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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Kent County Taxpayers Alliance
Despite their good intentions, land banks throughout the country have a long history of cronyism, scandal, and abuse.
The Kent County Land Bank Authority already has policies in place that favor certain entities and individuals over others (i.e. cronyism). We agree with this piece by Audrey Spaulding of the Mackinac Center, "...it would be best to eliminate or reform them (land banks) now, instead of waiting for a scandal to occur."
Indy Land Bank Officials Indicted
www.mackinac.org
An article on liberty and free markets as sound public policy for Michigan. |
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Fri May 24, 2013 3:05 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Blog
Indy Land Bank Officials Indicted
Michigan needs to review land bank operations
Posted by Audrey Spalding on May 23, 2013 at 2:15pm
FBI officials raided the office of the Indianapolis Land Bank on Tuesday after a months-long investigation revealed evidence its officials were receiving kickbacks for selling properties to favored nonprofit groups. The land bank's director, Reginald Walton, has been charged.
Allegedly, land bank officials were exploiting a policy that gives nonprofits preference over other would-be buyers of land bank property. The Indianapolis Land Bank would sell properties at a steep discount to nonprofit organizations, instead of using a bidding process. Michigan land banks, such as the Kent County Land Bank and the Genesee County Land Bank, also have policies that favor nonprofits.
Indianapolis Land Bank officials allegedly took bribes to exploit this policy. Officials sold land bank properties to "pass-through" nonprofits at a steep discount. The executives of those nonprofits would then transfer the properties to private investors — while collecting a fee.
In light of this, the Indianapolis mayor has suspended the land bank's operation.
The corruption of the Indianapolis Land Bank is not surprising to anyone who has tracked these government entities. The country's oldest land bank, in St. Louis, has a similar history of corruption and favoritism.
Granting government officials the power to choose who can purchase property and for how much, along with the ability to funnel subsidies to certain developers, is a recipe for corruption. And yet, that is what Michigan's land bank law allows.
The Kent County Land Bank created controversy when it blocked properties from going to auction — where they would have been bid on in a transparent process — in order to be able to pick and choose who could purchase property.
Indianapolis officials’ misdeeds should cause legislators here to revisit the wisdom of allowing such entities to exist in Michigan. While there is no evidence of bribery, land bank officials around this state have already put in place policies that favor nonprofits and government employees.
At the very least no land bank should be allowed to block property from being sold at tax auction. Moreover, these government agencies should adopt uniform pricing policies, instead of extending preferred treatment to some.
Michigan has 40 or so land banks, and they operate without much independent oversight. It would be best to eliminate or reform them now, instead of waiting for a scandal to occur.
Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited. Permission to reprint any comments below is granted only for those comments written by Mackinac Center policy staff. |
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Fri May 24, 2013 3:06 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Search Results ▼
Mayor Greg Ballard on Land Bank indictments ... - Indianapolis Star
http://www.indystar.com/…-happened-under-our-watch-2 days ago ... Sales of abandoned properties held by the Indy Land Bank were suspended Wednesday as city officials grappled with the fallout from the ...
Mayor suspends land bank after indictments - Indianapolis Business ...
http://www.ibj.com/…ndictments/PARAMS/article/415151 day ago ... Ballard said he learned of problems at the Indianapolis Land Bank "when I got the phone call" just days before an FBI raid at the agency that ...
Neighborhood developments on hold after Indianapolis Land Bank ...
http://www.theindychannel.com/…nk-program-suspended17 hours ago ... Neighborhood developments on hold after Indianapolis Land Bank ... most distressed neighborhoods are on hold following the indictments of ...
Land Bank Indictments - City-Data Forum
http://www.city-data.com/…and-bank-indictments.html2 days ago ... But... but... I thought corruption in city government was a Chicago thing. This stuff never happens in Indianapolis! |
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Fri May 24, 2013 3:14 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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City fires indicted DMD employees, hires special attorney
IBJ Staff
May 24, 2013
The city has terminated two Department of Metropolitan Development employees who were indicted earlier this week on federal fraud charges stemming from a bribery scheme involving the Indianapolis Land Bank.
