"Occupiers" tackle WNY vacant house issue

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A new branch of Occupy Buffalo protesters are trying to tackle the city's vacant housing problem.

It may not look like much now, but in a few months, this condemned home on Michigan Avenue in Buffalo could be the new home of a family or a place for the community to gather.

At least that's the hope for the newly formed Occupy Western New York, who say are trying to spearhead the housing crisis through a take-back the neighborhood campaign.

Chris Phillips of Occupy WNY said, "We've pulled the resources and people together to start purchasing properties and foreclosed homes and flipping them really quickly for any purpose the people might need whether it's a community center a co-op."

"Where people own it together, where they work together to build it and it benefits everybody in that community," added Phillips.

As you look around the house, there's plenty of damage to the exterior, the inside was boarded up, but Phillips tells me there's plenty of work inside as well.

Phillips said, "It's a good bit of work, there's garbage removal, a lot of painting some structural work. The foundation is pretty solid."

"In terms of getting electrical plumbing and carpentry work done we have another group we're working with called farmers and builders, it's a community organization, they provide a lot of those services," added Phillips.

Phillips says they've already raised more than a thousand dollars and hope by summer to have 5 or 6 of these projects completed.

You may recall Phillips was originally a member of the Occupy Buffalo group in Niagara Square who didn't see eye to eye with the group and moved to Lafayette Square before being removed. Even though he no longer resides in the encampment, he says he's still very much apart of the movement.

Phillips said, "I don't feel split even though even though there's some kind of idea of a split. I don't feel that there's a split. I love a lot of the people down there and I would defend their cause til the day I die."