As Foreclosures Rise, Squatters Lay Claims

Miami Activist Placing Homeless People In "People-Less Homes"

(AP)  Max Rameau delivers his sales pitch like a pro. "All tile floor!" he says during a recent showing. "And the living room, wow! It has great blinds."

But in nearly every other respect, he is unlike any real estate agent you've ever met. He is unshaven, drives a beat-up car and wears grungy cut-off sweat pants. He also breaks into the homes he shows. And his clients don't have a dime for a down payment.

Rameau is an activist who has been executing a bailout plan of his own around Miami's empty streets: He is helping homeless people illegally move into foreclosed homes.

"We're matching homeless people with people-less homes," he said with a grin.

Rameau and a group of like-minded advocates formed Take Back the Land, which also helps the new "tenants" with secondhand furniture, cleaning supplies and yard upkeep. So far, he has moved six families into foreclosed homes and has nine on a waiting list.

"I think everyone deserves a home," said Rameau, who said he takes no money from his work with the homeless. "Homeless people across the country are squatting in empty homes. The question is: Is this going to be done out of desperation or with direction?"

With the housing market collapsing, squatting in foreclosed homes is believed to be on the rise around the country. But squatters usually move in on their own, at night, when no one is watching. Rarely is the phenomenon as organized as Rameau's effort to "liberate" foreclosed homes.

Florida - especially the Miami area, with its once-booming condo market - is one of the hardest-hit states in the housing crisis, largely because of overbuilding and speculation. In September, Florida had the nation's second-highest foreclosure rate, with one out of every 178 homes in default, according to Realty Trac, an online marketer of foreclosed properties. Only Nevada's rate was higher.

Like other cities, Miami is trying to ease the problem. Officials launched a foreclosure-prevention program to help homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage, with loans of up to $7,500 per household.

The city also recently passed an ordinance requiring owners of abandoned homes - whether an individual or bank - to register those properties with the city so police can better monitor them.

Elsewhere around the country, advocates in Cleveland are working with the city to allow homeless people to legally move into and repair empty, dilapidated houses. In Atlanta, some property owners pay homeless people to live in abandoned homes as a security measure.

In early November, Rameau drove a woman and her 18-month old daughter to a ranch home on a quiet street lined with swaying tropical foliage. Marie Nadine Pierre, 39, has been sleeping at a shelter with her toddler. She said she had been homeless off and on for a year, after losing various jobs and getting evicted from several apartments.

"My heart is heavy. I've lived in a lot of different shelters, a lot of bad situations," Pierre said. "In my own home, I'm free. I'm a human being now."

Rameau chose the house for Pierre, in part, because he knew its history. A man had bought the home in the city's predominantly Haitian neighborhood in 2006 for $430,000, then rented it to Rameau's friends. Those friends were evicted in October because the homeowner had stopped paying his mortgage and the property went into foreclosure.

Rameau, who makes his living as a computer consultant, said he is doing the owner a favor. Before Pierre moved in, someone stole the air conditioning unit from the backyard, and it was only a matter of time before thieves took the copper pipes and wiring, he said.

"Within a couple of months, this place would be stripped and drug dealers would be living here," he said, carrying a giant plastic garbage bag filled with Pierre's clothes into the home.

He said he is not scared of getting arrested.

"There's a real need here, and there's a disconnect between the need and the law," he said. "Being arrested is just one of the potential factors in doing this."

Miami spokeswoman Kelly Penton said city officials did not know Rameau was moving homeless into empty buildings - but they are also not stopping him.

"There are no actions on the city's part to stop this," she said in an e-mail. "It is important to note that if people trespass into private property, it is up to the property owner to take action to remove those individuals."

Pierre herself could be charged with trespassing, vandalism or breaking and entering. Rameau assured her he has lawyers who will represent her free.

Two weeks after Pierre moved in, she came home to find the locks had been changed, probably by the property's manager. Everything inside - her food, clothes and family photos - was gone.

