Urban Farming On Repo Homes In Detroit

Posted on July 30, 2008
Filed Under Repo Homes |

Detroit has given the lead in showing how farming on repo homes can benefit the community. Wayne County has been particularly badly hit by foreclosures – although it is home to the fabled automobile city of Detroit. Foreclosures have led to a string of vacant plots. Boarded up houses dot Wayne County like ugly pox marks. Grass has grown knee-high. The houses and apartments that have been demolished have left behind plots the size of football playgrounds.

Seeing this opportunity a non-profit group, Urban Farming, came up with the idea of making using of the fallow land and grow food for the hungry. This year they took charge of 20 vacant plots in the county and started operations. After pulling out the weeds a fresh layer of topsoil was laid before planting fruits and vegetables. Not being fenced off, any one can walk in and take the pickings – without paying a cent. Whatever is left over is given to food banks. The programme has chalked out a plan for volunteers to work on 20 plots. Detroit City has offered to provide the required water

Taja Seville, the founder of Urban Farming found this region the perfect place to start off operations. The city has been suffering from foreclosure for a long time and in the previous year it topped the ranks. There are as many as 7,000 vacant properties. Seville said that he had lived in many places – Los Angeles, New York, London, Connecticut, Minneapolis etc. Never had he seen in a big city these long stretches of vacant land.

Raymond Wojtowicz, the County treasurer welcomed the idea as a big boon. The cost for the county will be nil. The land is being donated. If and when a buyer opts to purchase it, there will be no bars. In fact the green fertile gardens is expected to attract buyers. Wojtowicz added that the greatest blessing is that the neighbourhood will be saved from the curse of vandals and vagrants. The people living around the project welcome it with open arms. Resident Eric Parrish says that they can see that something is being done to “help the community” at large. Parrish too has pitched in with a helping hand to make Urban Farming a success. It is hoped that the idea will soon catch on. Initially there were fears that the gardens would attract pests but now more people see the positive side of the operation.