(La Porte, IN) - La Porte officials are actively involved in trying to improve what many people consider the worst neighborhoods in the city.  The area from Rose Street to Tyler Street is being studied to determine how many of the homes are occupied by renters.  The idea is to provide incentives to have more residents owning those homes.

During the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting on Tuesday, Mayor Tom Dermody said strategies are being developed with help from the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte to bring about positive change.  He said the plan also includes talking to financial institutions about making home ownership easier to achieve.  “There’s a real opportunity here,” Dermody.

Dermody said it’s important to improve the quality of those neighborhoods because they’re close to the downtown and should reflect the upgrades happening in the downtown to make the city a more walkable community.  He pointed specfically at Jefferson Ave. and Maple Ave., areas plagued by heavy police response, as being in dire need of help.