Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is on a crusade to help close the wealth gap for Black people in Chicago and the surrounding municipalities in Cook County. Her initiative “Black Houses Matter,” which is also a broadcast program on WVON radio, is dedicated to putting money back into the hands of people who may have overpaid on property taxes. BHM also strives to collect back taxes owed to the county and stave off the predatory practice of buying property from unsuspecting property owners unaware that they are at risk.
According to Pappas, the vast majority of homeowners on tax sale lists are Black, with many of these being seniors who may not know they are eligible for certain tax exemptions. Pappas is determined to put the money back into people’s hands and save the homes of Black homeowners, helping to preserve legacies and close the wealth gap.
Recently Pappas spoke with rolling out’s CEO Munson Steed and shared that $49 million have been returned to the residents of Cook County so far.
Pappas has developed an outreach team to contact individuals at risk of losing property and offer them an opportunity and information to stave off speculaltors attempting to buy their properties for pennies on the dollar.
“I’ve been sitting in this office for 20 years and I’ve watched home after home get sold,” Pappas explains. “When I came into this office there were 327 African American churches on the tax sale list about to be sold. With the help of every reverend in this town, today there’s not one African American church on that list.”
You can watch the full interview here.
For more information regarding tax lien sales and the type of exemptions available, visit the website below.
www.cookcountytreasurer.com
