States are working in conjunction with local governments to help revitalize their communities. Aging urban areas and small towns often have abandoned or vacant properties, and states are supporting efforts to address the unique challenges created by these properties.

These vacant and abandoned properties and land are not cared for by an owner and this can lead to their being unsafe and posing health risks to the community. They can inhibit redevelopment and can devalue surrounding properties. Additionally, they do not contribute to government tax revenues.

Governors are addressing these challenges by:

• Providing state assistance to limit home foreclosures in order to prevent abandonment in the first place.
• Creating programs such as state land banks to gain control of vacant properties and help to put them back into productive use.
• Providing incentives to promote restoration and continued productivity of at-risk properties to stimulate community revitalization.

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Pennsylvania's Strategy for Preventing Home Foreclosures
Pennsylvania has taken a number of actions to help limit home foreclosures, including examining factors that lead to foreclosure, working with the private sector to help families keep their homes, informing new homebuyers of the risks associated with certain mortgage products, and increasing enforcement actions against lenders who commit fraud.

• Read the Pennsylvania Case Study (pdf)

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Michigan's Land Use Strategy Addresses Vacant Properties
Michigan has developed a land bank program to gain control of vacant and abandoned properties and put them back into productive use. The land bank program helps to consolidate the various vacant and abandoned properties in the state under a single authority, and more quickly readies them for redevelopment.

• Read the Michigan Case Study (pdf)

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Maryland Tax Credit Encourages Restoration of Historic Homes
Maryland offers a tax credit that can be used to restore and rehabilitate historic homes. This incentive has been found to be effective at helping to revitalize deteriorating downtowns, combating blight, and stimulating local economies. These types of financial incentives help to promote continued use and restoration of properties that could be at-risk of abandonment and do so in a way that contributes to the overall health and economic stability of the surrounding community.

• Read the Maryland Case Study (pdf)

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Additional Resources:

• Foreclosure Prevention: Preserving Affordable Homes and Vital Communities
  Fannie Mae Foundation Housing Facts & Findings
• Combating Problems of Vacant and Abandoned Properties: Best Practices in 27 Cities
  KnowledgePlex report by US Conference of Mayors on Vacant and Abandoned Properties