Starting this week, a new Housing Court in Harrisburg will go into effect to take on new cases of code violations related to blight.
Two judges will meet weekly at the Judicial Center and review new code violations. They’ll also review violations related to trash.
“We want the violations abated,” said city administrator Dave Patton in a press conference last week when the initiative was announced. “So we’re not all about fines. We just want to get first of all some accountability and have them do what they need to do.”
Patton says the Housing Court is long-awaited, and so do residents.
Resident Eva Simmons is frustrated about trash and blight on Derry Street in Allison Hill.
“It makes it look so trashy, it makes the neighborhood look bad, and for anyone who wants to buy property they will feel negative about the area,” she says. “It’s about the property owners getting the buildings fixed up for the children today.”