Through our work in the community on vacant properties and helping to build neighborhood groups, we’ve spoken with many residents about Sunshine homes – many of them angry that there are taxpayer-subsidized homes in need of a city-funded demolition – and others who are tenants of Sunshine.
Because of the recent news that hundreds of residents are put in a precarious housing situation, we decided to hit the streets and talk to Sunshine tenants themselves. We talked to dozens of residents about their landlord and heard some mixed results. All of them were concerned with staying in their homes. We assured them that they should not worry, told them to stay current on their rent, and to also collect their receipts to protect themselves. Many residents were interested in attending a meeting to find out what was going on and do something about it.
Last night, we met with several Sunshine residents. Our reminder calls the night before had indicated that we would have around 10, but we were shy a few. Then we found out why: Sunshine had written a desperate letter to residents to try to dissuade them from attending the meeting. A meeting simply designed for residents to speak to each other and to learn about their housing situation. We even heard from some residents that they received a phone call asking them if they were planning to attend the meeting.
Can a landlord be more intimidating? Check out the letter below:
We had a representative from Community Legal Aid present to inform tenants of their rights and to also meet privately with several who had more serious individual legal issues.
At the end of the meeting, the residents decided that they would like to meet again and that they would like to invite representatives from Sunshine to the next meeting to ask specific questions. Stay tuned...
Leaders Confront Senator Portman at Fiscal Cliff Meeting
Written by Administrator
Wednesday, 05 December 2012 19:26
On December 4, Ohio Senator Rob Portman was invited to speak at a panel discussion on the fiscal cliff by a group called "Fix the Debt," a collection of corporate CEOs who are advocating severe cuts to social programs while also pushing for billions in tax breaks for themselves and their companies. During this meeting, Senator Portman was confronted by leaders from the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and our national partners who urged him to focus on job creation rather than cuts to vital social programs.
Senator Portman did meet with leaders following the meeting to discuss their concerns.
Watch the video below, and read more about the action here.
The housing crisis has hit OHIO harder than but a handful of states. As a result, many OHIO VOTERS are underwater on their mortgages (mortgage debt is greater than value of home). Recent housing market data shows more than a half a million (529,834) OHIO mortgages are underwater. This means that 1 Million (1,000,258) Ohio eligible voters are underwater. MVOC leader Mark Roarty and others stress that Home is Where the Vote is.
On Thursday September 13th, Mark Roarty, an Ohio leader and nationally recognized blogger and housing advocate traveled to our nation's capital to meet with top Obama Administration officials at the White House. Mr. Roarty discussed the immediacy and need for implementing bold new solutions to the housing and foreclosure crisis that has devastated our communities. cities & states.
In break-out meetings with officials from HUD, DOJ, and the White House National Economic Council - Mark joined 150 other leaders, clergy, homeowners, and housing advocates (representing 26 states) and laid out recommendations to address the housing crisis and getting our economy back on solid ground. Roarty, along with other leaders, told the White House administration that it is far past time that they enact policy solutions such as:
- Principal reduction as a bold new plan needed to address foreclosures, fix the housing crisis, create jobs, and reset the economy. Specifically, the request included strong language to remove Ed DeMarco, interim director of FHFA, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Ed DeMarco obstinately and ideologically opposes principal reduction, despite its proven benefits for homeowners and taxpayers.
- Publicly support the RMBS Task Force investigating big bank fraud, which the president announced in his State of the Union address back in January. The task force needs additional financial resources and staff to conduct real and effective investigations. The task force work will result in accountability for Wall Street crimes that crashed our economy.
- A nationwide Homeowner Bill of Rights that enacts strong standards for how banks must work with borrowers in foreclosure, including mediation and mandatory principal reduction when it would help the homeowner and investor.
A recap of the August 2012 meeting of the Friends of the Mahoning River. For more information, email
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