On Tuesday, many new homeowners were handed the official deed to their properties in Metro Detroit.
Staff with Detroit Land Bank Authority handed out deeds to 135 people who graduated from its Home Buy Back program.
Smiles and cheers filled a gymnasium as Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and staff from the Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA) handed out the official documents.
The Deeds sealed the sign of homeownership for people like 23-year-old Imani Davey.
“My nephew passed in 2019, and he grew up in the house,” said Davey. “So I wanted to take that and build.”
The large group of new homeowners had to put in some work. They spent the summer attending various homebuyer counseling courses and home preservation classes and had to save enough cash to pay their summer tax bills.
Kendric Watts is among the first-time homeowners. She shed a few tears as she received the deed to a Land Bank house that once belonged to her uncle.
“He didn’t survive, and so I just continued on with the process to get his house back for him,” said Watts.
The graduates sometimes bought back homes tied to their families for years. Some lived in houses that their loved ones lost, which the Detroit Land Bank Authority absorbed due to foreclosure, back taxes, or which fell through the cracks by other means.
Detroit Land Bank Authority Director Tammy Daniels said that’s a common reality across the city.
“They’re in the home, they’re afraid they’re going to get put out, and so they run, and they hide,” said Daniels. “I would like to tell people, if you’re in a Land Bank house, reach out to us. There’s probably some programming that we can help you with.”
The Land Bank’s Buy Back program is a year-long commitment.
“We just strengthened 135 blocks with a new homeowner,” said Duggan.
So far, the Buy Back program has helped more than 1,100 people become homeowners.
For more information about the Detroit Land Bank Authority Buy Back program, click here.