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Staff members at the state's largest youth lockup physically restrained disruptive children in many situations that could have been defused earlier using verbal calming tactics, a consultant has found.
Arkansas Juvenile Assessment & Treatment Center program assessmentView
In a report presented to state officials Tuesday, juvenile-justice consultant Darryl Olson wrote that the Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center needs to reduce the number of staff members' "physical interventions" and implement new policies and practices to better handle disruptive children.
Olson based his finding on a review of 40 to 50 instances where staff members used physical restraints or holds on children during the months of April, May and June.
"A large majority of the physical interventions that were reviewed did not initially involve a response to violent or aggressive behavior," Olson wrote. "Rather, they began with non-compliant behavior that escalated into a physical confrontation between the youth and staff.
"These interventions can easily be avoided," he added.
None of the physical restraints reviewed by Olson resulted in serious injuries for either youths or staff members, and all of the restraints were determined to have been used appropriately, he said.
Olson's findings concerning physical restraints were one of more than 20 recommendations he made for improvements at the lockup in Alexander. The lockup houses about 100 of the state's most violent and behaviorally troubled youths.
Olson also found that all of the youths he interviewed responded that they felt safe at the lockup and that their basic needs were being met.
His review came after a near doubling of assaults at the lockup was reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in mid-June. The newspaper also reported that lockup employees had been accused of physically assaulting youths on three separate occasions this year, all of which resulted in the firing or resignation of employees involved.
Olson's review came at the request of Florida-based contractor G4S Youth Services, which has been paid about $10 million per year to operate the lockup in Alexander. Olson's review was the first of its kind conducted at the facility since the G4S took over in 2007.
On Tuesday, Brian Neupaver, vice president of operations for G4S, said his company has already made several changes to its training and practices that he expects will quickly reduce the number of assaults at the facility.
"I think we're seeing results already," Neupaver said. "And I do anticipate over the next 60 to 90 days to see very positive results from the actions taken to date."
The biggest change, Neupaver said, is that the facility has revised the system it uses to manage the youths' behavior by giving them incentives to earn rewards for good behavior. The company has also beefed up its training regarding de-escalating disruptive situations without resorting to physical restraints.
He said the changes are aimed at improving the culture at the facility and curbing not only the use of physical restraints by staff members but also assaults among youths.
Youth-on-youth assaults have made up the largest number of assaults reported at the facility in recent years. That includes the 327 assaults reported in 2013, a 98 percent increase from the 165 reported in 2012, according to internal data from the state Division of Youth Services.
Data from G4S shows that through May 31 of this year, there were 135 assaults in 151 days at the youth lockup, including 91 involving physical contact described as "strikes, hits or punches." Of those 91 physical assaults, 54 were between youths and 37 involved youths striking staff members.
Amy Webb, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, which oversees the Youth Services Division, said the agency is so far satisfied with G4S' response to addressing the increase in assaults.
"They have been very responsive to our concerns," Webb said. "We didn't want to see a cursory look at things."
After the increase in assaults became public, the nonprofit Disability Rights Center of Arkansas — which has investigative powers under federal law to enter facilities that house people with disabilities — sent monitors into the lockup to review its safety.
In an interview Tuesday, Tom Masseau, the director of the Disability Rights Center, said he agreed that the facility needs to reduce physical restraints and was encouraged that G4S was taking steps to address the increase in assaults.
But Masseau said his monitors have heard a vastly different description of the facility from children they've interviewed.
"We interviewed a lot of kids out there, and the common theme for us was that they are just getting by. They don't feel safe," Masseau said. "There are a lot of dead spots in the cameras in the facility. Staff know where the dead areas are. They don't feel safe with certain staff. They don't feel safe with their peers."
Masseau said he questioned Olson's ability to objectively review the lockup because of his association with the contractor.
Olson worked for 34 years in the juvenile justice system in Florida, where G4S Youth Services is based and operates several youth facilities. G4S officials have said Olson routinely reviews several of its facilities on a quarterly basis.
"I'm happy that they're acknowledging that there are problems at the facility, but I would have hoped that it would have been a truly independent review, free of conflict of interest to get the full picture of what's happening out there," Masseau said.
Masseau's monitors have been on-site at the facility several times over the past two months, including when Olson visited from June 24-27.
During his visit, Olson wrote that he interviewed 37 youths, including all 13 girls housed at the facility at the time of his visit.
