Councilman Seren Says Cleveland Heights Should Increase Use of NEO CANDO

"We need to make more robust use of Case Western Reserve's NEO CANDO NST Web App," said Cleveland Heights Councilman Kahlil Seren during a discussion on foreclosure among the candidates running for the city council as featured in "Cleveland Heights City Council candidates say city can do more about vacant houses: Voter Guide 2015" on October 21, 2015.

NEO CANDO, the Northeast Ohio Community and Neighborhood Data for Organizing database run by the Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development, houses property, social, and economic statistical data across the region. NEO CANDO's Neighborhood Stabilization Team (NST) Web App enables a diverse group of government and community agencies to collaborate in improving the communities by linking together administrative property data at the parcel level.

Seren wants the city to use the "NST Web App to track information about properties and to actually start imputing information about properties." A key feature of the application permits users to add and save their own data on individual properties being surveyed and investigated.

"I think that the city has been reactive,"Councilman Seren explained. "And I think now is the time for us to turn to a more proactive role in responding to the foreclosure crisis and all of the effects of it. There are things we could be doing quite a bit better." He cited use of NEO CANDO as one of the methods of improvement.

Also mentioned in the article, the number of vacant properties in Cleveland Heights decreased between 2010 and 2014 according to postal data analyzed by NEO CANDO and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.

Watch the video of the foreclosure discussion and read more at Cleveland.com.