The Award for "Top Innovation of 2008" Goes To...

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-01-01 03:48:00 UTC
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More and more foreclosures means more and more vacant homes. It can also mean more and more people in need of homes. So housing the homeless in vacant, foreclosed properties would seem like a no-brainer, right?

Miami homeless advocate Max Rameau and his organization Take Back the Land thought so too, which is why Max deserves the award for the "Top Innovation of 2008." *cue applause*

It works like this: Rameau's team of volunteers scour online listings of government- or bank-owned vacant properties and match them up with homeless families. Take Back the Land also helps families re-locate into the vacant units and will even provide solar power if copper electrical wiring is missing from the homes.

Here's Max Rameau describing his innovative efforts to CNN:

Still think one person can't make a difference? Congrats to Max and Take Back the Land for having the guts to really help people.

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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