He also interviewed numerous staff members and reviewed documents, including reports detailing staff members' use of physical restraints.
In an interview Tuesday, Olson said he didn't review any incidents where a staff member had been found to have used an inappropriate or banned method of restraining a child, including any that resulted in assaults or firings.
He said the majority of the physical restraints he reviewed were appropriately used when altercations became physical, but staff members shouldn't have let the altercations escalate.
"Yeah, they were necessary and appropriate at that point, but I believe a large majority could have been avoided if they hadn't gotten to that point," Olson said.
Regardless, Olson said the facility needs to avoid physical interventions because they impede "development of a positive relationship between staff and youth that is essential in creating an environment where treatment can be effective."
In addition to reducing physical restraints, Olson also found:
• The facility needs to keep better track of physical interventions and the result of certain strategies to see if they work to curb disruptive behavior and reduce physical contact between youths and staff members.
• The facility's youth advocate should be reviewing all incidents involving physical intervention, and the reviews should include interviewing youths and any witnesses.
• The facility should stop assigning male staff members to oversee the girls unit.
G4S officials said Tuesday that they weren't aware of any problems that had arisen with male workers at the girls dormitory, but the men had been reassigned to head off any potential inappropriate situations.
Olson also found that strategies used to manage behavior appeared to work for the majority of youths at the facility, but they have been less effective at controlling the behavior of the "most disruptive."
Olson referred to 12 youths that G4S had singled out as being involved in the majority of reported assaults at the lockup during the first five months of the year. The group of youths accounted for 71 of 135 assaults at the lockup reported during the first five months of the year, according to internal company figures.
In his report, Olson wrote that 11 of the 12 have been placed in another treatment center for juvenile delinquents at least once before going to the lockup in Alexander. But only half of them have been identified as needing specific treatment for violent or aggressive behavior, a number he said he expected to be higher.
In an interview Tuesday, Neupaver said the lockup reassigned more experienced staff members and case managers to work with the 12 youths.
In addition, the facility is training all of its staff on working with youths who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The workers are also being trained on "trauma-informed care" — methods used to care for children who may have been the victims of physical or sexual abuse or experienced other traumatic events.
The company plans to add staffing to address the recommendations in Olson's report. Neupaver said the company is working to hire a certified behavioral analyst and a facility investigator who will report to the corporate offices in Florida.
But the biggest change at the facility is revising its system for managing youths' behavior.
Rickie Grant, G4S director of operations, said the company had an incentive-based system in place before this summer, but it has since revised it based on Olson's recommendations and input from the youths.
The "positive performance system," which was implemented last week, will now allow youths to earn points for good behavior and use those points to get rewards such as candy, extra time outside or the ability to stay up later. The program fits into the model that the company uses in most of its juvenile facilities, Grant said.
"Kids either earn, or they don't earn. So with that we try to incentivize kids [to behave] on a daily, weekly and monthly basis," Grant said.
In response to the changes, Masseau of the disability rights group said he hopes that the changes don't lead to unintended consequences.
"The culture of promoting positive behaviors with a reward is great, but I think we can take it a step too far. It really doesn't teach kids to do something good just because it's the right thing to do," Masseau said.
But Neupaver said he already has noticed an improvement in the morale among the youths since the program was implemented.
"We walk around here. It's not a volatile facility," Neupaver said.
He said he believes the facility will continue to see improvement on reducing assaults. The company will also be having Olson review the lockup quarterly.
Print Headline: Curb restraints, lockup advised


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PHOENIX, ARIZONA -- I'd like to share a story of outstanding service I received from a local auto mechanic. I hope this story will influence you to use this mechanic for all your auto repair needs. My name is Chris and I own a 2003 Chevy Tahoe. When the Tahoe had 125,000 miles on the engine, the transmission went out and had to be rebuilt. In April of 2009, I took the vehicle to Cottman Transmission at 12445 Cave Creek Road Phoenix Az. 85022 (602) 371-1667. They rebuilt the transmission for a cost of approximately $2,400. They also gave me a three year, 36,000 mile full warranty.
The automatic transmission worked perfectly for 18 months, but then began to have problems shifting gears. I took the vehicle back to Cottman Transmission, thinking there would not be any problems since it was still under warranty. I was informed that the transmission would need a complete rebuild and to my bad luck I was notified that I had passed the 36,000 mile warranty by a mere 300 miles. That sickening feeling began to sink in. Was this stupid transmission going to cost me ANOTHER $2,400?