The firings of Reginald Walton, 29, assistant administrator of abandoned buildings for the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development; and John Hawkins, 27, a senior project manager for the agency; were announced Friday afternoon.
In addition, Mayor Greg Ballard said Friday that the city has hired an attorney to review city policies and coordinate communications about the Land Bank fraud scheme with federal authorities.
“I want the people of the City of Indianapolis to know that I continue to take the allegations against two former employees of the city very seriously,” said Ballard in a prepared statement. “Immediately after learning of the nature of the allegations, our team began conducting an internal review which when completed will be provided to the federal authorities.”
Walton and Hawkins were charged Tuesday along with three other men: David Johnson, 46, executive director of the Indiana Minority AIDS Coalition; Randall Sargent, 57, owner and president of New Day Residential Development; and Aaron Reed, 35, a friend of Walton's.
The five defendants each face three wire fraud charges with each charge carrying a potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
Walton also is charged with three counts of bribery on an organization that receives federal funds, each of which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sargent and Reed are facing one count each of bribery.
“While a federal court will ultimately decide if these two young men (Walton and Hawkins) broke the law, the evidence presented in the indictment clearly indicates they violated the city’s ethics ordinance and failed to uphold the standards our city expects from its public servants,” Ballard said in the statement.
Ballard, a Republican, said the city has hired Forrest Bowman Jr., an Indianapolis attorney who has conducted internal investigations of state government as special counsel to three Indiana governors, all Democrats.
“We have and will continue to maintain an open dialogue with federal investigators,” Ballard said. “Mr. Bowman will help facilitate our communication and data requests with the United States Attorney’s office and to perform a forensic review of city policies and procedures in an effort to ensure we have the best practices in place to protect the public trust.”
Earlier this week, the DMD suspended all property transfers from the Land Bank while it reviewed recent and in-progress transactions. |
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Fri May 24, 2013 3:18 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Kent County Considers Land Bank Changes
Posted by Audrey Spalding on March 25, 2013 at 10:25am
A Kent County Board of Commissioners subcommittee is recommending that the Kent County Land Bank be prohibited from purchasing tax-foreclosed property prior to tax auction.
If Kent County commissioners approve this recommendation, they will be taking a step toward both encouraging private-sector development and saving taxpayers money.
Last summer, the Kent County Land Bank caused a stir when it snapped up more than 40 vacant, tax-foreclosed properties before tax auction. By doing so, the land bank blocked redevelopment from occurring in the private market.
Moreover, the land bank spent more than $400,000 to buy those properties. The Kent County Taxpayers Alliance estimated that if private buyers had been allowed to bid, the county could have received up to $1 million in additional sales revenue. Instead of taking in money that could have been used to fund county operations, officials chose to spend.
State law prohibits land banks from acquiring property before tax auction, but the Kent County Land Bank worked around that by coordinating with county officials so that property was transferred first to the county and then to the land bank.
The subcommittee's recommendation is a good first step, and is in line with Michigan law. However, the Grand Rapids Business Journal reports that the land bank will still be able to bid against private buyers at tax auction. While this is certainly better than allowing the land bank to circumvent the auction, it's not a solution.
By bidding against private buyers at tax auction, the land bank would be using taxpayer money to keep vacant, tax-foreclosed property from going to back to private use. As the recipient of federal, state and local subsidies, the land bank also would be able to bid property prices up above a competitive price. In short, the land bank would be the biggest shark at tax auction, thanks to taxpayer assistance.
The St. Louis, Mo., land bank has a long-standing practice of bidding against private buyers, and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to prevent individuals from buying property. The land bank has amassed property over time, instead of letting entrepreneurs take a shot at developing long-vacant properties.
The best move would be to remove the Kent County Land Bank from the speculation game entirely, and allow it to step in only if properties fail to sell at tax auction.
Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited. Permission to reprint any comments below is granted only for those comments written by Mackinac Center policy staff. |
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Fri May 24, 2013 3:32 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The Genesee County land bank now calls itself a "developer". Representatives of the land bank, like Raynetta Speed openly admit they keep land and homes out of the hands of private developers and establish "future development" areas.
