Corrupt Angel Investigates: So this super hero decided the best way to learn about the housing problem in Modesto was to head to the more under-privileged neighborhoods and see the areas that are being hit hardest by the problem first hand. Let me just say, some neighborhoods are looking like ghost towns. Homes are boarded up to keep people from “squatting” in them, lawns are browned with neglect, windows are broken……it’s a pretty sad and discouraging image to come home to if you live next door I imagine. Well off to the internet to research what programs exist here in Modesto to help the neighborhoods heal and recover.
Well I was relieved to find out that Modesto already has a program established to deal with the foreclosure crisis, it’s called the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). Good news is it’s already federally funded…..so I won’t have to use my mind warp to “convince” people to open their wallets again. Basically, the NSP targets neighborhoods hit hardest by foreclosures (ones like my own) and purchases the homes, fixes them up, and then offers new purchasers incentives and counseling (so they know what they’re getting themselves into….mortgages can be tricky to understand. All that financial lingo is tough) to buy the once abandoned homes. Sounds pretty good.
Turns out there also is this great non-profit volunteer organization out there called No Homeowner Left Behind that is operating right here in the Central Valley. They offer loan counseling to new homeowners as well as existing homeowners in fear of foreclosure…..As part of my efforts to help save Modesto’s homeowners I will spread the word about this group. here’s a video from a local event they did
Now to help……
Act: Well this super hero will not sit idly by while efforts are being made to help the community. I will join forces with No Homeowner Left Behind and the NSP to assure my neighborhood and all of Modesto recovers. No Homeowner Left Behind holds frequent workshops throughout the valley and I will spread the word to all of Modesto. If you need help with your mortgage woes, I’ll find you the advice you seek. Meanwhile, when the NSP comes to my area to fix the abandoned homes I’ll be there to lend a hand and I’ll enlist the help of my fellow neighbors. Since much of the budget is spent on acquisition of these homes, volunteer efforts are needed in doing the maintenance and renovation.We will be cleaning yards, planting grass, painting houses, and fixing the homes to make them suitable to live in again.
Imagine: It’s been five long years and recovery has been a long road. There are fewer foreclosure signs on my block and far less people feeling the crunch of excessive mortgages. We’re still out there fixing up the homes that do become abandoned and making sure our neighborhood doesn’t fall into ruin, No Homeowner Left Behind is still offering advice to those who need it, and my neighborhood doesn’t look like a ghost town anymore.

This really made an impression on me from one of the links provided – “It is extraordinary how much can be achieved when we join together and collaborate. Through continuous partnerships with citizens, organizations and businesses, we accomplish common goals. As citizens, you are the heart of community well-being. Time and again you prove to be committed to the improvement of vitality and quality of life in our city.”

As citizens, we can help our city. Businesses and organizations need to come together to help the city of Modesto. If families are forced to leave our community, businesses suffer. Collaborating with others and building relationships can really make a difference. I am fortunate to have a home to live in. My children have a roof over their heads and a warm bed to lay in. I AM LUCKY. I need to help those in need.

LEARN:
I want to work with the City of Modesto and help with their Recovery Act Programs. The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) helps those who are experiencing homelessness. They provide financial assistance and help to prevent families from becoming homeless. I want them to know Supermom is here to support those in need. Families need to feel secure. Children should not have to suffer because of this housing crisis.

I want to help spread the word and get other citizens involved. We need to take action together. The emergency shelters need assistance. I will encourage donations of any kind whether it’s money, food, etc. from families and/or businesses. Charitable contributions need to be directed to our own communities. Local businesses and influential people in the community need to get creative. Talk to neighbors, church groups and anyone who cares.

More and more vacant homes are affecting neighborhoods. People are complaining about home values dropping and unkempt lawns. Well it’s time to do something about it. Quit complaining and take back your street! The government and banks aren’t going to do it for you. Yes, it requires some effort, but with a neighborhood that cares, everyone can get involved and feel good about their street again. In fact, my husband mowed our neighbors lawn when their house was abandoned. Our next door neighbor also watered their lawn. This kept our street looking cared for until the new family moved in.

