Michigan Habitat Chapter Takes Up Demolition

The Saginaw, Mich., chapter of the housing charity Habitat for Humanity has added demolition of vacant homes to its mission, The New York Times reports.

Saginaw, which lost tens of thousands of residents as the U.S. auto industry declined, reached a two-year agreement with the international nonprofit group to tear down two vacant, dilapidated properties a week.

Leaders of Habitat, which is best known for building homes for the poor, say that as foreclosures empty neighborhoods in some cities, they are shifting focus to meet changing economic demands. Money earned from the demolitions will be used to place low-income families in new or rehabilitated homes.

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