Is this in the best interests of the residents? Blighted land held by the land bank contributes to the decay of neighborhoods when the land bank neither develops or maintains these properties. Thus the Land bank is nothing but one of the slum landlords it pretends to protect us from. |
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Fri May 24, 2013 3:38 pm |
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ConcernedCitizen
F L I N T O I D
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I am aware of a couple in the 5th Ward that wanted to buy a vacant lot on their street. They were told it was unavailable, but they could lease the property for three years a $1 per year. They have had a community garden on that lot for the last several years.
In the Land Bank's mission statement, one of their goals is to take properties and get them back onto the tax rolls. So you have a couple that is willing to buy a vacant property, pay the taxes on it, keep it clean and benefit the community, and save the Land Bank the expense of caring for the property.
But instead, this property, which could be back onto the tax rolls helping the City and its residents, is still in the Land Bank's possession bringing in $1 a year to the Land Bank. The couple was told they could not buy the property because it was being held for Salem Housing to develop.
No Cronyism here at all. Salem Housing's record for this type of work is dubious at best. |
_________________
"When people fear their government, there is TYRANNY.
When the government fears the people, there is Liberty"
Thomas Jefferson |
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Sun May 26, 2013 5:21 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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This story is being talked about all over the city. Especially since the headline stories are that the funded being released was for cities. The Feds need to tighten up the regulations and guidelines for this money. Remember when council wanted county to manage the HUD funds? The county was planning on borrowing funds for other communities.
MSHDA and the Land Bank have not successfully managed the federal funds so far. Many residents don't trust them now.
I noticed Kildee included the words cities and towns when he made his statement. Maybe this was the plan all along since the land bank announced a large number of suburban foreclosures.
Land Bank: Flint could get $20-25 million to fight blight
Posted: Jun 06, 2013 3:29 PM PDT Updated: Jun 06, 2013 3:34 PM PDT
By Lori Dougovito - bio | email
GENESEE COUNTY (WJRT) -
(06/06/13) - Michigan is getting $100 million to fight blight. Saginaw, Flint, Grand Rapids, Detroit and Pontiac will each get a portion of the money.
The state will decide how to divide it up.
Congressman Dan Kildee's has been working on securing the money. State officials announced the redirect federal funds Thursday:
LANSING, Mich. –
Gov. Rick Snyder announced that five Michigan cities have been approved to receive $100 million for blight elimination efforts under a pilot program approved today by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The demolition funds will be used in the cities of Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Pontiac and Saginaw.
"This will be a major expansion of an ongoing effort by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and other state partners to aggressively address blight," Gov. Rick Snyder said. "We will be stabilizing neighborhoods with a large-scale demolition of the abandoned properties that foster crime and push down property values. Getting rid of these properties will encourage more people to stay in their homes and be part of the effort to improve their neighborhoods."
"Neighborhoods across Michigan continue to struggle with the damaging effects caused by vacant and abandoned properties, which hurt home values and weaken efforts to revitalize communities," said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal S. Wolin. "The Hardest Hit Fund is a federal program that enables states to take the local actions that they determine will best prevent foreclosures and strengthen the housing recovery. With these federal dollars, Michigan will launch a program to address neighborhood blight to help communities hit hard by the crisis and contribute to broader efforts under way."
"Today's announcement that Michigan will receive $100 million in federal funds to clean up blight in communities across the state is welcomed news," said Congressman Dan Kildee (D-Flint). "Freeing up federal money to revitalize and invest in cities, including both Flint and Saginaw in my congressional district, will strengthen neighborhoods and unlock greater opportunity for all homeowners. Since being sworn into Congress, one of my top priorities has been to secure this money to ensure cities and towns have the resources necessary to remove and repurpose abandoned homes. I'm pleased that the partnership between my office, the State of Michigan and the Treasury Department has resulted in millions of dollars in much-needed funds."
Step Forward Michigan, administered by MSHDA, has established several programs to steady the state's housing market under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. The Hardest Hit Fund was created under that federal law in 2010. The $100 million blight elimination program will be designed to further enhance neighborhood recovery in these targeted areas.
