Detroit SOUP update

Since winning Detroit SOUP, The Tricycle Collective has been working to find a voice in the fight against tax foreclosures in Detroit. So far, only a small portion of the winnings have been spent as there has been a focus on outreach rather than donations.

For one week during the Show Cause hearings at Cobo Hall, The Tricycle Collective worked with Detroit Eviction Defense and other activists to inform people of their rights through the foreclosure process, connect them with resources, and provide the opportunity to object to their foreclosures.

The Tricycle Collective has been partnering with the Detroit Water Brigade to provide housing support to those who also face water shut-offs. We’ve also have a presence at the House of Help in Detroit’s far northeast side, counseling people on housing and tax foreclosure issues. We’ve also continued door-to-door outreach for occupied properties in foreclosure and reversion to make sure that people are aware of the foreclosure and their options.

We are also negotiating with the Detroit Land Bank Authority to sell back homes to their current residents. Currently the land bank has no process for converting these residents into homeowners though they own approximately 60,000 properties in this city, including thousand of occupied houses.

Moving forward,  we will be working with The Tricycle Collective members who received donations in the past to provide outreach to their neighbors who are in foreclosure. This will help them further stabilize their neighborhoods and “pay it forward.”

In the fall, The Tricycle Collective will once again contribute $500 to help as many families as possible buy back their homes in auction.

All in all, we are working to patiently but deliberately work to fight the tax foreclosure epidemic in this city and keep Detroit at home.