Neighbor: Blighted homes "a magnet" for illegal activity



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Milwaukee officials say abandoned homes are becoming more and more of a problem. There are several thousand of them all over the city -- and those who live near them say they've had enough. City officials say dealing with the abandoned homes is top priority.

Fred Birchfield says there are three vacant homes within 100 yards of his home near 4th and Clarke.

"When a lot of my neighbors have been homeowners here for 20 or 30 years and we take care of our properties but we have these eyesores and with all the taxes and everything we pay, we shouldn't have to put up with this," Birchfield said.

Birchfield says the decaying buildings are bad enough -- but the crowd they attract is an even bigger problem.

"You pull down your alley and it looks like the making of the Michael Jackson 'Thriller' video. I'm serious. You see people look like zombies," Birchfield said.

FOX6 News looked up ownership records for the two properties across the street from Birchfield's home. They belong to Career Youth Development.

The executive director at CYD says because of numerous changes at the top of the organization, they're still trying to decide what they want to do with the properties, which they accepted as a gift last year.

"We've had such a transition with our board and our directors over the last 18 months that it's probably fallen to the bottom of the priority list for others but for me, it's high on the list," CYD Director Elizabeth Coggs said.

Regardless, the city issued raze orders for both houses.

Another house on Birchfield's block hasn't been condemned, but does have a lengthy list of violations dating back more than five years.

The owners have a listed address in Mississippi.

The abandoned homes on Birchfield's block are just a fraction of the 4,200 vacant properties in Milwaukee.

"The reality is there's a lot of vacant buildings in the city. That's a fairly high number," Department of Neighborhood Services Commissioner Art Dahlberg said.

Dahlberg says when a complaint comes in, the city automatically sends an inspector. Oftentimes, the property in question is already on file.

Dahlberg says DNS inspect known vacant properties once a month.

"I would say that's probably the number one priority for the department because everything, the strength of our neighborhoods depends on properties being managed well," Dahlberg said.

Dahlberg says DNS works closely with the Milwaukee Police Department.

"We have a special enforcement unit, roughly 15 strong and daily, we are working with the police department," Dahlberg said.

DNS also works with the Department of City Development.

Karen Taylor and the Department of City Development handle about 900 of the vacant properties, which the city owns through tax foreclosure.

She says she has seen the trouble abandoned homes attract.

"When we get a property in foreclosure and it's vacant, I don't know what it is about the city's name that brings vandalism but it just seems to give the impression that it's open season to go in and start vandalizing," Taylor said.

Taylor took FOX6 News on a tour of one of the homes that used to be an in-home daycare.

"Nothing's been touched, right? You see there's no broken windows. That means this is a pretty solid neighborhood, stable neighborhood where homeowners are here," Taylor said.

Unfortunately, it's a different scene in many other parts of the city, and once thieves have cleaned out a vacant home, it's rarely worth the cost of rehabilitation.

Once the city issues a raze order, it tries to get the owner of the property to cover the cost of the demolition. However, oftentimes, the city ends up having to pay for it and the cost of demolishing one house costs about $15,000.

As for the houses the city can save, Dahlberg says DNS will work with owners to fix the houses, but if they aren't receptive or even responsive, the city will start levying fines.

"The best way to get somebody's attention sometimes is to get into their pocketbook and those monthly inspections have fees that are graduated fees, eventually topping out at $350 per month," Dahlberg said.

At 4th and Clarke, the city advertises a pair of lots it will sell for one dollar.

Birchfield says new homeowners would improve the neighborhood, but notes it's not the most attractive location.

The city has since demolished one of the houses.

Now, the lots are on land that consists of a condemned house sandwiched by two empty lots.

"It's a magnet. It brings drug activity. It brings prostitution. We've constantly caught sex bring performed out in public," Bichfield said.

Birchfield says he's contacted DNS and the police. While he sees inspectors and one of the houses have come down, he says there's still too much blight on his block.

"It gets to a point where you get frustrated because your voice is being unheard and a lot of people tend to give up," Birchfield said.

Birchfield says he hopes to see more change in his neighborhood.

For now, he dreams of being able to walk down his block without having to see houses that are hanging on by a thread.

"That's all I'm aiming for. I just want a better quality of life and that shouldn't be something that should be hard to get," Birchfield said.

The city is offering rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of thieves who steal from vacant homes.

CLICK HERE to look up the ownership information for vacant properties in your neighborhood.