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Housing Advocates Want Banks To Reimburse Renters Kicked Out Due To Foreclosure

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Housing advocates have thrown their support behind an ordinance introduced to the Chicago City Council, saying it could help renters and keep neighborhoods safer.

WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports members of the Keep Chicago Renting Coalition want aldermen to approve an ordinance that would require banks which foreclose on rental properties to compensate tenants who aren't allowed to stay in their buildings.

Ordinance Aims To Cut Down On Vacant Buildings

The idea is to keep such buildings occupied.

Patricia Fron, buildings program administrator for the Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing, said a new study proves vacant buildings bring blight and crime to the neighborhoods where they are located.

"Three times as many crimes occurred in abandoned buildings in 2012, than in 2005," she said. "On average in 2012, seven crimes occurred in abandoned buildings or vacant lots every day."

Standing near two vacant buildings on the West Side, backers of the proposed ordinance said they've been working with the mayor's office and expect the measure to pass.

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