vacant022308

City asks people to 'adopt' vacant houses

David Joles, Star Tribune

Neighbors Pam Stranz, left, and Dorothy Bode have teamed up in their northeast Minneapolis neighborhood to keep a watch over vacant homes, many of which have been foreclosed on and boarded up, like this one on N.E. Pierce Street. Stranz has 11 children and Bode nine, and together they are trying to keep the area safe. Stranz said that when her family moved into the neighborhood it was “considered the safest spot in northeast Minneapolis.”

Last update: February 22, 2008 - 9:01 PM

With the number of boarded-up homes increasing because of foreclosures, Minneapolis city officials are encouraging neighbors and block clubs to "adopt" a vacant property on their block.

Here are some suggestions from the Minneapolis Police Department.

• If you see someone inside or around a vacant property, call 911.

• If you observe anything on the property that could be a health or safety problem call 311.

• To report a building that is open to trespass, but has not yet been boarded up, call the Housing Inspections Boarded Building Unit (612) 673-5828.

• Check on a vacant property occasionally to ensure doors and windows are closed and that the building is not open to trespass.

• It's all right to shovel snow, rake leaves, and pick up or remove flyers and litter without notifying the property's owner.

• Do NOT dig, climb on a building, enter a building or make improvements to vacant property before you have written consent from the property owner.

• If your block has a property with an ongoing problem, call your Crime Prevention Specialist at your police precinct. To find your specialist, go to www.startribune.com/a4043.