CLEVELAND — Huntington Bank announced plans to reopen their location in Cleveland's Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood that has been "temporarily closed" since February due to security concerns in the area.
According to a press release, Huntington Bank announced that they were satisfied with steps taken by the city to ensure the safety of the area and that the branch is set to reopen by the end of October.
“We’re pleased to announce that our Buckeye branch will reopen by the end of October, and we’d like to thank all of our partners across the city for joining us in committing to the safety measures and ongoing partnership to make this possible,” said Sean Richardson, Huntington’s regional president in Northeast Ohio. “We’re excited to continue to serve the Buckeye community, as we have for the last 20 years, by reopening this branch. We look forward to continuing our investment in this historic neighborhood.”
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb released the following statement after the plans were announced:
Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown also spoke on the branch's reopening:
"The permanent closure of the Buckeye branch would have left families and small businesses with even fewer choices than before. I'm glad that Huntington listened to the voices of the community and will reopen the Buckeye-Shaker branch. This would not have happened without all the neighborhood residents, local leaders, and advocates coming together and working with the bank — and speaking up about the branch's importance."
Huntington also announced an investment of over $250,000 in philanthropic efforts in the Buckeye community including the following:
- $25,000 to Burten Bell Carr CDC to fund safety improvement grants that will help small businesses in Buckeye
- $100,000 each to Community Housing Solutions and the Home Repair Resource Center to fund home repairs for homes in Buckeye
- $30,000 to ESOP/Benjamin Rose Connecting Our Seniors to Technology (COST) program, which provides digital literacy training for seniors, with expanded outreach to Buckeye residents.