DETROIT – Dozens of Detroiters no longer have to worry about losing their homes as 100 people were handed over their deeds Wednesday.
They were all part of a City of Detroit program that allows people living in homes owned by the land bank to buy them back.
The home seen in the video player above has been in Darrin Poole’s family since before the Lodge Freeway was built.
He said he did not want to be the one in his family to lose the home, which he almost did, but Wednesday (Aug. 31), the deed was back in his hands.
“It was very hard,” said Poole. “I didn’t want to lose the house because I’m going to leave the house to my children, and hopefully, they can leave it to their children’s children.”
Poole is working hard by making deliveries across the city. After a long hard day, walking through the front door of his Detroit home Wednesday night will be different because the City of Detroit delivered for the delivery man.
“Thank you, Lord, " Poole said.
Poole’s home had been in his family long before the lodge was built.
His wife died, he stopped working to raise their children, and he got behind on his property taxes.
He did not want to be the one in his family to lose the family home.
The Detroit Land Bank Authority took over the home and plugged Poole into its occupied buyback program.
A celebration occurred in the city as families completed the program, which is a year of homebuyer counseling and saving money for summer tax bills, and $1000 to repurchase the home. And Wednesday, Poole got the deed to the family home and back in his hands.
“It feels like a ton of weight was lifted off of my shoulders,” Poole said.
Since 2016 more than 900 Detroiters have successfully completed the program and received their deeds.