Short Summary
This October 23,000 Detroit
properties will be auctioned off to the highest bidder for prices starting at
only $500. This is an incredible opportunity for investors and speculators, but
also a personal tragedy for the estimated 20,000 occupants of these properties.
Most of these people face eviction and displacement when someone else buys
their home.
We are contributing $500 each to 10 deserving families, which we initially selected because they had tricycles or other signs of young children in the front yard.
Help deserving Detroiters STAY PUT instead of MOVE OUT.
Help them own their own homes.
Help turn a traumatic life event into
an opportunity.
Help keep people in Detroit who want
to stay.
Help preserve the family home of a
child.
Help us give them a fresh
start.
What We Need & What You Get
We're raising $500 to buy Detroit houses at auction for 10 deserving families for a total of $5,000. (The goal of $5555 is for indiegogo and other fees).
- If we meet our goal, each family will have enough to place the starting bid to buy their home.
- Families are all expecting that their houses will sell for over $500, but what we earn will help them get closer.
- The United Community Housing Coalition, will apply the money toward the purchase of each house at auction.
- If we exceed our goal, there is more to go around! Additional funds will be 1) spread out among the 10 families for house prices greater than $500 and property taxes. 2) Applied to covering the [minimal] costs of running this campaign and 3) Handed over to the UCHC which will apply it to auction purchases for more than just our 10 original families.
- We are already on target to well-exceed the fundraising goal. Vetting for additional families has begun!
Who We Are
The Tricycle Collective has a 3-tiered approach:
1) Root Cause Activism- Work with local government and non-profits to reduce foreclosure
2) Education- Inform and empower residents of foreclosed homes with information about the foreclosure and the auction.
3) Direct Action- Raise money to help buy auctioned properties and so residents can stay put rather than moving out. All of our candidates live in houses with tricycles in the front yard- these are homes to young children. THIS is what the fundraising campaign is about.
Our team includes:
- Michele Oberholtzer- is a Detroit writer, engineer and community activist
- The United Community Housing Coalition- is a Detroit non-profit that has helped buy over 1,000 homes at auction. They provide counseling, legal support, financial counseling, and expertise in the auction process. They charge only $25 for all their auction services and also provide ZERO% INTEREST loans where possible, to those who cannot pay the full amount of their home's auction price.
- The Families- Represent thousands of other Detroiters who face hard times for various reasons and, in many cases, deserve a second chance. We will profile each of the families throughout the campaign.
What do you get? How about the chance to make a disproportionally massive positive impact on someone's life for astoundingly little money? Not enough? Check out our perks. We try to show you love but we don't spend big money to thank you for spending money because that's really not the point.
Impact
Every time we
help a family stay in their home, we offset the traumas of foreclosure and
positively impact all levels of community.
- The Residents: Foreclsosure abruptly displaces people in ways that almost always lead to reduced quality of life. Eviction can mean children pulled out of school, parents losing jobs after missing too much work, entire families victimized by scammers or other predators.
- The Property: Properties sold at
auction often become blighted buildings as scrappers strip them of valuable
pipes, wiring, and appliances as soon as the former residents move out.
-
The Neighborhood: Communities are
fractured by foreclosure. Fewer neighbors mean fewer eyes on the street and a
weaker community network. Fewer occupied houses means lower property values and
greater risk of crime.
-
Local Government: Some people displaced by
foreclosure will move away, lowering city population. Everything from school
budgets to utility bill rates are affected when population drops. Some people
displaced by foreclosure will stay, increasing the number of people in the city
who need government support, such as housing, to survive.
All this can be
avoided when we help people STAY PUT instead of MOVE OUT
Risks & Challenges
- You never know what will happen at the auction! A few rich speculators can make the prices of these homes soar with the click of a button. Prices start at $500 but UCHC predicts that our homes will sell for an average of $1250. Even then, there's no guarantee.
-
WORST CASE SCENARIO, we will buy a home
for only one family. Projections based on past year's experience tell us we
will be able to serve many more.
-
Our fundraiser will end before the auction
begins so that the money is in place to bid on the properties. Donors will not
know the outcome of the auction until a few weeks after their contribute, but
don't worry, we will absolutely follow up.
Other Ways to Help
We understand not everyone can contribute, here are some other ways you can help:
- Share our story! Follow, Like, Comment on and Share our activity Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
- Educate yourself about the tax foreclosure issue:
- Come and see us in Detroit sometime. We'd love to have you!