No to RoboCop, Yes to $1000 Houses for Cops

So Detroit is in the news today for two reasons. First, the Mayor said no to a Robocop statue. I would have to agree with this decision. And second, he is saying yes to a houses for cops statute.

The mayor of Detroit is offering public safety officials tax-foreclosed homes in the city for only $1000; they also can get up to $150,000 in grants to restore the homes. I think this is a good idea. I wish it were open to more than just police and firemen/women though. I would buy a house or two in Detroit if I could get them for a mere thousand dollars, with $150,000 to rehab each. No house payment is a dream.

This kind of program is a great idea. They need to expand it to other citizens though, not just police.

I used to live in a great part of Dayton called the Oregon District. It is the nicest part of the city of Dayton - the heart. It was rehabbed in a program like the above-mentioned one thirty years ago or so, except houses went for $1. You read that correctly - a mere dollar. The home owners had to promise to live in the house as their primary residence for seven years or something. And, I think they also received grants to rehab the neighborhood. Guess what, it worked! It is beautiful there now.

The Oregon District is one of the most expensive places to live in the Miami Valley now and has held its value over the years. It is BEAUTIFUL! Its prices are comparable to Oakwood's, Dayton's version of Grosse Pointe.

So, I hope this plan works. And I hope more plans like this follow. Home ownership is the American dream. It is a dream that has been taken away from too many in recent years. Once people own homes, they have pride. There is no place like home, even if it only costs a grand. I would love no house payment! This is a step in the right direction. My mom and dad grew up in beautiful neighborhoods in Detroit proper. Oh to see that again would be wonderful.