Foreclosure and Crime – The Shocking Truth Revealed!

According to a report that came out recently, houses that have been abandoned after facing foreclosure are fast becoming a haven for criminals and squatters. Houses that have been left empty after being foreclosed are quickly being populated by criminals. Those that are deemed unsuitable by them are seeing squatters move in to them over time.
Kew Gardens / Woodhaven, Jackson Heights Rockaway / Broad Channel and Jamaica / Hollis are the main areas in Queens, New York, where crime was on a rise between 2006 and 2008. All these areas saw high foreclosure rates, according to the study that was released on Thursday by ACORN, the advocacy group.
Only two neighbourhoods which had high foreclosure rates saw a decline in crime – South Ozone Park and Queens Village, while crime dipped in most of the areas where there were low-foreclosure rates like Flushing, Astoria, and Forest Hills.
According to NY State ACORN President Pat Boone, "It is common sense that foreclosure and crime go together. Thousands of families across New York have lost their homes to foreclosure. In turn, their communities have lost neighbors who care for their homes and help keep an eye on everyone’s safety." This study was compiled by cross-referencing foreclosure notices with FBI and NYPD data on crimes such as murders, burglaries, autho thefts and robberies.
The study showed that there were an average of 424 more crime incidents in high-foreclosure neighbourhoods compared to low-foreclosure neighbourhoods last year, which is a jump of almost 150% since 2006. These foreclosed houses are looted, but the study says that "the increasing displacement of homeowners leaves neighborhoods without the deterrent presence of concerned neighbors’ watchful eyes" which could have helped protect the homes from crime.
The study gave the example of two serial rapists last summer that were terrorizing South-eastern Queens and attacking more than a dozen women in a vacant church along with other empty buildings. Linda Bowman, ACORN member from Far Rockaway, said abandoned homes were "an invitation for kids to get into trouble."
She added that "I’ve seen more and more abandoned homes on my block, and sometimes there are people sleeping in them. We need to make sure people can stay in their homes so our communities are safe."
Other high-foreclosure areas like Brooklyn, Albany and Nassau County were also linked with crime. According to the study, foreclosure auctions went up from 290 homes in January 2008 by 62%, to 472 homes in just one year till January 2009.

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