"Modifying the program to add blight removal offers a more holistic approach to helping our Hardest Hit communities recover," said MSHDA Executive Director Scott Woosley. "Members of our team have learned as we've dealt with the foreclosure crisis that there is a direct link between foreclosure and blight. This program is a critical next step in ridding these areas of abandoned homes, blight and the resulting crime and safety concerns that continue to drain property values. Inaction only would lead to more people walking away from their homes."
While this money will be set aside to address the needs in five of the hardest hit cities, the program will be part of an ongoing state effort to bring resources for demolition statewide. Recent programs include NSP1, NSP2, CDBG and most recently, the $25 million in foreclosure settlement funding. Woosley said MSHDA will continue to pursue funding opportunities to deal with any outstanding needs.
Snyder said there also are other opportunities for the state to step up its fight against blight, including a proposal now pending in the Legislature that would bar individuals with unpaid taxes or who own blighted houses from buying more property at auction. The bill, SB295, would prevent speculators from degrading good neighborhoods and encourage current owners to prevent blight by cleaning up their properties.
All of the Step Forward programs will continue to focus on and support foreclosure prevention across Michigan.
In addition to reducing crime in neighborhoods, blight reduction is expected to provide a fiscal boost to each city and its surrounding county.
"One of the objectives of this new program is to improve the tax base of each of the target cities," said State Treasurer Andy Dillon. "Since reducing blight has been known to increase property values within communities, this program will eventually translate into increased property tax collections. Additional revenues for these five cities will help ensure citizens receive the critical municipal services they need and expect."
Some processes and procedures still need to be established. MSHDA will work with the U.S. Treasury and in concert with the five cities to hammer out those details. Demolition projects are expected to be under way this summer.
News of this federal money being freed up is certainly exciting news for communities working to keep their neighborhoods from turning into eye sores.
"We're talking potentially $20-25 million in the Flint area," says Doug Weiland with the Genesee County Land Bank. "Our plans would include not only homes in Flint, but Flint Township, Burton, Genesee Township and Mt. Morris Township.
Weiland thinks they could demolish 1500-1600 homes with that money - triple the work usually done in one year in the Flint area.
Residents on Flint's eastside appreciate the effort. Vacant homes on Nebraska near Vernon are burned out, broken down and the grass is overgrown.
"It's trashy," says April Doering who lives next to a vacant home.
"They're very dangerous," says Tom Barnard while mowing yards of the abandoned homes next to his Thursday.
"Because I don't want them to look vacant," Barnard says. He worries someone would set fire to them and the fire would spread to his property.
If the homes next to his are demolished?
"I'd love it," he says. "And I'd buy the land."
David
Don't forget "federal funds" are our tax dollars that we sent to Washington in the first place. It's about time we started to get some of our own money back to help our state. Sounds like the Michigan housing authority did a good job of re capturing our money to come back to us.
Now if we can keep the cash out of the hands of local elected officials and and control the way the money is spent it may actually be used for the purpose it was intended.
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Fri Jun 07, 2013 6:55 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Michigan Department of Human Services, Michigan Land Bank and MSHDA announce $15 Million in Blight Elimination Funding
February 22, 2013
Department of Human Services
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Lansing, Mich. Feb. 20, 2013- DHS Director Maura Corrigan is pleased to announce that 34 municipal, township and county entities statewide will share in $15 million in funding to help eliminate blight in their communities.
The awards range from approx. $3.7 million to the Genesee County Land Bank to $10,000 awarded to the Houghton County Land Bank. All geographic regions of the state have been represented in the final funding decision.
Funding for these awards comes from a March 2012 settlement reached by 49 state attorneys general, including Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, following a lawsuit over mortgage foreclosure practices. Among other things, the settlement resulted in payments to the states. Of Michigan's $97.2 million share, the legislature through state law allocated $25 million to the creation of a Blight Elimination Program to help communities demolish vacant and abandoned properties with the goal of promoting public safety, stabilizing property values and enhancing current and future development opportunities. |
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Fri Jun 07, 2013 7:11 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Michigan set to receive $100M in federal funds for demolitions | The ...
http://www.detroitnews.com/…deral-funds-demolitions1 day ago ... Dan Kildee, D-Flint, has made securing money to address blighted Michigan communitiesa top priority. The former Genesee County treasurer ...
