When Adam Bello was Supervisor of the Town of Irondequoit, he identified over 250 vacant properties in his town alone. As the Town Supervisor of an older and established inner-ring suburb, he knew both from his own experience and the concerns shared by many constituents that this was one of the single most concerning issues facing homeowners in his community. Through informal discussions with other town supervisors, he quickly realized he was not alone in facing this issue. Irondequoit soon created a vacant property registry and tougher code enforcement regulations, but it was difficult for a single municipality to make progress on its own. One of the biggest challenges a local government faces in addressing vacant properties is the complexity of the issue. Each property has a unique story and reason that it sits vacant.

As part of his research on the subject, Adam Bello and his staff met with a number of organizations and individuals who work in the housing and foreclosure fields. It quickly became apparent that there are experts right here in Monroe County working on the issue every day: people who were willing to share information, knowledge and expertise. Adam met with attorneys from Empire Justice Center who had also been exploring a mechanism to coordinate the community around the issue and was looking for the right partner to help champion the cause. At that meeting Rebecca Caico, Senior Attorney at Empire Justice, agreed to co-chair a task force. She brought with her expertise in the field and knowledge of the local players who are instrumental in making the task force a success. Shortly after Adam was named Monroe County Clerk, community stakeholders met and agreed to participate in the task force to address vacant properties.