Twenty-six tax-defaulted sites in Oakland will be turned into affordable housing for people with low and moderate incomes. The initiative is a first-of-its-kind pilot program that plans to turn abandoned lots into affordable housing.

According to East Bay Times, the 24 homes for purchase and two apartments for rent should be ready by late 2018. The homes will be available to low-income and moderate-income buyers earning less than 120 percent of the area median income. For a family of four, the yearly area median income in 2017 is $97,400. Low-income renters will be eligible for the apartments.

Helmed by affordable housing developer Hello Housing and Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector Henry Levy, the initiative invokes the Chapter 8 Tax Sale, which allows municipalities to sell tax-defaulted sites to nonprofit organizations without needing to go to auction.

Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement that tax-defaulted properties are a widespread source of blight in Oakland, hurting the strength of the neighborhood while also using up public resources.