Buildings Commitee
Did you know that the number of foreclosure filings in West Ridge alone has gone up by 394% as compared to 2006?
This raises a number of concerns for the residents of West Ridge.
· What is going to happen to these homes in foreclosure?
· What will happen to our neighbors who are experiencing foreclosure? Where will they go?
· What will happen to value of surrounding properties when there are so many foreclosures in the neighborhood?
· What are our local leaders doing to stop the rising tide of foreclosures?
· Are they providing resources to homeowners seeking to avoid foreclosures?
· What can WE do as a community to preserve our neighborhood?
Please join the North Side Alliance buildings committee as we begin to take action on this very important issue that affects our entire community. By working together, we can raise awareness of this issue to our local leaders and save our neighborhood.
A little background: The North Side Alliance Buildings committee was formed in response to the problem of unsecured vacant buildings in our neighborhood. Residents living on the 6100 block of N. Washtenaw were concerned about three buildings that had been sitting empty for years. Their efforts at getting these buildings secured had proven unsuccessful until we brought them to the attention of the Department of Buildings at our town hall meeting in May 2008.
At the meeting, we requested that Commissioner Jim Harney secure the buildings on Washtenaw, as well as a number of others we had identified through an area survey. Within a week of the meeting, all of the buildings were found secured. The buildings on Washtenaw are currently under construction, on their way to becoming habitable once again. We have also met with the new Vacant Buildings Officer of the 24th District, Paul Cirrincione, whose job is to make sure vacant buildings are secured. He welcomes the input of our community.
Moving beyond making sure vacant buildings are secure, the North Side Alliance buildings committee has begun to address the underlying issues that cause buildings to become vacant. Foreclosure is the most prominent reason for this problem.
The North Side Alliance recently hosted a Foreclosure Prevention Forum in March at the Indo American Center. The forum offered access to housing counselors and provided education on how to avoid foreclosure through legal and governmental assistance. If you are facing foreclosure or are behind on your payments, please contact the Rogers Park Community Development Corporation for free counseling. Call Devin Ross at 773-262-2290 x10 or email devin@rogersparkcdc.org to schedule an appointment.
If you are concerned about foreclosures in our neighborhood, please join us!
* According to a recent report put out by the National Training and Information Center .