CLEVELAND — The City of Cleveland and its Law Director, Mark Griffin, will allow some 17 families to resubmit paperwork to determine if they qualify to complete the purchase of their home through the city's embattled lease-to-own program.
The lease-to-own agreement through the Buckeye Shaker Square Development Corporation was left in limbo after the agency was dissolved in 2021, shortly after former Ward 4 Councilman Ken Johnson and former development corporation executive director John Hopkins were convicted and given jail time for mismanagement of federal funds.
Griffin told News 5 the city is working with some non-profit agencies to see if there is possibility of providing grants or financial assistance to help lease-to-own families in limbo more easily qualify to purchase their houses.
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“Absolutely, if they have a contract that gives them a right to purchase, we will honor that contract," Griffin said. “We’re talking to a variety of non-profits to see if we can find something that makes sense financially and legally for everybody.”
News 5 has been following through on this lease-to-own dilemma since March of 2023 after homeowners Salita Baker and Christine Seidowsky reported they are dealing with an uncertain future as they fight to keep the houses they say they've paid on for 17 years or more.
“They want us to pay the price and we have nothing to do with this, why should we pay for their negligence," Seidowsky said. “I want to stay in my home because this is not fair to any of us at all; why do we have to pay for this? They’ve been collecting payments from me for almost 27-years next month, I thought this was my home.”
Salita Baker told News 5 that she and other lease-to-own homeowners are also facing the loss of homes they've paid into. Baker believes the City of Cleveland should honor its agreement and let these homeowners have another chance to pay off the balance they owe.
"My son is in a wheelchair, and now they want to take our home from us, where are we supposed to go? What are we supposed to do?" Baker said. "We did everything we were supposed to have done; I even made my own repairs out of my own pocket to keep my home safe and clean for my son."
Meanwhile, Griffin told News 5 that the Feb. 10 auction for the homes has now been delayed until after the next court date with Cuyahoga County Judge Brendan Sheehan on March 3, who will decide if the homes should be sold to the highest bidder. Griffin said the case could be further delayed to give the remaining residents in limbo more time to get their paperwork in order.
Griffin said the city was successful in 2021, helping more than two dozen homeowners with the program complete the purchase of their homes.
“26 people went through a program where we gave a $5,000 grant and then a $5,000 forgivable loan and they were able to purchase their homes," Griffin said. “Right now, we have 17 tenants, three of which have put down money or made an offer to buy. If there is a valid document, a lease to own, we will honor that.”
Ward 4 Cleveland Councilwoman Deborah Gray believes the city dropped the ball and said she will work with the Cleveland Mayor's office to find a solution.
"The fight is not over, the fight is vital and we’re going to be in the courtroom to stand up to see what we can do and what can be done to save the homeowners who want to keep their homes," Gray said.
News 5 will continue to follow through on this developing story.
