It starts slowly, seemingly harmlessly, not unlke the sprout of a weed that breaks dirt under the porch of an empty house and slowly winds it way along railings and up along the siding.

The first year, the weedy vine wraps around the railing, not unlike a holiday garland. The second year, its diameter and length increase, and it shoves its way under siding and window trim.The next thing you know, moisture enters and is trapped against the building. Windows crack and break due to the pressure against their framing. With the house obviously uninhabited, vandals begin to "use" the house, as a place for illegal activity or a source of metal scrap, by removing its wiring and plumbing pipes.And just like that, the problem is much bigger than removing a vine. Just like that, the neighborhood now plays host to a blighted property.Why Us?We're old, both ourselves and our housing. According to the 2008-12 American Community Survey, in Pennsylvania about 25 percent of the housing stock was built before 1939, nationwide, 13 percent of the housing was built before 1939.Locally, that percentage is higher. In Schuylkill County, for example, that figure is 46 percent, and it's above 40 percent in our surrounding counties."The majority of these properties exist with a multitude of health and safety violations such as hazardous electrical systems, inefficient heating systems, deteriorating roofs, deficient plumbing and lack of any fire or smoke detection systems," said Jeff Feeser, Executive Director of Schuylkill Community Action. "The continual decline in property values, and imminent threats to the health and safety of the homeowners and the community, are directly associated with the deteriorating condition of the housing stock."Schuylkill Community Action has a number of programs aimed at helping the resident homeowner make improvements to their property, such as Senior or Disabled Housing Repair and Weatherization programs (see

www.schuylkillcommunityaction.com or call 570-622-1995). Feeser pointed out that in addition to old housing, residents themselves are older than the state and national averages."In Schuylkill and surrounding counties, nearly 20 percent of the population is 65 years old and over, compared to the state and national rates, which are both 13 percent," Feeser said. "These are the residents that are in the most desperate need for housing repair assistance, but the majority of these residents do not possess the financial resources needed to rectify their existing health and safety hazards."Sadly, the lower-income property owners lives through a continual decline in the value of their property, as the cost of home improvements increases. Currently, there are 92 people on the waiting list for SCA's Senior and Disabled Housing Repair program.Blight BeginsIn many cases, the aging property owner eventually makes a decision to move, downsizing into an apartment, senior housing or moving in with family. Left behind is a house with systems that were top-of-the-line in the 1940s "knob and tube" electrical wiring, a massive coal furnace, single pane windows and worn-out plumbing systems.The house is put up for sale, but prospective buyers are daunted by the task and cost of bringing the house in line with current code requirements. A row home in Tamaqua may hit the market with a price tag of $40,000, but repairs such as gutting it, installing new wiring and plumbing, insulating it and purchasing a new heating system could push the real price to $70,000 or more.The house sits empty for a few years. In many cases, the code violations begin and the house may eventually go to judicial sale, where it can be purchased by a local or out-of state person or business.Tamaqua Council President Micah Gursky said that municipal entities should keep a "revolving list" of properties cause concern with community leaders. To combat blight, it's important to take action earlier rather than later."For the 20 years I've been involved with council, we've had a list and it rolls around as properties get removed or added," Gursky said. "The main thing we want to do is to make these properties worth saving; that's what we want to do in Tamaqua."Tamaqua Borough has low-interest loan programs, income based, to help homeowners make major repairs to their home's structures and mechanicals. But whether a property is owner-occupied, a rental property or vacant, there has to be "due process" in code enforcement, he said."We do live in a densely-populated area and we do have some blight issues we try to address it by helping people fix their properties but if we can get ownership of a blighted property we can tear it down," Gursky said. "But if you're going to hold a property owner accountable, you need diligent code enforcement, with ample documentation and the process through the courts."Blight and the CourtsGursky said that Tamaqua's Quality of Life ordinance has streamlined the borough's attack on blight."The Quality of Life ordinance didn't change what the landowner is required to do, such as property maintenance," he explained. "It provides language for a ticket system, which cuts down on time and paperwork."Before the ordinance was passed, the process required two notices of violation, with time between, before the matter was brought before a magistrate. The ticket system has a short timeline, days and weeks rather than months, to either bring a property into compliance or fine the landowner.The process involves diligent attention to paperwork."The course of action varies according to whether the problems at a property are violations of the Quality of Life ordinance, or code violations," said Attorney Mike Greek, who is the solicitor for Tamaqua, Coaldale, Schuylkill and Walker townships, and other entities. "You have to put things in writing and start citing the owners the tools are in place."One issue many municipalities face is finding and funding a code enforcement officer. In the smaller townships, the code enforcement officer only works part-time, sometimes as little as ten hours a month.For example, Schuylkill Township has been advertising for a code enforcement officer for months without results. In some areas, the municipal entity turns to its engineering firm for help with code enforcement, but often pays a high hourly wage for that work. In places where code enforcement is part-time, the process of citing and following a property owner through courts may take longer.In Coaldale, while they wait for action, residents Steve and Tammy Harrison are doing what they can to combat blight by keeping sidewalks clean in front of a string of abandoned properties on the 100-200 block of East Ridge Street. For years, they have trimmed weeds and cleaned up the pieces of roofing and broken glass that often litter the sidewalk.Periodically, they visit council meetings to see if progress is being made on the buildings. But fixing the problem comes down to money, Greek told them at a recent meeting."We can send the code officer in there and file actions, but even if you get into court, the person (owner) doesn't have the money to fix it," he said. "It's not lack of trying on the borough's part."Argall said that bills proposed in the Senate to combat blight seek to provide a funding stream."We've given local governments more tools to help them," Argall said. He chairs the Senate's Urban Affairs and Housing Committee. "Any community has some degree of blight, but they are often facing economic challenges as well."About five years ago, Argall, the late Sen. Jim Rhoades and Argall's aide Mary Beth Dougherty put together a statewide Blight Task Force that meets regularly to discuss issues and ideas. A number of senate bills have been proposed to help address the issue. Many of the issues local municipalities face come back to money."The process to go after negligent property owners is long, time-consuming and expensive," Argall said. "Several of the proposed bills address funding, which is a huge component of fighting blight.""Real estate tax sale law in Pennsylvania is quite involved and it can take years before a municipality can acquire a blighted property free of liens and unpaid taxes in order to rehab or demonlish it," he added. "We have been working on better communication between code officers and magisterial offices so that everyone understands the seriousness of the problem and that all steps in the citation filing process are handled properly and expeditiously."