In many of the urban neighborhoods hit earliest by subprime mortgage defaults, foreclosure filings are now levelling off. While this is an encouraging sign, it doesn't mean the problems created by the housing bust are receding. In many cases, they are just beginning.

The AP's Deana Poole published a great story over the weekend exploring the rising level of housing vacancies across the state. While it's true that not all of these unoccupied homes are the direct result of the recent rise in defaults, the mortgage crisis has certainly exacerbated a problem already prevalent in communities with concentrated poverty. When homes are left unattended, the crime rate often spikes, property values decline, and the tax base is depressed. Here's what the AP found:

An Associated Press analysis found vacancy rates of 20 percent or more in nearly 40 Illinois census tracts, from Chicago to Rockford to Danville to East St. Louis. The analysis used data from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, which received it from the U.S. Postal Service.

Forty-two percent of the homes were vacant in one section of Chicago’s far south side, records show.

Poole talked to Craig Bailey, a 30-year Springfield resident whose neighborhood is filled with empty units. While he tries to trim the grass next door, the house has not been revamped -- or even maintained -- in years. "There has to be a faster way," he tells the AP, "when everyone knows there’s no other choice than demolition."

In fact, there is. Legislation we wrote about earlier this month would provide municipalities in Illinois with resources to alleviate the negative side effects of this abandonment.

Specifically, it would grant them the power to create land banks, ensure that they receive prompt and inexpensive notifications of delinquent properties, and provide financial protections for communities who choose to clean up and stabilize blighted neighborhoods. As the May 31 session deadline looms, housing advocates, lawmakers, and the mortgage industry are still negotiating the scope of the bill.

Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user reallyboring.