Slavic Village Housing Crisis Detailed in New Film – The Land

“The House Next Door” tells the story through poignant, personal stories of people directly affected by the mortgage crisis.

In 2008, the mortgage crisis devastated many communities, including the Slavic Village neighborhood in Cleveland. In 2017, director John P. Vourlis began work on a film about the effects of the crisis on his hometown.

“The House Next Door” premiered earlier this summer at Elizabeth Baptist Church. The film is now available to stream on a number of platforms. The film follows the crisis, offering poignant, personal stories from people directly affected by it. In just under two hours, the film also attempts to provide a comprehensive lesson on how the mortgage crisis came to be.

Early in the film, Norman Lange, vice president of National City Bank, says that real estate is often viewed as an investment rather than a shelter. The film then tells story after story of people whose homes are in jeopardy because investment is more important than shelter. For those featured in the film, the featured property is their home, the place where they raise their children, and where they come to after a day at work.

One of the people being honored is Barbara Anderson. She and her family moved to Slavic Village in 1982. They were the first African-American family in the neighborhood. Not only did they endure ridicule and threats, their garage burned down twice. She also escaped foreclosure three times. Her own experiences with predatory lenders led her to help her neighborhood escape foreclosure. She continues to be a driving force as Slavic Village continues to rebuild.

Another player in this story is Blaine Murphy. Murphy, a Florida real estate speculator, bought dilapidated homes in Cuyahoga County without ever seeing them. He then sold the properties to another buyer using forged documents. He was arrested, tried, and sentenced to two years in prison. Judge Richard McMonagle released Murphy from prison and gave then-Councilman Tony Brancatelli supervision over the remainder of Murphy’s sentence. Part of the sentence included a clause that Murphy had to live in one of the homes he had purchased. Cleveland.com wrote an extensive article about Murphy’s story.

Brancatelli played a major role in bringing “The House Next Door” to life to Elizabeth Baptist Church for the pre-release screening. Along with Anderson and members of the church, moviegoers were treated to a red carpet walk, a lavish opening reception, popcorn and comfortable seating.

“The House Next Door” was released on July 16 on various streaming platforms, including Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube Movies. During the film’s closing credits, the following quote scrolls across the screen: “There were people here who saw the disaster coming, who warned the FES, the state government, and others of what was coming. They were ignored. 10+ years after this man-made tsunami devastated the area, we look at what happened, what was done to fix it, and where we stand today. And we ask the disturbing question: Could it all happen again?”