially declared the recession 2007 “over”. But homeowners in
Cleveland continued to feel the effects of stagnant wages and job losses, combined with increased prices for
labor and materials to perform routine maintenance on their homes. As a result, many homeowners could
not afford to maintain their homes in good condition, and structures deteriorated throughout the City.
The increased number of criminal case since 2009 reflects both the decline in the condition of the housing
stock and the City’s stepped-up enforcement efforts. Between 2009 and 2012, the City filed 26,852 criminal
cases. 54 The Clerk of Court, in 2012 alone, collected more than $500,000 in fines and court costs levied by
the Housing Court.
The Court also has seen an increased number of civil filings in recent years. On average, over 11,000
civil cases are filed in the Housing Division. Most of these cases were eviction actions, the overwhelming
majority for non-payment of rent. 55
Still, there are signs of hope and increasing energy.
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