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Foreclosures breed vacant homes. Vacant homes breed trouble for community residents. While foreclosed homes are currently making headlines, vacant homes have plagued many low-moderate income communities for decades.
Syracuse United Neighbors (SUN), a community organization in Syracuse, NY, has been working to stabilize their community for years. Despite the fact that SUN's community only comprises 15% of the city's households, it harbors 45% of the city's 1,200 vacant houses--concentrating well over 500 vacant houses in their community. Syracuse residents have shared their stories, mostly horror stories, about living around vacant houses with city officials. Gangs stash drugs in the overgrowth and under the siding of the houses. Trash and debris is mysteriously dumped late at night. Loiterers blast loud music, fight, cause property damage and urinate on adjoining houses. Homeowners find it hard to get insurance and see their home’s value decline.
This April and May, Syracuse United Neighbors (SUN) held two public meetings to discuss the city's plans to reduce the number of vacant houses on the city's south and west sides. The demolition of the vacant home featured in above photo is one victory that resulted from the public meeting. SUN leaders will also now be included in quarterly meetings with City Code Enforcement and the City Law Department to decide how to prioritize the houses – given their horrendous condition – to be petitioned for demolition orders. In addition, SUN will work together with the city and our financial partners developed through our Community Reinvestment work to create a pilot program that will pre-approve loans for first time home buyers to repair vacant homes. The homes will be sold to the buyers by the city for $1.00.
It is important to look to community organizations for solutions as the number of abandoned homes increases in our communities as a result of the foreclosure crisis.
Only recently when foreclosures began to impact Wall Street and middle- and upper-income neighborhoods did the media and policy-makers begin to take notice. There is plenty of blame to go around from lenders, brokers, Wall Street investors, regulators and members of Congress. “Everyone’s fingerprints are on the gun.”
