Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine joined Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker, State Representative, Mark Romanchuck and several other Richland County officials Monday (February 4 ) at the demolition of an abandoned house made possible by a grant from his Demolition Grant Program. The property at 102 Raymond Avenue in Mansfield is one of many properties in Ohio that have been demolished through efforts by local communities and the Attorney General's Demolition Grant Program.

"The City of Mansfield and Richland County have been proactive leaders in taking back their communities from the rot and blight caused by abandoned houses," said Attorney General DeWine. "As we approach the one-year anniversary of the National Mortgage Settlement, I am pleased that so many communities across Ohio have taken advantage of the Demolition Grant Program."

Attorney General DeWine created the Demolition Grant Program last year and visited the Raymond Avenue property with Mayor Theaker when he announced the program. The Demolition Grant Program helps stabilize and improve communities by removing blighted and abandoned homes with funds from the national mortgage settlement reached in Februaray 2012. While an exact total of abandoned homes is not available, conservative estimates place the number of vacant and abandoned properties in Ohio in need of immediate demolition at 100,000.

The Ohio Attorney General's office made $75 million from the settlement available statewide for demolition grants.  Richland County received its full allocation of $741,454.

DeWine will continue to travel to other demolition sites around Ohio to highlight the importance of this program and as other allocations are made in future grant periods.