Buffalo Abandoned Homes Selling For $1

By
Gene Demby
WNYC | Aug 19, 2014

Like many cities, Buffalo, New York, is facing a glut of abandoned homes and lots. There are roughly 16,000 vacant lots and 4,500 vacant homes throughout the city.

Instead of tearing the homes down, city officials are selling them for $1. They’re calling it the Urban Homestead Program. The program requires that residents have the ability to make necessary repairs, and commit to living in the home for at least three years.

Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson speaks to Mike Puma, who bought one of the homes and is fixing it up.

Guest

  • Mike Puma, Buffalo resident who bought one of the $1 houses. He’s also a project manager for Preservation Studios, a historic preservation consulting firm.
Copyright 2014 WBUR-FM. To see more, visit http://www.wbur.org.
Profile Image
Gene Demby

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

Top Stories

Agita over the AI apocalypse

Who’s Running This Place |

In wake of Legionnaires' outbreaks, a debate over NYC's water and industry influence

An advocacy group backed by cooling tower companies wants the city to filter all the city’s drinking water. Some experts say it would be a waste of money.
Gothamist |

An American Journalist Imprisoned as a Spy in Russia

Evan Gershkovich, a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal who was convicted on false charges of espionage, talks about his time in a Russian prison.
The New Yorker Radio Hour |

Trump's Guide to Stealing an Election

The attempts, successful and not, to turn election conspiracies into policy.
On the Media |
YOU ARE ONLINE