Sep 21st 2012 5:20PM
The vacant home next to Deborah Jackson's house (pictured at left) has been an eyesore and magnet of blight for much longer than the Chicago homeowner would care to remember. The roof of the empty townhouse, which is connected to Jackson's, is shredded and caved in, causing water to leak through Jackson's walls. Overgrown... Continue Reading »
A Philadelphia businessman took $20,000 from his own pocket to transform a trash-filled city-owned lot overgrown with weeds into a beautiful outdoor mini-park. Long-frustrated neighbors sang his praises for his deed -- but the city calls him a trespasser and is threatening to take him to court, the Philadelphia Daily... Continue Reading »
Apr 14th 2010 11:35AM
Foreclosures can devastate entire neighborhoods. In addition to leaving people homeless, foreclosed houses that sit empty often fall into disrepair, posing safety risks, lowering property vales and decreasing a community's tax revenues. Now, add a new problem to the list: giant raccoons. In Chicago, where there have been... Continue Reading »
Mar 15th 2010 2:30PM
It looks like one program looking to heal neighborhoods scarred by home loan foreclosures is doing some good, at least according to a growing stack of local newspaper clippings. The Federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program has handed out close to $6 billion so far to help fix the broken windows of abandoned and... Continue Reading »
