What happens to abandon homes in Waukegan and in the Chicago area?

Abandoned buildings are a sight we can often see in Waukegan and in other cities around the United States and in the entire world. Sometimes families move out and their old home is not sold, it is simply left as it is. If no one moves in a takes care of the structure and the yard, it quickly falls into disrepair. Abandoned homes seem fun for kids. Many young people like to sneak into abandoned homes to explore. It is strange to see the items left behind when people move out and never come back. But even this is dangerous. There are rusty nails and sharp pieces of wood as well as other hazards which make abandoned house a bad playground for kids. On the other hand, in many cities today, abandoned houses become serious problems for a community: "These locations over here, these vacant buildings -- we know that they are targets for gangs to gather and commit nefarious activities, such as storing weapons or selling illegal drugs," Chicago Police Chief of Patrol Eddie Johnson told reporters today." (City fast-tracks demolition of abandoned buildings to make communities safer)

In other words vacant homes and other buildings such as factories become gang hangouts and places where people gather for drugs and other illegal activities. Some cities attempt to buy the properties and then sell them as a way to get back the money the city lost on taxes at the time when the owners abandoned the building. Chicago has hundreds of old homes it has acquired this way. Unfortunately there are few people that wish to buy these properties because they are usually in undesirable areas. At other times city governments seek to knock down the old buildings to remove dangerous threats to communities. Afterwards they may then build affordable housing on the property to attract stable families.