Neighborhood Initiative Program
In 2015, the Northside Development Group partnered with the City of Spartanburg to utilize funding from the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority’s Neighborhood Initiative Program. The program was designed to help stabilize communities through the elimination of slum properties. Many of these slum properties were uninhabited and had been condemned for some time. As a result, these properties had become hotspots for crime.
The removal of these properties helped lower crime rates in the area, thus creating a more stable community. In addition to removing the homes to decrease crime, removal of the homes also helped to improve other parcels in the area and prevent foreclosures. The Northside Development Group was responsible for the purchasing, asbestos abatement, and demolition of each home. Each home was tested for and cleared of hazardous materials prior to demolition. In total, 29 properties were demolished through the NIP program.
Although the NIP program has ended, NDG continues to partner with the City of Spartanburg to help eliminate hazardous properties by utilizing alternative funding.