Today the Ohio Housing Finance Agency awarded $6.6 million to the Trumbull County Land Reutilization Corporation (the Land Bank), which is overseen by the Trumbull County Treasurer, Sam Lamancusa, and managed and operated by Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership under contract with the county.

This is the largest award won by TNP to date, and is greater than all the other previous grants combined. This award will allow the Land Bank to demolish hundreds more vacant and abandoned house in Trumbull County — especially in Warren.

It is interesting to note that this sum is more than double the funds award to Hamilton County, (which includes Cincinnati). It is more than was granted to Summit County (Akron), which is more than twice as populous as Trumbull County, and over half what Franklin County (Columbus) received, even though they are almost 10 times our size.

Why? The awards are based on past success and the efficiency with which previous grants were used. Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership and our Land Bank are really good at this work, which has now brought more than $10 million into the area and remediated acres of blight.

They deserve our thanks and respect.