This article cites the 2010 census that showed Flint had 5,846 vacant residential units in Flint.
The MSHDA draft proposal from May estimated costs of $25,000 per house which included demolition costs and five years costs to maintain the properties. MSHA in the past insisted demolition money include provisions for using homeless people trained to remove items that could be reused. I hope they include this provision in their guidelines.
I was apprehensive when Kildee used the words "tear down and repurpose". Under Kildee the Land Bank became a developer, which many residents disagree with. Go to the Land Bank site and you will see that they identify themselves as developers.
Not only is the Land Bank sending exorbitant amounts of money to rehab homes, they offer the homebuyers up to a 20% arrangement on the purchase price.
The Berridge Hotel never intended to sell their lofts and Flint got hit with a HUD finding. Salem couldn't sell many of the houses they rehabbed and Flint got HUD findings and penalties.
Now Kildee is appearing to promote a repeat of the past mistakes . I would not be surprised if Weiland and Kildee are indicating a far less beneficial plan for Flint.
Look at the fiasco that Smith Village has become. Kurtz just pulled over $300,000 from 11 unused projects to complete 14 houses. He pulled money from other resources, including Operation Unification and Salem Housing, in the last two months to complete Smith Village homes. With a lack of transparency and a council kept out of the loop, does anyone know what is going on.
Additionally the gang violence on the northern boundary of the project is increasing. No provisions were ever made to safeguard residents planning on moving in.
When I consider both Kildee's words and Weiland's comments, I wonder what backroom deal has taken place. |
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Fri Jun 07, 2013 7:38 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Call Kildee and voice your opinion. Once again he uses the words demolish and repurpose. That opens up the land bank to more development plots. Should money designated for urban areas go elsewhere? Has Kildee and the Land bank cooked up some plan they are hiding under an urban assistance plan?
Congressman Kildee: Federal Funding Coming to Michigan Will Help to Revitalize Cities, Clean Up Blight and Strengthen Neighborhoods
Jun 6, 2013
Press Release
Working with Treasury Department and State Housing Agency, Kildee Helps to Secure Millions of Hardest Hit Fund Dollars to Revitalize Michigan Cities, including Flint and Saginaw
Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today welcomed news that $100 million in federal funds will be freed up for five Michigan cities – including Flint and Saginaw – to clean up neighborhoods and remove blight. Since taking office, Congressman Kildee has worked tirelessly to secure the Hardest Hit Funds (HHF) for Michigan to address vacant and abandoned properties in communities, both working directly with the U.S. Department of Treasury and also introducing legislation in Congress.
“Today’s announcement that Michigan will receive $100 million in federal funds to clean up blight in communities across the state is welcomed news,” Congressman Dan Kildee (D-Flint) said. “Freeing up federal money to revitalize and invest in cities, including both Flint and Saginaw in my congressional district, will strengthen neighborhoods and unlock greater opportunity for all homeowners. Since being sworn into Congress, one of my top priorities has been to secure this money to ensure cities and towns have the resources necessary to remove and repurpose abandoned homes. I’m pleased that the partnership between my office, the State of Michigan and the Treasury Department has resulted in millions of dollars in much-needed funds.”
In March, Congressman Kildee sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, asking the Treasury Department to expand the use of HHF, as they did today, for the removal of vacant and abandoned property.
In the letter, Congressman Kildee said, “I urge you to speedily move to approve MSHDA’s proposal, the best course of action for Michigan and U.S. taxpayers.”
As the law was previously interpreted, it was unclear whether state housing authorities, including the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), could use portions of the federal HHF dollars for the demolition of residential properties. The HHF was created in 2010 to aid states most impacted by the recent economic crisis.
In April, following his letter, Congressman Kildee introduced H.R. 1550, the Revitalize America Act, which provided a legislative solution to reallocating the HHF dollars for Michigan and other hardest hit states. His bill sought to free up to 25 percent of the resources under the program to demolish and repurpose vacant units.
Last month, Congressman Kildee also hosted a meeting at the U.S. Capitol with U.S. Treasury Department officials, including Assistant Secretary Tim Massad, to discuss updates regarding funds for Michigan and other states.
