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St. Joseph County Housing Consortium
<br />were in the top 100 census tracts in need nationwide; Census Tract 21 is ranked 50th and
<br />Census Tract 6 is ranked 84th. In addition, Census Tracts 19, 20, and 34 are within the top
<br />2% of census tracts in need nationwide.
<br />While foreclosure has become a prominent problem, South Bend's foreclosure problem
<br />predated the national subprime foreclosure crisis. According to data compiled by University
<br />of Notre Dame researchers and the City of South Bend, St. Joseph County had 5,083
<br />foreclosures from 2001-2005, a time prior to the national foreclosure crisis. During this
<br />time period, almost 80% of all St. Joseph County foreclosures, or 4,019, occurred in South
<br />Bend, even though South Bend represented only 43% (43,349) of the total housing units
<br />countywide. While the City of South Bend maintained a disproportionately high level of
<br />foreclosures compared with the remainder of the County, the overall number of foreclosures
<br />increased roughly 30% from 2006 to 2007.
<br />Data provided by HUD in cooperation with the United States Postal Service indicate a
<br />countywide vacancy rate of 6% as of June 30, 2009. However, vacancy rates in urban core
<br />areas are much higher. According to the same data, South Bend has two census tracts with
<br />vacancy rates higher than 30%, four census tracts with vacancy rates between 20% and
<br />30%, and 14 census tracts with vacancy rates between 10% and 20%.
<br />South Bend's housing problems may be attributed to, in part, the fact that too many homes
<br />in the city do not meet modern consumer preferences. For example, data from the Multiple
<br />Listing Service reveal that the average home sold in a recent 2.5-year period in the City of
<br />South Bend's NSP2 target area (Census Tracts 6, 19, 20, 21, & 34) is 94 years old, is 1,335
<br />square feet, has three bedrooms, one bathroom, no garage, and sold for $20,035.32. In
<br />contrast, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average home built in the United States
<br />in 2008 is 2,532 square feet, has three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a two car
<br />garage, and sold for $252,000. Vacant, substandard housing that is cost prohibitive to
<br />modernize may be demolished to support the development of infill housing meeting modern
<br />consumer preferences.
<br />At any given time the City of Mishawaka has approximately 100 vacant structures within its
<br />city limits. As a result of the current foreclosure crisis, however, that number is expected to
<br />grow by approximately 5% each month. Vacant properties can include abandoned,
<br />boarded-up buildings; unused lots that attract trash and debris; vacant or underperforming
<br />commercial properties, known as grayfields (such as under-leased shopping malls and strip
<br />commercial properties); and neglected industrial properties with environmental
<br />contamination, known as brownfields. State laws and uniform building codes further refine
<br />what constitutes an abandoned building, but these vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
<br />Often these structures have been unoccupied for over a year, are beyond repair, and pose
<br />serious danger to public safety.
<br />In 2006, the City of Mishawaka turned its attention to the broad issue of vacant, abandoned
<br />and derelict houses. An inventory of all vacant structures, both residential and commercial,
<br />was completed by the Department of Code Enforcement in conjunction with Mishawaka
<br />Utilities: It was discovered that while many of the properties standing vacant could be
<br />classified as "problem," some of the homes were in transition to become a new home for a
<br />Mishawaka family. While certainly a positive trend, this fact does not minimize the adverse
<br />effect an abandoned, blighted structure has upon the surrounding neighborhood.
<br />It has been estimated by the City of Mishawaka's Department of Code Enforcement that at
<br />any given time approximately 80 housing units, or 75% of the total number of vacant
<br />houses in the City, are uninhabitable in their current state.
<br />2010-2014 Housing and Community Development Plan 36
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