But late last month, with Rameau's help, she got back inside and has put Christmas decorations on the front door.

So far, police have not gotten involved.

[olanna-2009]

Homes are up for auction in Northern California with an opening bid of $1000 in some locations. This hardly supports tmittelstaed argument that banks are keeping prices high and the foreclosed home is on the market for years and years. Truth is, there are so many of these homes, and they are not selling due to the tight restrictions on credit, that short of giving them away, they sit empty.

Should homeless people be allowed to squat in these houses? Or would it be better that funds from some local church purchase these things, allow the homeless shelter in them, and do what the original design of the church was to do...assist those with less?

[scuttle_fish]

pop quiz: which of the following notables were dirty indigents?

a) Socrates
b) Jesus
c) Paul
d) Van Gogh
e) Charlie Chaplin

"The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58).
In fact, all EXCEPT van Gogh. Add Halle Barre, Carey''s Drew and Jim, Ella Fitzgerald, Jewel, Philip Emeagwali (one of the "inventors" of the internet, more so than that hippie Gore), Pierce (leading philosopher), William Freaking Shatner...

Not all of these are people who decided to hitchhike or run away from home or go out and follow their dreams of art or whatever. Some of them got kicked out of marriages, some grew up on the streets or came out of poor families that travelled from state to state, some simply spent too much time with their heads in the clouds, some just didn''t want to accept a crippling compromise to their values.

[scuttle_fish]

How many of you would be so forgiving if he was moving homeless squatters into YOUR neighborhood?

Posted by PVperson at 04:03 PM : Dec 02, 2008

I think the whole point of this venture is that he can move homeless families in, abandoned buildings usually catch the eye of criminals and vandals not people who have lost their jobs. is it so bad that he''s opening up the squat lifestyle to people who would otherwise not be squatters?
i think you guys aren''t thinking about a lot of things. these houses don''t have utilities, for example, unless the bills get paid. i for one think this is actually a more independent-minded approach to the problem than government welfare. you''re so opposed to socialism and yet when someone takes a non-governmental, non-bureaucratic approach you scream "criminal." yes, it absolutely is-- but so have many of the more heroic acts of the previous century.
and as for people who say the homeless should stick to the shelters, go stuff it. there are many breeds of homeless and many different solutions to the problem, lumping the evicted and their children together with the insane and the addicts is a bit daft, no?
ah well, keep slipping your $50s into the church coffers, i''m sure this is the only responsible thing to do-- otherwise you''re just feeding the bears, right? jesus would not approve of handouts. after all, someone else can care of the poor. and they''re doing a *** fine job of it, too.

[tincup356]

to paid gop schill.Poor bankers? they made the bad loans knowing they couldn''t be paid back .Now the Fed gives them billions at 1 % interest and they say they have to charge much higher interest rates than before because they need it? What a joke, let every one of the fools go down and not give them a cent.All the billions handed out already and what good has it done?, nothing but make a lot of white collar ,suit and tie terrorists filthy rich.

[mbourn2]

My wife and I are expecting our first child and have been looking for a larger house.... After reading this, why would I want to BUY one.... It seems we can just find an empty one and move in.

[cntrymuzksux]

The sad truth is most homeless people are quite mentally ill and do not want treatment. Nor are they curable although many would be better if they could stay on their meds. Shooting them may be a bit extreme but euthanasia in a lot of cases would be a kindness as opposed to how some of them are surviving now. I understand how there are those who think this is a reasonable solution to homelessness but it''''s too close to lawlessness and I agree we need to stick with paying for our homes and goods.


Posted by Welshwoman at 02:34 PM : Dec 02, 2008

Yeah!!! Next stop, Africa! Might as well wipe out a whole continent of mentally ill homeless people. More room for me!

[questionnews]

I wonder when they will start looking at people''s garages & travel trailers as the next free rent opportunity.

