With each city stop, my version of the show would partner with a local non-profit agency such as the Primavera Foundation, which has a goal to assist 125 first-time home buyers in Tucson this year. Most of these families live on modest incomes, and most of them are considering buying foreclosures.It's ironic to note, as the Star article points out, that at least two of the show's super-sized makeovers have gone into foreclosure, arguably because the receiving families haven't been able to pay the increased property taxes and utilities from owning a monster-sized house.
Instead of swooping in and out of town to build one sprawling upscale home, my version of the show would remodel 20 of those foreclosed properties, making sure they have good roofs, quality plumbing and wiring, and working heating and cooling. Volunteers would rush to help. Materials would be donated. Foreclosures would be taken off the market.
It wouldn't be as sexy as building a sprawling upscale home, and the ratings probably wouldn't be great, but it's the kind of work that could go a long way toward improving people's lives and changing the housing crisis we all are facing.
But let us remember: Extreme Makeover is only partly about helping families. The other part is about wowing people with homes they'll never be able to afford. For the record, I'll take Habitat For Humanity and its humble abodes with sweat-equity requirements.
1 comment:
That is kinda cool because even though the houses from Extreme Make over were neat I always wondered if the people could keep up the bills :P
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