Here are a few tips to help. Set up a neighborhood watch and report suspicious behavior. Be aware when neighbors move out. When a house is vacant, check for trash. No one wants rats around. Mow the lawn and keep weeds away. Report broken windows to the county officials.

IMAGINE:
Neighbors are being pro-active. It hit them that if they help others, they’re really helping themselves. Streets look cleaner and home values are looking better. Businesses are joining together with citizens to help struggling families. The problem is still ongoing, but communities are joining together to make a difference.

Act:
We citizens are the heart of the community and if we all unite and join forces we could help put a stop to this tragedy of foreclosures that are causing our fellow neighbors to become homeless. One group that I Fierce Dreamer will form an alliance with is the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP). This program focuses on providing families with financial assistance to prevent them from becoming homeless and also provide them with credit counseling. The special thing about this recovery act program is that it provides assistance to potential homeless by re-housing them in a short or medium term rental housing location. One way I Fierce Dreamer and the community can help HPRP is by lending a hand. First I will cause all those that are at risk of losing their house and those that are considered to be homeless to enter a dream like trance where they see themselves one day owning a house again without the stress of worry about how they will pay their mortgage. Then I Fierce Dreamer and the follow community members will volunteer at the HPRP to help move people into their relocation housing. Also we will put up flyers to let people know where HPRP is located so they can make donations of food or clothes.
Imagine:
Oh it’s just so delightful to be able to walk down the neighborhood streets without being bombarded with all these foreclosure signs plastered everywhere. I mean I still might see a sign every now and then by its amazing how one little step could make a big difference. Five years later and foreclosure is no longer a fear or an epidemic taking over every block. HPRP not only gave people a new place to live, but in fact it gave people the much needed assistance to get back on their feet and be home owners again.

I mean, really, think about it. Modesto s a growing city, but the quality of life for the people there just seems to go down. Crime is high, its hard to keep your health and your home.The people moving to the city aren’t engineers or marketing gurus. They’re just normal, or even people with very little working potential. Modesto seems like a city spread too thinly.

ACT: With money being what is it, some projects are just going to have to be abandoned. There’s only so much money allotted for city repairs. One has to look at the big picture. The amount of people a project will help needs to justify the amount of money going into it. If a city project will only help a tiny fraction of the population, but cost millions, there needs to be a very, VERY compelling reason.

This might sound cruel, but those living in Modesto need to realize the farther they live in from the center, the less they’re going to get. Modesto cannot afford to pay to keep its huge size going anymore. It’s similar to what the British Empire was going through years ago. They had territories all over the world, but became spread too thin like not enough butter on toast. For fear of the whole kingdom crumbling, they cut away the excess areas down to the lands they could afford. I don’t know if it’s possible, but can a city do the same? If there are parts e living there should talk to the authorities and e living there should talk to the authorities about leaving Modesto district and forming their own city if they are particularly impatient. The simple math of it is, does it make sense to spend that much money on so few people? It becomes an example of a bridge to nowhere type of thing. It might be nice to say, clean up the Airport area, but the number of people living there might not warrant the money put in. That means the people living in the airport area can either grin and bare it or, failing that, try to separate from Modesto and become its own city.

IMAGINE: Money might not be the root of all evil, but its starting to look like the root of most problems in Modesto at least. If I had all the money in the world, people living in the often times forgotten parts of Modesto wont’ have to move or declare their own city-hood. That’s something! No, actually, they would. Declare city-hood that is. In fact, I would buy a whole chunk of Modesto and fix it up nice and pretty. I would buy all the houses and renovate. Then I would turn around and rent the houses back to the people. They’d get to live in a nice private city where everything looks good. They’ll be happy I’m sure. Or they can leave. That’s always an option, even in my power fantasies.

IMAGINE
Umm, my powers didn’t make much of a difference I guess. I saved the Shelter money on food. They had the ability to use that money to help families find jobs so they can afford housing. Other than that…um…I didn’t help much.

Act: I’ll work with the nsp to keep people in thier homes. I’ll also try to organize community service efforts like habitat for humanity to fix up homes, and board up abandoned ones so they don’t become targets for crime.

imagine: Now families are back on thier feet, and in thier homes. also many people are enjoying home upgrades, and new found friendships and community form the people that helped them. The crime surrounding abandoned houses has also fallen.