[Peace-discuss] (no subject) [Homesteading for the homeless]

Sun Nov 30 02:34:51 CST 2008

Sounds so decent and sensible I can't believe it won't be part of future recovery plans across the country... unless those who are neither prevent it.
 --Jenifer  

--- On Sat, 11/29/08, LAURIE SOLOMON <LAURIE at ADVANCENET.NET> wrote:

From: LAURIE SOLOMON <LAURIE at ADVANCENET.NET>
Subject: RE: [Peace-discuss] (no subject)
To: pengdust at aol.com, print at ucimc.org, peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net, cigmb-a at iww.org, announce at lists.communitycourtwatch.org, imc at ucimc.org
Date: Saturday, November 29, 2008, 12:29 AM

Something akin to this sort of thing took place in the 1970’s and 1980s in many urban communities long before the current crises and bailouts; it was called “urban homesteading” where homeless and poor people who could not afford to buy houses or condominiums would take over vacant buildings  that were abandoned by slum lords or owned by the city.  In many cases they would put “sweat equity” into the properties by fixing them up using their own sweat labor, which they then used as the basis for arguing that they should be given ownership of the buildings as places in which to live in lieu of monetary down payments or  mortgages.  Many cities were persuaded to allow this with respect to properties that the city owned but were vacant and disrepair, turning over deeds to the properties under specific conditions and requirements such as that the person getting the deed would fix-up and maintain the property, would reside at the property for a
 given length of time before being able to sell it or rent it to someone else.  The cities figured that such an arrangement would furnish housing for the poor or homeless at reasonable rates and would result in many buildings that were not being occupied but were falling into disrepair to be fixed up and maintained.  With respect to properties that were privately owned but were abandoned, condemned , or badly in the rears of property tax payments, the cities and the courts tended to hold that the original owners had forfeited any rights to the property and said property could be turned over to those who homesteaded those properties and invested sweat equity in making them habitable places in which they could live.  Additional arrangements were made with respect to property taxes on properties that had been homesteaded so that they would be affordable to those who homesteaded the properties.

Among the cities that had such programs were New York City and Wilmington, Delaware.  For a time, it worked out so well for both the cities and for the poor that some of the cities expanded the program to commercial homesteading in which people could acquire commercial properties for starting businesses in the same manner as they did for residential properties and could invest their sweat equity into the property in lieu of monetary expeditures..

From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net [mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of pengdust at aol.com
Sent: Friday, November 28, 2008 10:34 PM
To: print at ucimc.org; peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net; cigmb-a at iww.org; announce at lists.communitycourtwatch.org; imc at ucimc.org
Subject: [Peace-discuss] (no subject)

So, something good!! Too bad it isn't happening here yet! Check out the links.

[Spitting into the wind]
davep
Miami: Take Back the Land Facilitates Housing Takeovers

Wednesday, November 26 2008 @ 11:36 AM CST
Contributed by: anarkid
As the government continues to bailout the mega corporations responsible for this economic crisis- by taking our tax money, without our permission, and giving it to the wealthy- some organizations and individuals are moving their own bailout. 

Since October 2007, Take Back the Land has been identifying vacant government owned and foreclosed homes and liberating them by moving homeless people into people-less homes- without permission from the government or the banks. This is the real bailout. 

So, as this country celebrates the Pilgrims- who took over land without permission from the owner- we must think about using land to benefit people, not just corporations. We assert that our right to housing supercedes the corporate right to profit. 

Below are three stories about the Take Back the Housing campaign by Take Back the Land, including a news video from Tuesday, November 25. You can get more information at www.takebacktheland.org . 

http://www.local10.com/video/18149053/index.html 

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2008-11-20/news/squatters/ 

http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/2008/05/foreclosure-nation-squatters-or-pioneers.html 

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