As the financial crisis worsens, some Panhandle neighborhoods are beginning to look like ghost towns, filled with abandoned or foreclosed homes.

Law enforcement officials worry those neighborhoods will become breeding grounds for crime.

So the federal government is distributing a multi-billion dollar federal grant to buy up some of those homes.

In Okaloosa County the non-profit habitat for humanity organization is spear-heading the effort.

Nitsi Bennett spends part of her morning browsing the internet hunting for bargains.

She's not looking for a great shoe sale, or discounted Christmas gifts.

As president of the Okaloosa County Habitat for Humanity Organization, she's searching for the best deals on foreclosed properties.

Nitsi Bennett, the Habitat for Humanity President, says, "I'm not interested in the big fancy houses. They will serve us no purpose. We're decent, affordable, simple homes."

"Project organizers say they're looking for properties like this one. These homes have been foreclosed by the bank, or simply abandoned by homeowners. Depending on the structure's condition, crews will either come in and do basic home repairs or knock it down and start from scratch."

Habitat for Humanity hasn't had much interest in abandoned and foreclosed properties, until now.

In October, the Department of Housing and Urban Development initiated a $3.9 billion grant called the neighborhood stabilization program.

The plan allows the non-profit group to buy and resell foreclosed properties.

Each state is receiving a portion of the money.

Florida will receive $541 million, distributed to the areas with the greatest need.

"This funding serves really as a bridge and leverage to allow communities to come back and stabilize. And that's where Habitat is really participating all across the country. We have that combination of skill to help re-build the houses and a stock of families that we can provide an affordable mortgage to get them into that home ownership aspect of revitalization. This can't be a plan where people are profiting off these homes."

Only four Panhandle counties are receiving part of the grant: Escambia ($4.6 million), Santa Rosa ($2.4 million), Okaloosa ($3.2 million), and Bay ($2.5 million).

Organizers say the country's need for assistance far exceeds the amount of allocated money, but some hope this plan will jump-start a movement in the housing market.

"Properties were costing $60-80,000 for one. We were getting desperate. So this will just add and we'll be able to serve an awful lot more people this way so it came at a good time."

States should be receiving the HUD grant money early next year.