Post-Katrina focus turns to home ownership

President Bush is giving away land in New Orleans in hopes that it will stimulate the rebuilding process, as reported today by Inman News.

The President "is promoting home ownership in the wake of Hurricane Katrina with plans for an Urban Homesteading Act, which would make some federally owned land free to eligible low-income families through a lottery. In return, the families would pledge to build homes on the lots with either a mortgage or help from a charitable organization like Habitat for Humanity."

Not sure where folks without any source of income will afford mortgage payments at this point, but I guess it's a start, right?

Even more interesting in this article was a reference to free land in Kansas. "Several communities in Kansas also are offering free land and other incentives to help rural areas sustain and grow economically. Seven communities are identified on KansasFreeLand.com as participating in these programs. They are Atwood, Plainville, Lincoln, Minneapolis, Ellsworth County, Marquette and Chetopa."