It sounds like a scene from a scary Halloween movie: Neighborhoods are plagued by abandoned, dangerously dilapidated houses that threaten safety, attract crime and sap community spirit.
In fact, so-called “zombie homes” – often left vacant and unmaintained during prolonged foreclosure proceedings – are a serious problem that drew experts from academia, government and nonprofit organizations to Cornell Oct. 23-24 for a symposium focused on revitalizing afflicted communities across New York state.
“More than a decade after the collapse of the housing market, New Yorkers are still feeling and seeing the repercussions each and every day,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a videotaped message opening the sixth annual Community Development Institute. “We know that these abandoned homes dramatically decrease property values, burden local governments and threaten the safety of surrounding communities.”