Destroyed greenhouses converted to Habitat for Humanity Homes as part of the Sacramento Plan

The city of Sacramento and Habitat for Humanity have come up with a plan to kill two birds with one stone — by offering people who are broke with grow homes to donate their homes to charity instead of paying hefty fines.

With stranded growers already facing six-figure administrative penalties, this scheme would simply allow them to put their land to good use instead, potentially reducing costs in the process. Under the program, property owners who are subpoenaed for operating cannabis cultivation operations illegally can donate their property directly to Habitat for Humanity. The program is called Justice for Neighbors (JFN).

NBC affiliate KRCA 3 portrayed the story, including two homes that have already opted to be converted into Habitat for Humanity homes. “This program is a great example of the city thinking outside the box,” said Emilio Camacho, senior deputy city attorney for the city of Sacramento.

The JFN program is administered by the Sacramento City Attorney’s Office. Launched in 2006, JFN targets what they describe as “major physical and criminal nuisances affecting the quality of life in city neighborhoods.” Cannabis grow houses are considered one of many types of nuisances that make people say, “Not in my neighborhood.” This also includes drug trafficking, human trafficking and other security risks.

Cannabis grow houses aren’t as dangerous per se as meth houses, so there’s no reason not to use a good house. The home is remodeled, then an eligible family needing affordable housing can purchase the home with a 30-year, 0% fixed-rate mortgage. We all know how bad the housing market has gotten.

According to KRCA 3, two homes have already completed the conversion process, and a third home in South Sacramento is currently being converted. City records show that the total administrative penalties for the illegal cannabis grown in the third home were $372,500. The historic value of the home when it was donated last year was $354,500 – in this case, the perpetrators theoretically saved nearly $20,000 in penalties. That sounds like a win-win situation.

When homes are remodeled, it usually involves demolition, in some cases down to the bare bones. Then the unsociable smell of the plants is definitely gone.

“Break it all back down to the lugs and we’ll rebuild from there,” said Leah Miller, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento. “We will redo the siding; We’ll put in new plumbing, new electrical, new drywall. Everything in here will be brand new.”

“Not only is it an opportunity to create a new affordable home for our community, but it also helps alleviate the plague in the neighborhood. We’re in a residential neighborhood here, and this house was a nuisance to the people who live here and the families who live here because of the illegal activities that took place there,” Miller said.

KRCA 3 also introduced a member of the families involved, Yong Chang, whose husband and four children are expected to move into one of the homes in late fall or early winter.

The city is taking matters into its own hands. This is not only a problem at the local level, but also at the federal level. Civil confiscations, especially in Sacramento, waste good resources. In 2018 alone, US law enforcement seized over 100 homes in the Sacramento area. The Justice Department filed civil foreclosure actions for the homes if probable cause of a crime is found.

It is the opposite chain of events to what is happening less than 200 miles away in Coalinga, where a former prison compound is being converted into a commercial (legal) penitentiary.