As luck would have it, the mechanic working with me, advised that he had spoken with the owner, Bard Estabrook, who decided to honor the warranty even though I had technically gone past expiration! I couldn't believe that this auto repair shop was going to do this. I have never experienced this type of service from any repair shop in my life. True to their word, this auto shop did a complete rebuild of my transmission for free. Let me say again that they rebuilt my transmission for FREE!
When I picked up the vehicle, I asked what it would have cost if I had to pay for the work and was told it would have been around $2,000. Astounded, I asked why they would do such a thing. The mechanic told me they have discovered that a satisfied customer's word of mouth worked better than any advertising they could pay for. Well… if you're reading this, then that is probably a true statement.
I have a total of three cars. As a result of this experience I've decided to take all my vehicles to Cottman Transmission at 12445 Cave Creek Road in the future. One of my cars needs brake work and a new catalytic converter. I expect these repairs to cost over $1,000, but I truly want to give the money to this Cottman Transmission repair shop because of this experience. I hope that you will consider Cottman Transmission (602) 371-1667 for all your future auto repair needs. Thanks for your time reading this article.
SPRING HILL, FLORIDA -- On December 9, 2003, I spent $1278.42 to have my transmission rebuilt at Cottman Transmission 10479 County Line Rd. Spring Hill, Fl 34609. I have taken my truck two or three times a month over a 17 month period of time to have them try and make adjustments, replace parts in the transmissions or replace the transmissions. After Cottman replaced the second transmission and it would not operate properly, **, the manager told me that my truck was running badly because the transmission did not have enough vacuum to shift properly and to take my truck to a garage and have that fixed.
I took my truck to a garage and the mechanic said that the vacuum pressure was correct. The next day I went back to Cottman and ** told me to go to a different garage, so I did. The second garage that I took my truck to, hooked up three different gauges and told me that the vacuum pressure was correct. I then purchased a vacuum gauge and took it with me to show ** that the vacuum pressure was correct. He told me that his gauge was probably bad. After the third transmission did not work properly ** was so furious that he told me that I should sell my truck because he was sick of trying to fix it.
The fourth and final time that they put a transmission in my truck, they drove my truck 106.2 miles to and from the other Cottman Transmission that Mark LaVigne owns, to have his other mechanics put a transmission in. Three days later when I went to pick up my truck, ** told me that the truck was still not right but that the problem was the timing belt and or the transfer case and that the transmission that the St Pete shop put in, was wrong and that I needed to go and find the correct transmission for my truck and they would put it in.
** then said that all three of the transmissions that he had installed were also wrong. ** told me that he had just found out that day that my truck needed a special transmission. I took my truck to a garage to have my timing chain and transfer case checked and that mechanic said that the timing chain was fine and that he felt that the transfer case was fine but that I should have a transmission shop check out the transfer case. I then took my truck to Brooksville Transmissions, a shop that ** said he had a lot of respect for.
Brooksville Transmissions said that the timing chain was fine and that the transfer case was fine but that something was wrong in the transmission and that he could fix it. 17 months, four transmissions, and over forty times of me taking my tuck to Cottman to have them do something, I called Mark LaVigne, the owner of both Cottman Transmissions. Mark informed me that it was my fault, because ** didn't know that the transmission that I brought them to rebuild was not the transmission from my truck.
I told Mark that ** absolutely knew that it was not the original transmission because I asked ** to show me how to read the date code on the transmission and he did. I asked ** if it was OK that the date of the transmission that I had, was not the same year as my truck and ** said no problem, that all of these transmissions are alike and that he has not found one yet that he can't fix. Mark then said that the timing chain was bad and to have the transfer case checked.
I told Mark that I did take the truck and that the transmission needed fixed or rebuilt. Mark then asked me what it would take to make me happy and I said to give me my $1278.42 back so I can go to Brooksville Transmissions to have my truck fixed. Mark said that he would give me $400.00 of my money back because he lost way too much money trying to fix my truck and that I should fell fortunate because his brother ** should have charged me more than he did.
