Narratives of Housing Blight

 

Blight is defined as the visual, psychological, and physical effects of living among empty lots, buildings and condemned houses. But what does that mean? What impact does living in a neighborhood with abandoned houses have on a resident? Also, what causes a house to become “blighted”?

In our interviews with community members, we were given some insight into the narratives of housing blight. The impacts it can have on a person.

The Bush Hills Neighborhood President, Walladean Streeter gave her experiences with her beloved neighborhood of Bush Hills. When she first moved to the neighborhood of Bush Hills she did not have any issues related to blight. She said all the neighbors knew each other and were very close. Now, however, things are different. She spoke so highly about Bush Hills; about how convenient it is to downtown and how the houses were built very well. However, as a result of abandoned houses, problems have come about. Mrs. Streeter’s stories of Bush Hills showed exactly that. When there are abandoned houses, the neighbors do not know who or if people are currently staying there. That can make a very unsafe situation. Mrs. Streeter said she has called the police before when she sees people she does not know entering into these houses. Also having vacant houses that are not kept up cause animals to dwell in these abandoned houses which cause problems for the neighbors. Mrs. Streeter also explained that she has seen a lot of property owners pass away and leave their house to their children who simply leave the house vacant. This is one of the biggest issues which causes abandoned houses in the neighborhood.

Another community member we talked to was Mrs. Caroline Harton. Mrs. Harton’s experiences were similar to Mrs. Streeter’s, but also provided different ones. Mrs. Harton actually lives next to a blighted house and across the street from one. She has experienced firsthand the impacts of blight have on people. She has had to call the owners of the blighted property and ask for them to keep of the lawn when they become overgrown. She also describes how the blight has caused a disconnect between neighbors. Mrs. Harton use to be very close to her neighbors, as one neighbor use to check in on her daughter when she walked home from school. In recent years the blight has caused parts of the neighborhood to fall into disarray, and the city does nothing to keep it up. Unlike they use to they no longer keep up city owned land – sidewalks, alleys, etc. Similar to Mrs. Streeter, Mrs. Harton loves the neighborhood and wished the city did more to keep it up.

Both interviews with Walladean Streeter and Caroline Harton gave great insight to stories behind the statistics. Both ladies are so wonderful and kind and want the best for their neighborhood. When researching blight and its effects, one must do more than just look at the properties or the statistics. Engaging with community members, like Walladean Streeter and Caroline Harton, is essential in understanding the problem of blight and how it affects people.

 

Emma Palmer