Day 37: From Abandoned Lots to a Neighborhood

I'm sure there aren't too many people that have escaped the effects of the economic downturn.  It's been a challenging few years.  Lost jobs.  Home foreclosures.  A dip in the stock market.  A mess, no one can deny.  You've probably seen signs of the squelched economy each time you pass the city-block-sized gaping hole in the ground, that three years ago was meant to be a new complex of stores.  Or the empty sky-scrapers that were completed just as the economy tanked, and have remained empty because no business is looking to fork out money for rent.  Or also the house that's been for sale for three years, with the price slipping down...down...down.

But there is a light at the end of this tunnel, at least for a few families here in Seattle: the prospect of owning a home.  In 2007, a housing project of 22 homes was started in South Seattle, but stalled when the housing market failed.  Twelve homes were completed, seven sold, but five remained empty along with ten other uncompleted houses and foundations.  "Now the city of Seattle, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and local nonprofit Homestead Community Land Trust are converting the rest of the subdivision into affordable housing.  The homes will be completed and sold to first-time buyers for as little as $190,000..."We're transforming a community liability of vacant houses and vacant lots into a community asset," said Sheldon Cooper, Homestead's executive director." The Seattle Times

It seems like so much good could come from this.  Families will be able to own their home for the first time, which can instill a sense of pride and hope.  Owning a home can provide financial stability and responsibility.  And a vacant street will soon be filled with 22 families, which is a lot safer than a street of abandoned houses.

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