Since then I have taken my truck to four other transmission shops to get estimates, two of which were Cottman Transmissions and they all said that the problem with my truck is in the transmission and not the timing chain or the transfer case and that my truck does not take a special transmission. Jeff ** the operations manager at the Cottman in New Port Richey, told me that the transmission was so bad that I should not even be driving the truck because it might damage the motor and or rear end.
STROUDSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA -- I have a 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Heavy Duty with snow plow prep package included. I have been quite pleased with it and is truly a workhorse. The manual explains how you can shift into low gear while moving 2 to 3 miles per hour. Once I got stuck in low gear and could not get it out of low. First time it happened at 100000 miles. It then corrected itself by returning back to 2wd. Then it happened at 110000 miles. I tried everything to get it back to position but to no avail.
I decided to bring it in to Cottman Transmission. They determined that the transfer case would have to be disassembled. They found that the snap ring had to be replaced and the forks as well. Over 800 dollars in repairs. It took over 7 days for them to repair the transfer case. I understand it takes one day to diagnose the problem then at least two days to three days for parts to arrive from Chrysler. I blame Chrysler for not having more parts distributors.
Cottman calls me and tells me the truck is ready to be picked up. When I arrived at Cottman I asked the manager if it was test driven and all the fluids were replaced. I also asked if it were checked for leaks. When he said yes, I got under the truck and immediately noticed the transfer case was leaking. I also checked to see if there was any fluid in the transmission and found it was very low. I showed it to the manager and he said "Good Catch. It's hard to get good help these days."
The technician then puts in transmission fluid and overfills it. I told him to remove some fluid to get it at the right level and he said, "It's OK to overfill the transmission fluid on a truck." The stick indicate a fluid line which he simply told me to ignore. The next week it snowed and again it gets stuck in low. I bring it back to Cottman and again it was left there for one week 7 days. I was told it was test driven and when I decided to test drive it in 4wd High on mud the truck began to shake. I brought it back to Cottman and they said it was the universal joint.
I decided to get a second opinion so I went to Dodge Truck dealer and they determined that Cottman had put the wrong driveshaft into my truck. The dealer called Cottman and Cottman told us that there was another truck there that day and that they installed someone else's driveshaft by mistake. I lost a day of work and believe Cottman should have reimbursed me for lost wages.
Cottman refused to pay any consequential damages for loss of wages or rental. I will never go back to Cottman again because of my experiences with them. Also I heard other horror stories. My only advice to anyone out there is never use 4wd low NEVER. Even the experts stated 4wd low should never even be manufactured. I would also advise anyone who has automotive repairs done to put them on a credit card so that if you experience problems afterwards you can dispute the bill.
LODI, NEW JERSEY -- Cottman trans was recommended to me from a friend for my 1999 Jeep grand limited. I was going to have lee miles or a local (Denville trans) do the job but they replace the entire trans with a remanufactured unit for around $1500 to $1700 dollars. And a one year 17000 mile warranty. Cottman trans claimed this is not the way to go.
The remanufactured trans is garbage and they could "probably" rebuild mine better and cheaper. Denville and Lee miles offers a free estimate but Cottman charges $500 dollars so now I'm committed to them or eat the $500. Well, when they called to tell me what was needed and recommended including front brakes we were up to $2150! Fine whatever just get it done and do it right.
Two days later I pick up the truck and drive home about 40 miles. It drove somewhat OK but half way home the truck starts smoking and I mean smoking like it was a james bond car. The cars behind me had to pull over and stop until the smoke settled. When I got home I checked the trans oil level and found it about 5 quarts past the max fill level! The whole underside of the truck was covered in trans oil and it was hitting the exhaust pipe causing the smoke and probably almost caught fire! Rookie mistake!
They said they don't know how this happened. Well, on the receipt there's a 21 point check list, none of which were checked and the first one is trans oil level! I told them I would remove the oil to the proper level and see what happens. They said fine. It seemed fine for a couple miles and then it just started messing up bad.
There was a couple big "bangs"! then a gear whining noise and it was all over the place. Not downshifting, not upshifting, stuck in third gear. Reverse lights stopped working but the front brakes are fine. So I had to drive the truck all the way back to Lodi, they did not offer to tow the vehicle and actually asked if I could have it towed because I have AAA! They had no explanation for the faulty work and said they'll take care of it in a couple of days. We'll see... When I get the truck back I'm bringing it To Lee miles and Denville trans for a free diagnostic and see what they say about it.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Zillionz Deluxe ATM Machine Bank is an awesome way to teach your children to save money towards a goal. With its real life ATM features, your child, grandchild, or a loved one will feel all grown up, and learn a very responsible lesson- How To Save Money!
