Turn Back the Block fights blight firsthand in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The growing problems of blight and crime are two hand-in-hand issues neighbors say have been going on for years.

They say they want a permanent solution.

Last month, we tagged along with commissioners, other city leaders and some nonprofits on a tour of these neighborhoods hit the hardest by blight – from Harrisburg to Laney Walker.

We touched on issues from code enforcement process, demolition chain of responsibility, abandoned property owners, blight challenges and more.

It’s a growing problem that’s talked about year after year.

One of the nonprofits on the tour was Turn Back the Block. Its goal is to help families in this city get better, safer and affordable housing.

The group recently opened a duplex complex in Harrisburg and will soon break ground on more land to achieve its goal of revitalizing the Harrisburg and Laney Walker neighborhoods and guiding folks in the right direction.

Ashley Brown said she believes homeownership to be the solution to the blight and crime created by uninvested landlords and absentee property owners.

She says homeownership is a reliable way to build economic mobility and stability for the families of Harrisburg.

“I remember this neighborhood when it was vibrant, and full of families and children running in the streets and I see that coming back,” said Brown.

Brown says Turn Back the Block has renovated eight homes, newly constructed nine and they currently have 24 vacant lots.

Shanovia Howard is one of the homeowners Turn Back the Block has helped.

“I just kept pushing forward until I got to the place that I was safe and secure at,” said Howard. “Your kids deserve to have somewhere that they can call home. They don’t deserve to be pulled from one place to the next, renting this apartment, having to rent that apartment.”

Once a month Turn Back the Block hosts “Block Parties” where volunteers clean up the Harrisburg neighborhood.

Find out more by visiting their website.

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