A local group helped clean up a vacant house in Akron after a News 5 story highlighted the issue. Alphonso Thompkins said he is glad someone finally answered his call for help after years of complaining about the vacant house. Cathy Jacobs said she saw the story and decided to help. She brought in help from her organization, New Beginnings of Akron, along with landscaping resources and equipment, to clean up the property. The house used to be her home before she sold it to its most recent owner. While that sense of community looks different, Jacobs and Real of Ohio Realtor Tia Lentini hope they can give this neighborhood a new beginning now that the demolition has been approved.
Watch previous: 4 years after 2 kids died in Akron house fire, neighbors wonder why house hasn't been torn down. News 5 first met Thompkins in August when we told you about growing frustrations from neighbors who called for the house to be torn down following a fire that killed two young children who were left home alone.
Jacobs said she brought in help from her organization, New Beginnings of Akron, along with landscaping resources and equipment, to clean up the property. What makes Jacobs’ thoughtfulness even more special is that the house used to be her home before she sold it to its most recent owner.
While that sense of community looks different, Jacobs and Real of Ohio Realtor Tia Lentini hope they can give this neighborhood a new beginning now that the demolition has been approved. The house will be demolished. Currently, there’s no date on that, but it is currently in the works.
In the coming days, Lentini said the property will be listed for sale. This could be a great place to build a home or multi-family homes, so whether that’s like a new family that wants to reach out or even a developer, this could be a great spot for something new, a new beginning.
