They went from rehab and jail to owning a real estate portfolio: ‘You own the hell out of this house!’

Workers in recovery and back from prison formed the Waterbottle Co-op to fix up houses in Baltimore

The Baltimore houses are in rough shape. They might be missing roofs, or even floors. Some have been inhabited by squatters. Rats come in. Cats follow. As David Lidz, founder of the Waterbottle Co-op, which rehabilitates the foreclosed homes, points out, the contents are hard to view dispassionately.

When a family leaves, most of the time they leave a ton of stuff there," he says. You find old photo albums and caps and gowns and baby clothes."