BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Housing problems in the City of Buffalo are nothing new, but could one issue be used as a solution for another?
There's an idea floating around city government to repair a surplus of foreclosed-upon homes and sell them back to Buffalo residents at an affordable price.
Buffalo's Masten District Councilwoman Zeneta Everhart is working on a plan to sell city-owned foreclosed homes at below-market rates to help low-income families become homeowners.
The initiative aims to provide home-ownership opportunities for low-income families, while rebuilding neighborhoods and returning properties to the tax rolls.
WATCH: New proposal to repair foreclosed Buffalo homes and sell them at affordable prices
"You have big developers come in. They buy 30 houses and then they sell them back to people," Everhart said.
She does not believe folks on Buffalo's East Side can afford what those homes sell for.
The councilwoman sees this as an opportunity to address Buffalo's housing crisis by utilizing the city's inventory of foreclosed properties.
"There is a housing crisis. What can we do?" Everhart said. "City of Buffalo owns a whole lot of houses. Ding, ding, ding. Let's figure out a way to rehab those houses and give them back to people who live in those neighborhoods."
Councilman Rasheed Wyatt co-sponsored this resolution. He emphasized the importance of keeping home-ownership local.
"As we address the housing issues, we want more homeowners and we want those homeowners to live in those neighborhoods and not be displaced," Wyatt said.
According to city data, the Masten District alone has nearly 4,700 single-family homes and about 3,500 doubles. When asked how many of these properties are currently foreclosed upon, Everhart acknowledged that the exact number is still being determined.
"Well, right now we don't know that number," Everhart said. "So that's a conversation we're having with the law department and the mayor's office. But there's a lot of them."
The initiative also includes potential partnerships with organizations like Habitat for Humanity to help provide housing for low-income families.
"We try to get viable properties at a discounted rate because it has to be logical for us as well," said DJ Manou from Habitat for Humanity in Buffalo. "If the city is trying to say, we know there's a problem and we have a potential solution to cut into that...Yeah that's great."
Everhart believes this solution would also help build generational wealth for communities that often lack these assets.
"Imagine — a woman, a family, whoever buys a house — a double, for example, they can get that house fixed up. They can live in it, and they can rent out part of that house," Everhart said. "They're also making income. It's not rocket science. It's good government."
There is a potential snag. The city's own laws could stop this from moving forward.
Drantch: Is your resolution even legal?
Everhart: I don't know. But that's why we have a legal department here. So let's figure it out. If it's not legal, guess what, we're legislators. That's our job.
The next in-rem auction for tax-foreclosed homes in Buffalo is potentially scheduled for 2026.
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