I received the Deluxe ATM Machine to review, and I was very impressed! This is a great bank, it helps you set a target savings goal, just simply type in what your saving for, how much it cost, and when you want to buy it. We decided to make a Family Savings Goal, a swing set valued at $400.00. Even though my girls a little bit young to understand moneys value, they know it takes money to buy things. I know that this ATM Machine will teach them, that it's important to save money, expecially if they want something Mommy, Santa, or The Easter Bunny can't afford.
The Deluxe ATM Machine's Cool Features:
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The Target Savings Goal: This is a really neat function, this helps set a goal for what your child wants to buy, since my children are a little bit younger, we decided to make a family goal, a swing set. (Estimated it to be around $400.00)
Checking the Savings Goal Status: At anytime you can check the status of your savings goal, which displays they amount of money needed to save for your goal and the days left before your goal is up. We need $398.50
for our goal, within 122 days.
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#SundaySupper: Meatloaf with Blackberry BBQ Sauce
July 29, 2012
This week's #SundaySupper topic was "What does Sunday supper mean to you and your lifestyle?"
In our home, Sunday is a day that we look forward to. It's a day we like to pack up our dog, kayak and a few friends and head to Stone Mountain Park for some outdoor fun. Now, the end to a day of play in nature (and often times a weekend with a little too much fun ;o) is always a hearty home cooked meal. Once dinner is placed on the table, we rehash stories from the weekend and share what's on the horizon for the days ahead.
So, when a few weeks, ago my husband requested meatloaf, I knew just the recipe I wanted to try. I came across it on one of my favorite recipe sites and had been wanting to prepare it for some time. Although I often think of meatloaf as a cold weather entrée, the blackberry bbq sauce on this one makes it perfect for a summertime meal. Of course I tweaked the original recipe a bit, as I don't eat veal, I'm obsessed with Vidalia onions, I loooove garlic and I never buy whitebread. I'd also like to add that it's not only the bbq sauce that makes this recipe special. I have never put milk in my meatloaf before and I am now a firm believer that it's the secret to THE most moist meat you will ever eat. Give it a try and I'm sure you will agree!
Meatloaf with Blackberry BBQ Sauce
Ingredients for meatloaf:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground sausage
- 1 Vidalia onion, diced
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp each of salt and pepper
- 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tbs Worcestershire
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¾ cup 1% milk
- ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs
Ingredients for blackberry bbq sauce:
- 2 Vidalia onions, peeled and quartered
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 cups blackberries (if using frozen, like I did, make sure they are thawed)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tbs ground ginger
- 1 tsp cayenne
- generous pinch each of salt and pepper
For the sauce: Add all the bbq sauce ingredients to a blender, or food processor, and blend until smooth. Pour into a small saucepan and heat on medium for about 20 minutes (if you have a splatter screen, now is a good time to use it). After 20 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.
For the meatloaf: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the meatloaf ingredients together in a bowl until evenly distributed. Fill a greased, 5×9 pan with the meat mixture and spread out so it's even on top. Spread about a half a cup of the bbq sauce on top of the meat and bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes. Be sure to check on the loaf about every 30 minutes and when the sauce begins to turn brown on the top, place aluminum foil over the top to keep the sugars in the bbq sauce from burning.
Once the meatloaf is completely cooked, remove from oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
When serving, pour some of the bbq sauce on top of the slices of meatloaf and serve with a couple hearty sides. I went with mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts.
While you're here, be sure to check out the amazing recipes that my fellow foodies in the #SundaySupper community have put together for today's topic. They inspire me each week and I'm sure they'll do the same for you!
