BATON ROUGE -- Pockets of blight dot East Baton Rouge, frustrating neighboring residents and businesses.

Charles Davis lives near Virginia Street and said his block carries safety concerns given the number of vacant homes.

“It’s bad,” he said. “Something needs to be done.”

Davis said the blight is only getting worse. The city-parish says help is on the way.

Parish Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome on Tuesday presented to the Metro Council a proposed budget of more than $1 billion.

Included in it is $2.25 million for blight reduction.

The cash will come from American Rescue Plan funding, said Chief Administrative Officer Darryl Gissel.

He said the money, which will be distributed among all council districts, can be used several ways.

“This money can be used for anything from helping tear down properties to helping families clear titles,” he said, referring to some instances in which a family might live in a home but not own it after it was handed down from generation to generation.

Neighbors like Davis say the help can’t come soon enough.

“There’s lots … that needs to be done,” he said.