Helping People Buy Properties on Foreclosure List
Some neighborhoods in Texas severely affected by the foreclosure problem will receive federal grants to help them purchase properties on foreclosure list and in the process, strengthen and stabilize the housing market. Tarrant is one of the 254 counties in Texas greatly in need of foreclosure assistance. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs noted that the county, with its 4,200 total number of properties on the foreclosure list and surging unemployment and poverty rates, is in a worst shape compared with other counties in the state. In Fort Worth alone, about 30 houses in one neighborhood were repossessed from September of 2007 to the same month the following year. According to market data, the number of properties on foreclosure list increased by 22 percent in the county in 2009 compared with figures the previous year for the same period. Last month, about 2,015 properties received foreclosure filings, the highest monthly postings since January 2000. The county government is hoping that almost $23. 8 million federal funding under the Neighborhood Stabilization Program would help neighborhoods recover from the devastating effects of foreclosure. With the federal funds, Tarrant County aims to purchase 16 abandoned or foreclosed properties. Additionally, Arlington’s share of the money will be used to help about 25 families under its homebuyer loan program. On its part, Fort Worth plans to help about 222 families by providing them loans. Both the Tarrant County Housing Partnership and the Fort Worth Housing Authority have formulated plans on how best to spend their share of the federal funds. Additionally, Fort Worth Housing Authority is planning to use the almost $8 million federal funds that it will receive to buy apartment buildings on foreclosure list, demolish them and build new ones for low income families. According to industry analysts, the federal funds, from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can help cities and nonprofit agencies purchase foreclosed properties, renovate and sell them. The money can also be used for land banking, which means acquiring blighted land properties for future development, and demolishing deteriorating properties to build parks. But analysts pointed out that the federal funds are not coordinated countywide and could not help homeowners facing foreclosure in terms of house payment. The funds would only be used on properties placed on foreclosure list due to bad finances or bad luck.