- Blueberry Muffins by Magnolia Days
- Korean Ribs – Alaska Camping Edition with MrsMamaHen
- Fresh Corn on the Cob by In the Kitchen with Audrey
- Hearts of Palm Salad with Avocado by Basic n Delicious
- Shallot BBQ Shredded Beef by Juanita's Cocina
- Taking #SundaySupper Outdoors With a Fun Picnic…Featuring Spicy Pinto and Black Bean Salad with Roasted Corn and Avocado by The Weekend Gourmet
- On Top of Our Game with Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars by The Watering Mouth
- Chicken & Dumplings Around the Campfire by Daily Dish Recipes
- Wine & Food Festivals; a lifestyle the whole family can enjoy! by Wine Everyday
- Outdoor Grilling Filipino Rice Cakes in Coconut & Banana Leaves by The Queen's Notebook
- Embracing Old Family Traditions while Creatiing New Ones ~ Enchiladas de Chile y Ajo by Girlichef
- The Embassy´s Nut Crescents by Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Chicken Curry Pie by Small Wallet Big Appetite
- Prosecco Sangria by Pippi's in the Kitchen Again
- Grilled Campfire Steak with Bleu Cheese Sauce by The Messy Baker
- Bringing #SundaySupper to All by Doggie at the Dinner Table
- Honey Mustard Baked Beans by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
- S'mores Brownies: Desserts Make #SundaySupper by Mama Mommy Mom
- Tandoori Salmon Rolled in Whole Wheat Couscous by Sue's Nutrition Buzz
- Whole Wheat Macaroni with Spinach Pecan Pesto-Enjoying by Soni's Food for Thought
- Southwestern Chicken Wraps Fam Friends Food
- Ahi Tuna Salad Family Style Family Foodie
- Wines For The Foods That Move You ENOFYLZ


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A Second Life for Some of Baltimore's Vacant Properties
By Kaid Benfield
This will eventually be an article about Baltimore's terrific Vacants to Values program, which is targeting abandoned housing for reinvestment and succeeding. But, first, some background:
One of the nation's great tragedies of the latter half of the 20th century was the severe disinvestment of our inner cities as (mostly white, middle class) people fled to the suburbs. With no controls whatever on suburban sprawl, our metro regions hollowed out their cores, leaving behind blight, a severely diminished tax base, and a host of social problems. While I have problems with the phrase "shrinking cities" applied to areas where the suburbs have flourished, there's no question that the hardships faced by core cities that lost population – even now-booming Washington, DC lost 30 percent of its population between 1953 and 1998 – were, and still are, very, very real.
This was just as devastating for the economy and the environment as it was for our social fabric. One could write a book about that (and, in fact, at NRDC we did). Some of my favorite recovering city districts such as Old North in St. Louis, Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, and the South Bronx in New York, lost overwhelming portions of their populations. The good news is that each of those three are now coming back in great form (Old North; Over-the-Rhine; South Bronx).
Baltimore's significantly abandoned districts have been slow to rebound, however. The city estimates that it has about 16,000 vacant buildings, 75 percent of them privately owned. About 10,000 of them are in areas where there still is no development demand.
More encouraging, perhaps, are the 6,000 in neighborhoods where there is some development interest, such as in the area near Johns Hopkins hospital, but not quite enough for the private market to respond without a boost. This is where the city comes in.
In late 2010, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake initiated the Vacants to Value program. In particular, the city undertakes careful market analysis of Baltimore neighborhoods to determine their potential for development. It then compares the geography of the market findings with the geography of vacant properties to identify areas for different types of stabilization, rehabilitation, and development incentives and support. It's a six-part program intended to strengthen the market in areas of potential:
Streamline the disposition process for city-owned properties. This allowed the city to sell five times as many vacants in 2012 as in 2010.
Intensify and streamline code enforcement. In 85 designated neighborhoods with market potential, the city has issued 700 citations for building code violations (each carrying a $900 penalty) and filed 300 receivership cases to force abandoned properties to auction. Before the program began, these cases had to be litigated one at a time.
Designate and facilitate investment in "community development clusters" in "emerging markets" near areas of strength. The city has sold 90 percent of its own properties to private developers in these areas and catalyzed $21.4 million of private investment. Residential building permits rose 13 percent in these clusters, compared to 4 percent for the city as a whole, since the program has been in effect.
Provide homebuyer incentives. In one program, for example, the city has provided $10,000 "booster" payments to 117 households.
Support large-scale redevelopment (including multifamily housing) in distressed areas by clearing areas to become development-ready.
Where necessary, undertake demolition of blighted properties in areas of no market interest to "maintain, clear, hold and identify non-housing uses" such as green lots and community gardens. This last element is essentially a land-banking program.
