Most neighborhoods have vacancy rate over 25 percent
FLINT -- The city of Flint has more vacant homes than most cities, thats according to the latest U.S. census report.
Some city blocks only have one or two homes left. Faced with plummeting home values, homeowners are calling for something to be done.
Stray dogs greet anyone passing this vacant house in Flint. Resident Cedric Perry says someone tied the dogs here and left them. Its just one of the problems of vacant houses. Perry says of vacant homes, " People live in them, vagrants, homeless people and then the scrappers come."
Scrappers strip the homes of everything valuable. Flint resident John Lyles says of the scrappers, " They taking the aluminum, the copper, the toilets, the sinks, everything, I'm watching them do it."
And according to the 2010 census report most neighborhoods here have a vacancy rate higher than 25 percent. It means other homeowners suffer because of lower property values. Residents blame the economy.
Cedric Perry says, "It's a problem in Flint basically because there's no jobs here for the young people."
Bill Hensley agrees saying, "A lot of people are not able to sale their houses or not wanting to renovate the houses so they're just leaving."
According to neighbors these empty homes don't just cause blight they're also breeding grounds for crime.
With broken glass and boarded windows almost everywhere, residents want more action from city leaders.
