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Protecting Vacant Foreclosed Homes and Stabilizing Communities
Challenges Entered:
The economic recession has created a surge in unemployment and foreclosures in Chicago. Mercy Housing Lakefront and The CARA Program have partnered to launch the Cleanslate Property Services social enterprise to create jobs for hard-to-employ individuals working to clean-up, board-up, and maintain vacant homes. We would use the proceeds from the N2Y4 Mobile Challenge to research, identify, and pilot the use of mobile devices to upload property inspection data to an online database. Ultimately, this technology will enable us to monitor and protect thousands of homes.
According to the Census, the number of vacant properties in Chicago has increased 82% since 2000. There are now more than 165,000 vacancies. This crisis threatens to destroy the social and economic fabric of hundreds of neighborhoods. Each new vacancy causes a decline in home values, attracts vandalism and crime, and causes other homeowners to leave the community.
Mercy Housing Lakefront and The CARA program are working to end this vicious cycle. Mercy Housing Lakefront has partnered with the City of Chicago to launch a program to purchase, rehab, and reoccupy vacant homes. In addition, Mercy Housing Lakefront has partnered with The CARA Program to launch the Cleanslate Property Services social enterprise to create jobs for hard-to-employ individuals working to clean-up, board-up, and maintain vacant homes.Â
Cleanslate Property Services will provide training and transitional jobs to hard-to-employ individuals: ex-offenders, formerly homeless individuals, recovering substance abusers, etc. These individuals will work in crews to clean-up, board-up, inspect, and maintain vacant homes.
A critical component of this initiative is the need to track and monitor the status of thousands of scattered homes. We would use the proceeds from the N2Y4 Mobile Challenge to research, identify, and pilot the use of mobile devices to upload property inspection data to an online database. Ultimately, this technology will enable us to monitor and protect thousands of homes.
In addition:
Mercy Housing Lakefront (MHL) is the Midwest's premier nonprofit developer and manager of affordable housing. MHL currently owns and manages 15 properties with over 2,000 residents. In addition, MHL is working to develop or preserve an additional 5,000 units of housing over the next five years. MHL is part of a national organization, Mercy Housing Inc., which has financed or developed 35,700 homes in 41 states.
The CARA Program is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that provides award-winning job training and employment services for people in need. The CARA Program currently operates a social enterprise that creates transitional job opportunities for people working to beautify neighborhoods through cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, and other services.
The Cleanslate Property Services venture benefits from the combined housing, property maintenance, and neighborhood beautification expertise of Mercy Housing Lakefront and The CARA Program.Â
Location
Chicago, IL
United States
See map: Google Maps
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