By Steven Kappen

How do strong, tight-knit neighborhoods turn into streets full of vacant homes and empty lots? The answer may look complicated but at its core, it happens family by family, house by house. Big decisions made at the state or city level trickle down and eventually force people out of their homes.

At Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS), I run a project focused on keeping family homes in family hands. Recently, we started digging deeper into the personal stories behind home loss – stories tied to issues like tax sales, foreclosures and the long-lasting impact of redlining. We wanted to understand how these larger forces – things like disinvestment or discriminatory housing policies – play out at the ground level, on a single block in a single neighborhood. What happens when neighbors are pushed out, one after another, until an entire community begins to unravel?

Vacant lots and rowhomes in West Baltimore reflect the long-term impact of redlining, tax sales, and disinvestment on Black neighborhoods. (Photo Credit: Unsplash / Derrick Brooks )

Baltimore is a city of neighborhoods where each block tells its own story. To get a clearer picture, we studied the 500 block of N. Carrollton Ave. in West Baltimore. Using public data, we tracked every deed recorded there over the past 50 years. We looked at who bought the homes – private owners or corporations – and whether those transfers were voluntary or forced, such as through tax sales or foreclosures. We then zoomed out and focused on Harlem Park, a neighborhood that reflects both Baltimore’s challenges and its resilience.

Harlem Park is a place of iconic rowhomes and rich history. It has been deeply scarred by redlining, racial covenants, urban renewal and even the Highway to Nowhere. But the area has also been home to thriving Black communities, cultural landmarks and people who shaped the city in powerful ways.

Our block-level research showed how citywide policies play out on the ground, hollowing out neighborhoods piece by piece. In 1985, 81 percent of the homes in that block were owned by individual families. By 2025, that number had dropped to 52 percent. Why does this matter? Because individual ownership usually means long-term residents who build community, while corporate or LLC ownership often points to rentals, speculation or vacant properties.

We also found that 39 percent of homes in the area changed hands over the 50-year period because of property tax sales. For those unfamiliar, a tax sale happens when the city auctions off unpaid property tax debt to collect revenue. It’s one of the biggest forces pushing longtime residents out of their homes today. 

We were struck by how often this happened – proof that the city itself plays a major role in speeding up the loss of stable, lived-in neighborhoods. For example, when we looked at seven lots that were demolished, four of them had passed through city ownership at some point. 

This work wouldn’t have been possible without the support of partners like Fight Blight Bmore, the SOS Fund and Parity Homes. Moving forward, we want to go even deeper – telling the personal stories of the families and homes behind the data and expanding our research to show how policies directly shape lives. 

At MVLS, our mission is to change the tide of justice. We help low-income clients protect their homes, plan their estates and build intergenerational wealth – work that stitches communities back together instead of pulling them apart. Through the dedication of pro bono attorneys, we connect neighbors with the legal support they need to stay rooted in their communities.

If you or someone you know needs help, call our intake line at 410-547-6537, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Together, we can help families hold onto their homes – and block by block, preserve the strength of Baltimore’s neighborhoods.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.