Detroit land bank program helping residents buy their homes surpasses milestone

Detroit ― Aquia Winston was tired of renting her home and on Tuesday, she became the owner after completing a unique land bank-led program to claim the deed.

"The help is out there you just have to ask and have phone skills," said Winston, who lives on the city's east side. "They give you a lot of outlets that can help you with fixing up the house and getting it back right, so that's what I'm doing I am starting over."

On Tuesday, city leaders celebrated Winston and 134 other Detroiters who recently completed the Detroit Land Bank Authority's Buy Back program at the Johnson Recreation Center on the city's northwest side. The land bank launched the program in 2016 and leaders say it has helped 1,119 Detroiters become homeowners.

The program aims to provide accessible housing opportunities and focuses on individuals and families who lost their homes to foreclosure, were victims of real estate or landlord fraud, or have an additional significant connection to the home. Participants have to pay $1,000 to enter the program and spend a year learning about homeownership while saving for their first summer tax bill.

"When we launched the program as a pilot in 2016, we were entering uncharted territory," Detroit Land Bank Authority CEO Tammy Daniels said. "The success of this program is unprecedented, not just here but across the country. It fills me and our entire land bank team with pride. I know the process isn't easy. Each of them has worked for a year to budget, save, attend workshops and prepare for ownership has led to this moment where they will walk away with their deed."

This is the seventh Buy Back celebration since the program launched. Mayor Mike Duggan joined the celebration, saying the program has helped deter abandonment and blight in the city.

"For one reason or another, the home became under Land Bank ownership but people were still in them. If we went and put the folks out, we'd have another 1,000 vacant structures in the city," Duggan said. "We thought, can we set up a path for those people who have a connection to the home to reclaim ownership? The land bank doesn't demolish homes anymore, they take the land they have and turn it back to Detroiters in a reasonable way."

New homeowner Emoni Davey said during the event that working with the land bank was a great experience.

"I’ve always dreamed of being a homeowner and Buy Back made it possible," Davey said. "This process inspired me to enroll in trade school to learn how to do home repairs and now I’m building the future I see for my family."

To be eligible for the Buy Back program individuals have to currently live in a DLBA-owned home and meet one of these conditions in relation to the property:

• They are the most recent owner of record before the property was acquired by a public entity
• They are a former renter in the property
• A family member was a former owner of the property
• They have paid for utilities at the property for at least 12 consecutive months
• They are the victims of real estate or rental fraud at the property
• They have received current and prior year state or federal documents at the property related to income, benefits, or services

The program requires eligible documentation, allowing the DLBA inspector to come check if the house is safe, attend a Home Preservation Course with one of the non-profit partners and complete a one-on-one financial assessment with a non-profit housing counselor.

Throughout their year in the program, participants must stay current on their water bills, keep the property free from blight, and stay in consistent communication with their nonprofit housing counselor and the DLBA.

“It was a joy buying my childhood home back, it was a great feeling to be able to help remove a blighted home," said Detroiter Pratiss Talton. "I wanted to be together with my mom, but while I was finishing the home, my mom was called 'home' to be with the Lord."

Daniels said their jobs aren't finished and there are many other individuals who could benefit from this program.

"There are still about 1,800 land bank-owned houses in the city with folks living in them," Daniels said. "We need them to come forward and work with us to see if they qualify for Buy Back or if we can connect them with city’s Housing and Revitalization Department for wrap-around support services that the (land bank) isn’t equipped to provide.”

There are 48 new participants beginning their Buy Back program journey this week and working toward earning their deeds next summer. Occupants currently living in land bank-owned houses are encouraged to come forward and contact the organization directly by emailing buyback@detroitlandbank.org or by calling (313) 974-6869. More information about how to participate is available at buildingdetroit.org/buy-back.

Staff Writer Sarah Rahal contributed.