They're magnets for crime, and the discovery of a missing girl inside one of them is now sparking change.
Plans to demolish abandoned homes near schools in Cleveland are on the fast track following the tragic death of Alianna DeFreeze.
The 14-year old disappeared while on her way to school back in January. Near where her body was found, on the corner of East 93rd and Gaylord, there are now empty lots. The empty houses once stood across the street from Miles Park Elementary School.
RELATED: Parents of Alianna DeFreeze demand more be done about vacant, hazardous homes
Their demolition is part of the Safe Routes to School initiative that helps children get to and from school safely. The significance of the demolition scene playing out in the neighborhood was not lost on parents who live here.
"It is a big concern with our children these days," said Roslyn Lewis. 
Feeling easier
Lewis, a mother of four, is happy to see these threats taken out by heavy machinery.
"Parents should feel easier them walking past there because there's nothing in there, nobody to hide," said Lewis.
Five-hundred abandoned homes, like the one Alianna DeFreeze's body was found in, will come tumbling down over the summer. All of the targeted properties sit within 500 feet of a K-8 school.
"And then now that we've got the death of a child, I think that has a lot to do with it now, you know," said Lewis.
The city's plan is to have them removed by the time students return to school in September.
"We've got to try and make sure they're on safe routes and they don't have to worry about going past properties where they might be danger," said Bishop Eugene W. Ward Jr, Greater Love Baptist Church. 
Keeping promises
Roslyn Lewis tells News 5 she hopes the city will keep its promise and remove all the abandoned homes near schools.
"Take pictures, look around and see what you see and see what's still up. And if it's up in six months we know and take it from there," said Lewis.
It will cost $5 million to tear all 500 homes down. Funding, city leaders tell News 5, comes from revenue generated by Issue 32. You may remember that's the half-percent income tax increase Cleveland voters approved in the fall.
