I

Investing in blight to remove it. The bombed-out Cleveland Avenue neighborhood

The science of blight

Blighted communities and the value of political will

A walking tour of the community chaos

Capital stack gymnastics

how we raised $9.6 million to purchase Summerdale

II

Effects of blight on those who live and work in it. Virginia Humphries

the longest surviving tenant

Sharon Allen

the phantom tenant in Apartment D-12

Melinda Wyatt

the blighted tenant

The Atlanta police lieutenant and the drug kingpin

Dr. Payne

Cleveland Avenue Elementary School

Kingston Humphries

the traumatized tenant

III

Re-sifting the community social capital. The physical inspection

Purchase and management takeover

Lucy Hamby and the wild west

the first 30 days

Taming the drug kingpin in Unit D-12

The federal compliance burden on equitable housing

The management office

The toxic community culture

Kristin Hemmingway

the children and Star-C after-school program

'I have lived here for 22 years'

Pest infestations management

Crime and security

Melinda Wyatt and the blighted mentality

Jeff Miller and the tedious permitting process

Education and the Star-C after-school program

The eviction of Melinda Wyatt

The replacement criminals

crime and security

Rebuilding social capital

IV

Epilogue. Change gonna come

Summerdale survives the COVID-19 pandemic

Solutions