Towns Take Up The Work Of Maintaining Foreclosed Houses

December 12th, 2008 | Tags: Foreclosed Houses

More and more towns are taking up the work of maintaining and looking after foreclosed houses. The officials hope that this will bring down the number of crimes.

In Ansonia the police are increasing the number of patrols to make sure that the vacant and neglected foreclosed houses do not become centre points of criminal activities. Mayor Jim Della Volpe has taken the initiative. Across the region his measures are being emulated.

Last week Mayor Della Volpe made his announcement. This was done simultaneously with the freezing of hiring as well as discretionary spending by the municipality. The economic woes of the state were alarming. The mayor explained that he had requested Kevin Blake, counsel for the Corporation to make an inventory of the foreclosed houses in the city. Armed with this he plans to meet the Police Chief, Kevin Hale to talk about the deployment of more patrols in the region. The exact number of houses that had been foreclosed in Ansonia was not available but from a city official it may be surmised to be 50.

Commenting on this step Kevin Hale said, “I think it’s a prudent measure. Hopefully, we don’t have a run on foreclosures in the city. But if there are, we will have vacant homes and with people not there. It becomes an issue of community safety.” Hale added that the police officers are already as a matter of routine patrolling the vacant houses when a fire or emergency news trickles in about theft and vandalism.

At Bridgeport there are approximately 1,000 vacant foreclosed houses. Sub-prime loans number 5,562 according to Elaine Ficarra who is the Communications Director of Mayor Bill Finch. The city’s team concerned about this blight will keep a sharp look out on these foreclosed units. She said that the city is hoping to set up a formal plan for purposes of security once the share of Bridgeport from the central pool of grants is received. She however added, “I’m not sure about the time frame, but we should hear about the funding pretty soon. We’re concerned and that’s why the police and the anti-blight department are keeping an eye on areas in the city where homes have been foreclosed.”

In Trumbill only eight houses are in foreclosure said First Selectman, Raymond G. Baldwin Jr. But he is impressed with the plans of Della Volpe and is already alerting the chief of police about the possibilities of increase in crime.