[hunterdon6]

The house next to me had been vacant for over a year. People were breaking into after dark and spending the night, or maybe days. Some days the curtains were open and some day closed. Windows were opened and closed. I didn''t think it was a good idea so I called the police to random check it. That ended the squatters. But why are the rich being bailed out and the poor are made poorer?

[pvperson]

This guy tries to sanitize his actions by saying they''re for the good of people. How many of you would be so forgiving if he was moving homeless squatters into YOUR neighborhood?

[summarex]

Sounds like a great idea. But I could do one better by having the evicted people move back in during the night along with the homeless.

[tmittelstaed]

This practice is theft, plain and simple, it makes no difference that the bank may own the house.
The idea that having a homeless person living in the house helps the owner is bunk. What the best thing would be for these communities is for the homes to be speedily foreclosed, and the banks to then quickly sell them. Any house will sell if priced low enough. If an abandonded home gets broken into and it''s copper pipe stolen, that is just too bad for the bank - they should have sold it for less money instead of trying to keep the price high and have the thing on the market for years and years.

[eggy1620]

There are too many people living on this planet for the concept of private property to survive. Mass confiscation or mass extinction will happen.

[jondoe12]

Why dont the people losing there house to forecloser do the same thing just dont leave, if the homeless are allowed to do it then they should be allowed to do it also.

[simplemind2]

This phenomenon is very close to "Communism". When majority of the populace are poor and then someone - like China''s Chairman Mao incited those poor people to kick-out the land-lord and have those poor people took over all the land-lord''s properties - house, money, belongings...etc.

[bobnjersey]

[This is typical of the hatred and class warfare pushed by the leftists. The victims in all of this, the poor bankers, have suffered more than anyone else. First they were roundly criticized for their efforts in trying to help the unworthy secure their own homes. Next, they were left holding the bag when their trust turned out to be totally misplaced.]
[Posted by paidGOPshill at 02:56 PM : Dec 02, 2008]

what about the victims in the investment banking community? what kind of job are they going to be able to get that pays million dollar bonuses for pushing other people''s money around?

all they were trying to do is take money from one or more investors and amass it into the portfolio of another.

[tnz650-2009]

Kind to WHO "Welshwoman"? YOU? Euthanize them so you don''t have to look at them? Are you for real? What kind of monster are you? And as for lawlessness, SO BE IT ! ! ! While the politicians hand out trillions of dollars to bail out the poor rich bankers, they do NOTHING for simple poeple just needing a safe place to lay their heads. Are you not paying any attention what-so-ever to the billions that we''re currently pumping into the financial markets, that does little or nothing to help people who just want to raise their families or live their simple lives without the government pounding on their backs? If we can give away hundreds of billions (soon to be trillions) of dollars to Wall Street, then homeless people can take over abonded property so they don''t have to live on the streets. You are really some piece of work.

[oleander8]

"Good intentions or not, this is illegal, and this is NOT the way to do this. The proper way would be to launch an organization....." Posted by brucestevens

That''s it! Form another bureaucracy! Create a committee! Elect a chairman, who will need a staff and office....have your people call my people...the homeless can wait.

[paidgopshill]

This is typical of the hatred and class warfare pushed by the leftists. The victims in all of this, the poor bankers, have suffered more than anyone else.

First they were roundly criticized for their efforts in trying to help the unworthy secure their own homes. Next, they were left holding the bag when their trust turned out to be totally misplaced.

[eggy1620]

The apostles were not socialists! Jesus and his followers stood for free market capitalism.
________________________________________
Posted by mrs_premise


Yes, you are right. I forgot the story of Jesus washing the feet of the money changers in the Temple so they would not have to take their eyes off the prize.

[welshwoman-2009]

The sad truth is most homeless people are quite mentally ill and do not want treatment. Nor are they curable although many would be better if they could stay on their meds. Shooting them may be a bit extreme but euthanasia in a lot of cases would be a kindness as opposed to how some of them are surviving now. I understand how there are those who think this is a reasonable solution to homelessness but it''s too close to lawlessness and I agree we need to stick with paying for our homes and goods.