HESPERIA • Foreclosures hurt more than just the families that lose their homes: Whole neighborhoods can be affected, with a drop in property values and a spike in crime.
That’s why Hesperia is preparing to rehabilitate some two dozen homes it purchased with federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program dollars, starting with five makeovers up for a vote tonight.
During the waning days of his administration, Pres. George W. Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, providing funds for local communities to buy up and rehabilitate foreclosed and abandoned homes in an attempt to stem the blight. San Bernardino County received nearly $23 million through the program, including funds for Victorville, Apple Valley and Hesperia.
“Hesperia received, based upon the foreclosure activity in our community, about $4.5 million that we could utilize to acquire properties that had been foreclosed upon or abandoned,” said Steve Lantsberger, the city’s deputy director of economic development. “Homes that become vacant become targets for vandals and they become nightmares when it comes to maintain the integrity of the neighborhood.”