Why would that be in any way good? If someone can't manage to pull together $500 to buy the house they already live in, they also can't pull together $500 to f

Why would that be in any way good? If someone can't manage to pull together $500 to buy the house they already live in, they also can't pull together $500 to fix anything that breaks in the house. Giving these houses to the people living in them is EXACTLY the same as encouraging people to live in houses that we know are not going to be maintained, and have them evicted in a few years, leaving the city with the cost of condemning and tearing down the house.