SAHLINS

A GIANT OF

AMERICAN COMEDY AND

THEATER.

THE

FORECLOSURE CRISIS HAS

HIT

CHICAGO HARD.

ACCORDINGACCORDING TO RESEARCH TODAY

60,000 OF CITY'S

HOUSING UNITS

HAVE

ENTERED

FORECLOSURE THE

PAST FOUR YEARS

ALONE.

WHAT TO DO WITH WHAT

REMAINS?

THIS IS THE STORY OF A GROUP OF

HOUSING ACTIVITIES WHO DECIDED

TO TAKE THE

FORECLOSURE CRISIS

INTO THEIR OWN

HANDS

LITERALLY.

FOR THEM THE SOARING

NUMBER OF

VACANT HOMES COULD HAVE

A SILVER

LINING,

TEMPORARY RELIEF FOR

CHICAGO'S

HOMELESS.

>>WITH CRISIS

COMES

OPPORTUNITY.

THAT'S HOW ONE GROUP OF

ACTIVITIES SEES THE

HOUSING

CRISIS WHICH HAS LEFT THE CITY

WITH 62,000

VACANT

PROPERTIES,

MANY ROTTING AND UNSAFE.

THEY CALL

THEMSELVES THE

ANTI-EVICTION CAMPAIGN OR

AEC.

>>WE ARE TRYING TO

CREATE A

PEOPLE HOUSING

AUTHORITY, NOT

PUBLIC BUT PEOPLE.

>>JR

FLEMMING IS THE BRAINS

BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN

WHICH

USES

LEGAL AND NOT SO LEGAL TACTICS

TO REHAB

ABANDONED HOME ANDS

MOVE HOMELESS PEOPLE IN.

HE COFOUNDED

AEC AFTER THE

HOUSING BUBBLE

BURST.

SINCE 2009 IT HAS

REHABBED MORE

THAN 30 HOMES MOST ON

THE SOUTH

AND WEST SIDES.

>>THE

CITY APPROACH ARE

SPENDING

$30,000

PER UNIT

TO

TEAR THEM DOWN

IT'S

ABSURD.

>>MARTHA LIVES IN

ONE OF THE

SO-CALLED TAKEOVER HOMES.

ITS A

FORECLOSURE TECHNICALLY

OWNED BY TO

DEUTSCHEY BANK.

>>IT'S CHEAPER TO

FIX THE

BUILDING THAN TO TEAR IT DOWN.

IF YOU DON'T WANT

THE GANG

BANGERS IN TO MOVE A

HOMELESS

WOMEN WITH CHILDREN SHE'S GOING

TO KEEP THEM OFF THE

DOORSTEP

BECAUSE

SHE WANTS

SOMEWHERE TO

STAY.

>>FOR ALL ITS

FLAWS SHE

SAID IT

WAS HOME.

>>TOW

ME --

TO

ME IT WAS LIFE.

>>AFTER THE

DEMOLITION,

B.I.G.S

SPENT THE NEXT 15 YEARS

HOMELESS

LIVING MOSTLY IN HER

MINIVAN

WHILE HER FOUR KIDS STAYED

WITH

FAMILY UNTIL SHE STARTED A

CONVERSATION WITH THE

ANTI-EVICTION

CAMPAIGN.

>>I SAID YOU ARE

Y'ALL NOT

HELPING

ANYBODY.

THEY SAID YOU WANT HELP?

I SAID YEAH I WANT

HELP.

>>I SAID WE H

AVE SOMETHING FOR

YOU TO DO

RIGHT

NOW.

THEY SAID WE'RE GOING TO COME TO

YOU YOUR

HOUSE.

THEY SAID REALLY, COME OVER HERE

THEN.

THEY TOOK ME IN AND SHOWED

ME

THE THINGS I COULD BE DOING TO

HELP THE COMMUNITY.

>>NOW B.I.G.S WORKS

FOR A

DBIGGS WORKS FOR

AEC

REHABBING

VACANT

HOUSES, A SKILL SHE

PICKED UP IN.

>>IN THE PROJECTS YOU HAVE TO

WAIT FOREVER TO COME

AND FIX

SOMETHING IN YOUR HOME.

YOU GET TIRED

OF WAITING

SO

BASICALLY YOU TRY TO FIX IT

YOUR

IS.

EITHER YOU MESS IT UP WORSE

OR

YOU FIX IT.

>>ERIC RAY LIVES DOWN

THE

STREET FROM THE HOME

BIGGS

SHARES WITH A FEW OTHERS.

HE WELCOMED THE

IDEA OF NEW

NEIGHBORS IN

THE

LONG VACANT

HOUSE.

>>I FEEL LIKE DRUG USERS WOULD

HAVE USED IT AS

A TRAP

HOUSE, TO

STORE DRUGS, SELL DRUGS AND

HAVE

A WARM PLACE TO BE.

