BOSTON (Legal Newsline) – Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced that her office will expand the Abandoned Housing Initiative (AHI), which supports cities and towns addressing the impacts of the foreclosure crisis.
The crisis left many abandoned properties, which led to blight and crime, public safety issues and property value decreases while generally affecting neighborhoods and communities in a negative way. The AHI helps rehabilitate these abandoned properties.
“In the wake of the foreclosure crisis, the rehabilitation of abandoned properties is the next important phase of our recovery for families and our communities,” Healey said. “Abandoned properties are public safety hazards, reduce property values, and hinder economic development. That is why we continue to see so many local communities taking advantage of this program to rehabilitate properties and revitalize neighborhoods across Massachusetts.”
This comes after Healey’s office noticed an increase in the number of cities and towns seeking assistance in reducing blight and propping up their neighborhoods.
The attorney general’s office has increased funding and expanded AHI into 32 municipalities across Massachusetts since October 2014, reaching a level where the program now helps 88 cities and towns. There are 357 active abandoned buildings in the program and $2.5 million has been dedicated to fund this expanded program.