In 2008 the U.S housing market crash forced homeowners to let go of their mortgages and walk away from their property in larger numbers than ever before in American history. Nationwide, neighborhoods were spotted with unoccupied homes that are often vandalized and stripped of anything valuable. In Chicago, some banks are trying to protect their acquired foreclosures by making properties appear occupied. The individuals in this series of photographs seek shelter in the living rooms of once occupied family homes. In exchange for painting walls and laying fresh carpet they are given permission to temporarily live in and stand guard for reacquired bank property. These photographs were made in an attempt to display one of the many hidden stories of the American foreclosure.
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