Cleveland: Homesteading plan to put refugees in vacant homes
December 14th, 2011Published on Cleveland.com, by Robert L. Smith, December 13, 2011.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Within the collection of abandoned houses haunting the region stand some unpolished gems, sturdy structures that lack only a caring family to again become a home. Where will those families come from? They’re already here.
That’s what the International Services Center told leaders of the Cuyahoga County land bank, sparking a novel program that will attack blight with immigrant might. On Wednesday, the new partners will announce an effort to match vacant houses with refugees who agree to fix them up and make them homes.
By offering struggling immigrants a fresh start in an empty space, organizers hope to inject new life and economic vitality into distressed neighborhoods. The strategy, believed to be one of the first of its kind in the nation, attacks an obvious problem with a little-known strength … (full text).
Links:
SourceDocWatch: CIC operational bulletin on full and partial face coverings at citizenship ceremonies, by Kady O’Malley, December 12, 2011;
Refugee Council Online: Thank you for donating towards the Colin Firth Appeal;
Refugee builds new life in Canada: HIV-positive man became disillusioned by life as a police officer in Zimbabwe, on Vancouver Sun, by Tara Carman, December 13, 2011.