>>FOR THE CAMPAIGN,

BUILDING

COMMUNITY SUPPORT IS KEY BEFORE

TAKING OVER

A

FORECLOSURED HOME

WORKERS CANVAS THE BLOCK

AND

ASKED NEIGHBORS IF THEY ARE

COMFORTABLE WITH NEW

NEIGHBORS

MOVING IN EVEN THOUGH THEY WON'T

PAY RENT OR A

MORTGAGE.

FOR RAY SAYING YES WAS A

RISK

WORK TAKING.

>>EVERY TIME I LOOK

OUT THE

BIG

PICTURE WINDOW, I

SEE THEM

CUTTING THE GRASS OR DOING

SOMETHING TO HELP THE

NEIGHBORHOOD.

THEY HAVEN'T BEEN NO TROUBLE.

>>DOWN THE STREET

AEC IS

TAKING

OVER ANOTHER HOUSE.

WHEN IT'S COMPLETE THEY HOPE TO

MOVE IN A

HOMELESS MOTHER AND

HER KIDS.

TO ENSURE STABILITY THE

NEW

RESIDENTS SIGN SOMETHING CALLED

A GOOD NEIGHBOR

CONTRACT, A

PROMISE TO BE AN ASSET

AND NOT A

LIABILITY TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

>>BEDROOMS, THE

WALLS, THE

ELECTRICITY

PART

AND ON THE

ROOFING ON THIS SIDE.

WE TRASHED IT ON

THIS TIED AS

YOU CAN SEE IN

THE

BACK

PORCH.

>>ANTHONY HUNTER

IS ONE OF A

LEGION OF VOLUNTEERS

WHO KEEP IT

RUNNING.

THEY LARGELY RELY ON

VOLUNTEER

HELP.

FOR HUNTER THE REHAB IS

A

DISTRACTION THAT IS HELPING HIM

HEAL.

HE WAS SHOT ON

75th STREET

A

FEW WEEKS AGO TRYING TO MEDIATE

A CONFLICT.

IS THIS

WORK LEGAL?

THE ANSWER YES AND NO.

THE CAMPAIGN HAS AN

INTERESTING,

SOMETIMES FRIENDLY, SOMETIMES

ANTAGONISTIC

RELATIONSHIP WITH

BANKS WHO

TECHNICALLY OWN THE

HOUSES THEY ARE TAKING

OVER.

WE NEGOTIATE WITH THE BANKS

SAYING

MAN,

LOOK WE'VE

FIXED

IT

ALL ALL WE ASKING FOR IS

THIS

LADY DON'T HAVE TO SLEEP

IN HER

CAR OR BE

HOMELESS.

AND NINE TIMES OUTS OF TEN

THEY

AGREE.

AND THEY SAY WELL AS LONG AS YOU

DON'T MESS THE PROPERTY

UP

BUT

NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN IT'S

MESSED UP

BECAUSE YOU LEFT ATE

BANDONNED

FOR YEARS.

>>RESEARCH

SHOWS MANY OF

AMERICA'S BANKS HAVE FAILED

THE

MARKET

TO MAINTAIN THE

HOMES.

INSTEAD

THEY BECAME HAVENS FOR

CRIME, DRUG

TRAFFICKING AND

SOMETIMES SEXUAL VIOLENCE.

>>IT'S LIKE BEING

A

DEADBEAT

DAD OR

NEGLIGENT

PARTNER.

THEY ARE KNOT

NOT -- THEY ARE

NOT HOLDING UP THEIR CONTRACT

AND SOME CASES WE

FOREWARN THEM

AND SOME CASES WE

DON'T.

>>THE WAY HE SEES

IT HOMELESS

PEOPLE ARE KEEPING IT UP IN

EXCHANGE FOR TEMPORARY

SHELTER.

>>A

HOMELESS WOMAN WITH NOTHING

TO DO CAN CUT YOUR GRASS AND

KEEP THE FRONT OF

YOUR HOUSE

LOOKING GOOD AND YOU SITTING IN

THE BANK, I DON'T THINK YOU CAN

DO THAT.

>>AT THE VERY LEAST, THE

CAMPAIGN TELLS THE RESIDENTS

TO

KEEP RECEIPTS FOR ALL THE WORK

THEY PUT INTO THE HOMES.

IF THE BANKS KICK

THEM

OUT, AT

LEAST THEY CAN

PETITION TO

GET

REIMBURSED.

>>BEFORE WE MOVE IN

ANYBODY WE

TELL THEM THE RISKS OF

MOVING

IN.

THEY KNOW IT'S

TEMPORARY.

IT'S NOT PERMANENT BUT THEY ARE

THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO TAKE

CONTROL OF THE SITUATION WHEN IT

GETS REAL, REAL BAD.

>>TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE

ANT-EVICTION CAMPAIGN

AND

AMERICA'S FORECLOSURE CRISIS

VISIT OUR WEB