As noted by my friend (and GWU faculty colleague) Joe Schilling in an interview with NPR, the program is innovative in at least two ways. From the interview summary:
"There are two pieces of Baltimore's Vacants to Value program that stand out, first its targeted and strategic approach, and second its on-going public information workshops. On the front-end, the City analyzes the market demand for housing block by block and overlays this information with their vacant property inventory. From this analysis, the City is able to identify emerging markets and better target their resources.
"In addition to this strategic focus, the City also hosts bi-weekly workshops to teach the public how to buy vacants. The focus of the workshops rotates, instructing the public on: how to buy city-owned properties, how to rehab properties, how to market rehabbed properties, as well as how to take advantage of home-buyer incentives."
A market-based approach is key to the city's efforts. An excellent analysis of the program by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond explains:
"[Vacants to Value] presents a blueprint for redeveloping the many thousands of vacant properties located in areas the city has determined have viable real estate markets that, with limited public activity, can attract private investment, be rehabbed, and re-occupied. In these areas, the city expects a private property owner to be able either to sell his property unimproved or, after investing to make it habitable, be able to rent or sell it.
"V2V also emphasizes using private market forces, rather than public capital, to target approximately 700 vacant properties located in weak market areas. Investments in these areas will be on a large enough scale--encompassing at least a city block--to catalyze additional private investment. These projects will incorporate mixed-income housing development. V2V acknowledges that it cannot rid Baltimore of all its vacant houses. Instead, it targets investment to clusters of vacant property near functioning markets or seeks to leverage substantial resources that will lead to sustainable improvements.
"The idea is that by targeting a reasonable amount of investment to real estate markets that have some existing strengths, the city might be more likely to restore healthy market conditions than by following a 'worst-first' approach that simply allocates resources to the areas with the highest vacant property rates."
I was given a tour of some of the community development clusters by Baltimore housing officials, and took the photographs accompanying this article. In some cases one could see side-by-side the benefits of the program in recently rehabbed properties compared to ones not yet addressed. Inside, I was impressed by the rehab standards of the properties now being put on the for-sale market by their (usually small) developers. (For a good description of one, see this article from last month in The Baltimore Sun.) I was also impressed that each of the several developers I spoke to during the tour was making use of the state's historic property tax credit, demonstrating the value of that program as well.
Vacants to Value does have its critics. The Baltimore franchise of the ever-snarky City Paper ran a headline called "Still Pretty Vacant" over a story by Edward Ericson, Jr., claiming that the housing office was less than forthcoming in supplying data about the program and asserting that it was falling short of what Ericson said were Mayor Rawlings-Blake's goals for it. (Ericson says the mayor promised 1500 renovated houses in the program's first year. The existence of that "goal" is disputed by city officials.) A story from WBAL-TV reports that 450 properties had been rehabbed in the first two years of the program, and that the mayor hopes for 3000 more over the next three years.
At best, though, the program is a little over two years old, having started from scratch. Some of the data show marked improvement on important steps on the road to recovery (for example, the disposition of city-owned properties; the citations for code violations). The renovated properties I saw looked fantastic, especially in comparison to their not-yet-rehabbed neighbors, and even the critical stories contain positive anecdotes. There is progress afoot: let's applaud the program so far and give it more time to accumulate more success.
(I do find the existence of 10,000 remaining properties that the program can only demolish a bit depressing. That part is not the program's fault, though; the problem is that the Baltimore economy is not strong enough to support more inner-city growth.)
Meanwhile, Vacants to Value is a clear step in the right direction. What I would like to see next is interest in the city's part in making these development clusters greener. There were blocks in my tour with few street trees, broken sidewalks, and too-wide roadways, all of which could be fixed. Bringing in some strategic vegetation would not just beautify the neighborhoods but also begin to address what I suspect are some significant stormwater runoff problems caused by all that impervious surface. In addition, I didn't see much if any transit in the clusters during the 3-4 hours I spent there.
While the city may not be able to afford a total greening of the program with appropriate infrastructure upgrades, how about a green pilot program in one of the key development areas? The work of the Talbot-Norfolk Triangle area in Boston is instructive as to the possibilities, and preference in the bidding process for purchase of properties could be given to developers who are willing to cost-share some of the implementation. I guarantee it would raise property values and tax revenues in locations where the city is willing to invest. Just an idea.
Visit the city's Vacants to Values portal for more information about the program.