Back about a century ago our nation had a few problems besides the Civil War. We'd bought (and stolen) this big empty space out west, and if we didn't get it occupied with our folks, somebodies else less favorable might squat on said empty pretty big space. This was not a baseless fear- There wasn't much stopping defeated confederates from moving out west and reestablishing slavery and mexicans and canadians from moving in. And there was this other megatrend starting up called the industrial revolution that was drawing country folks to the city like a magnet. And those Civil War soldiers, often with families and other camp followers in tow? Once they'd got a taste of southern winters, after the hostilities ceased they might not head back to the northern tundra and grow grains to feed the growing nation.
So as wise businesses and governments do when they're overstocked, they had a sale, and they called it the Homestead Act. All you had to do was occupy the land for 5 years and do something productive with it and it was yours forever. Over a century later, the great plains are still dotted with family farms that sprung from those modest homesteads. Problems solved, with interest!
Today we've got just as big a problem, but in different places- our big cities and small towns. For small towns, it's not a new problem- for decades young folks have moved to the big cities, leaving behind perfectly good homes that stood vacant for years and even decades. For big cities the problems is newer, although one could see it rear it's ugly head as far back as the '80s crack wars. But the vacant homes are back, and they've multiplied- thanks to crime, a foreclosure crisis,.and the recession whole big city neighborhoods have emptied out. Having sat vacant and abandoned for years, thousands of homes are deteriorating and headed for tax forfeiture. If nothing is done, we taxpapers will pay for tearing them down and maintaining the vacant lots for decades to come.
Meanwhile, we have a crisis in housing affordability. Millions of Americans are earning less and trying to pay higher rent, while banks refuse home loans even to hard working folks with good credit. We face a similar problem and opportunity to what our nation faced a century and a half ago- a vast property resource, and even more vast reserves of human talent, being wasted. The solution is simple- a nationwide home-steading program, with citizens for a modest fee like a dollar being given vacant properties in our government's inventories and five years to rehab them. "Prove up" (rehab the property) and it's yours, free and clear, forever if you wish.
Every generation or so our government comes up with a truly great program- The Homestead Act, Social Security, the VA, Medicare, etc.. It's time to revive an oldie but goodie, the Homestead Act, for this generation!