Combating blight in our neighborhoods

1. Combating blight in our neighborhoods • Issues First Community Summit | Mid-South Peace and Justice Center

2. Overview and Purpose • It is the intention of the Issues First campaign to promote a community-wide discussion and grassroots political action to curb urban blight as well as address related issues in a holistic fashion. • The purpose of this document is to give a snapshot of troubling trends in Memphis and Shelby county and highlight the economic, public safety and quality of life costs to the community as a whole. • We will also demonstrate the connections between foreclosure, blight, fires and homelessness, that stem from predatory lending practices.

3. Starting points • 6000-7000+ unsecured vacant properties • 13,000+ vacant lots • 3000+ County owned due to abandonment or delinquent taxes. Cleveland & McNeil

4. Parking garage off Jefferson Concerns and Costs • Masks Homelessness • Crime, Illegal dumping. • $3.5 million in vacant fires costs in 2008

5. Presentation of fire data maps • 2005-2009 • Total vacant fires • EMS • Squatting • Racial breakdown

14. High Cost of Blight Orange Mound • The 933 vacant fires from late 2004- 2009 cost taxpayers $16.3 million dollars • Majority in low income communities of color

15. Code and Context • City and County Code agencies are responsible for enforcement of local property codes. • Serious problem of organizational overlap and a lack of information sharing

16. Code and Context • 933 fires in vacant properties • 694 were in 1-2 family residential units. This is overseen by City of Memphis Code Enforcement • 152 were in Multifamily units and were mostly over seen by the Fire Dept. • 77 were commercial fires and were mostly over seen by County Code Enforcement Binghampton

17. Presentation of Accountability • Accountability Matrix and Explanation

18. Code and Context Causes of Vacant Fires

19. Code and Context Vacant Fires 2005 - 2009

20. Why did fires decrease in 08? • 2008 Memphis Community Enhancement began boarding up vacant properties. • Other Forces

21. Cost of board-up $17,500 - cost of a fire $600 - cost to board up a home $16,900 - potential savings per prevented fire

22. The Shadow Inventory • 82,947 foreclosures notices From 2000-2009 • 50+% of notices resulted in foreclosure • Predatory lending practices in housing.

23. Shadow Inventory • Define Shadow Inventory • Underwater walk away • High Class Squatting

24. Shadow Inventory-cont • Presentation of Maps • Appt • Str • Wd • Non Wd Str transaction • Foreclosure map with Race

29. Other points of concern • Federal Tax credit ends • 20% to 30% of Shelby County mortgages are “underwater” • Unethical in-house financing practices.

30. Political and Grassroots Action • Issues First-People’s Agenda • Code Reform • Public Pledge

31. Political and Grassroots Action • TN. Neighborhood Preservation Act • Grassroots Organizing and training

32. Political and Grassroots Action • Change For Shelby County network • Communities of concentration • Accountability in government • Accountability of Lending Institutions

33. Notes For more information, please contact: • Mid-South Peace and Justice Center • 901-725-4990-office. 901-725-7858 • Email- center@midsouthpeace.org

34. Contributions Data for this presentation was provided by: • Office of the Shelby County Register of Deeds • City of Memphis Department of Fire Services • City of Memphis Department of Fire Services-EMS • Shelby County Environmental Court • Memphis Housing and Community Development • City of Memphis Division of Community Enhancement • Memphis Daily News • Mid-South Peace and Justice Center-internal sources • Commercial Appeal