According to 2010 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, it is estimated that there are 5,846 vacant residential units in Flint; 40,597 in Detroit; and 2,748 in Grand Rapids.
Previous studies have shown that removing blight and abandonment in cities like Detroit, Flint and Saginaw leads to greater economic opportunity for communities. According to a two-year study by the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University, $3.5 million of demolition activity in Flint unlocked $112 million in improved property values for surrounding homeowners. Additionally, by removing abandoned properties in the community, crime and arson rates are reduced.
Congressman Kildee has an extensive background in housing policy and land use issues. In 2002, as Genesee County Treasurer, he founded the Genesee County Land Bank – Michigan’s first land bank – and served as its Chairman from 2002 until 2009. The Land Bank, which continues to help stabilize neighborhoods and redevelop abandoned properties in Michigan, is responsible for over $100 million in redevelopment in Flint. Congressman Kildee’s successful land bank model has helped to inspire nearly 100 other communities to start similar models to help create opportunity and foster development, including in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Syracuse, N.Y., and Fulton County, Ga.
My Offices
Washington, DC Office
327 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
phone: 202-225-3611
hours: M-F 9:00am-6:00pm
Flint District Office
801 S. Saginaw Street
Plaza Level
Flint, MI 48502
phone: 810-238-8627
hours: M-F 9-5:00pm |
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Fri Jun 07, 2013 7:46 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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I suppose that is why some communities are eliminating their land banks and kent County is suing theirs.
Congressman Kildee has an extensive background in housing policy and land use issues. In 2002, as Genesee County Treasurer, he founded the Genesee County Land Bank – Michigan’s first land bank – and served as its Chairman from 2002 until 2009.
The Land Bank, which continues to help stabilize neighborhoods and redevelop abandoned properties in Michigan, is responsible for over $100 million in redevelopment in Flint
. Congressman Kildee’s successful land bank model has helped to inspire nearly 100 other communities to start similar models to help create opportunity and foster development, including in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Syracuse, N.Y., and Fulton County, Ga. |
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Fri Jun 07, 2013 7:48 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Why the Lowest Income Families Might Care the Most About Their Neighborhoods
Emily Badger
6:00 AM ET
6 Comments
Why the Lowest Income Families Might Care the Most About Their Neighborhoods Reuters
Because of the run-down and sometimes violent nature of poor urban neighborhoods, we often assume that the people who live there don't care that much about where they live. A lot of academic research has gone into trying to understand the connection between perceptions of neighborhood safety and community cohesion, most of it finding that people are less invested in their community the more dangerous they think it is.
An interesting study, published recently in the journal Race and Social Problems, adds a surprising wrinkle to what we know about these places. The researchers, Ronald O. Pitner, ManSoo Yu, and Edna Brown, were trying to assess "levels of community care and vigilance" among 70 black adults, most of them women, living in low-income, high-crime neighborhoods in an unidentified large Midwestern city.
In less academic language, they wanted to know if these people took pride in their neighborhoods, felt a sense of community there, and were willing to look out for their neighbors – and, if so, whether those attitudes were associated with income level, crime rates or neighborhood perception. The researchers surveyed each subject with a mailed questionnaire or telephone interview, and they compared the results with local crime data.
Income levels turned out to be strongest predictor of "community care" and vigilance, but not in the way that the authors suspected. All of these people lived in low-income neighborhoods, but they weren't all equally poor. The residents with the lowest incomes turned out to care the most about their communities (based on agreement with statements like "if I witnessed a crime in my
neighborhood, I would report it").
The study had an admittedly small sample size drawn from only a single city. But the authors raise an interesting theory for this finding that may well apply elsewhere: People with the lowest income are stuck with the communities they have. Their higher-income neighbors have more mobility and may simply be biding their time until they move on. And this has implications for how community workers and officials should try to build the kind of cohesion and social capital in these neighborhoods that would make them feel like safer places to live.
Keywords: Race, Poverty, Social Capital, Community, Crime, Housing Mobility, Safety
Emily Badger is a staff writer at The Atlantic Cities. Her work has previously appeared in Pacific Standard, GOOD, The Christian Science Monitor, and The New York Times. She lives in the Washington, D.C. area. All posts »
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