"The woman reportedly has no money, no job, no skills and survives only by her ex-husband's largess; yet you would have her stripped of her property and pilloried on the town square for starters, right?"
You got it, Prof. If she can't fix the place up, it's off to the poorhouse for her, if Hildy has her way. Perish the thought that Hildy would drop in and ask if she could help. It's so much easier to call up the Zoning Enforcement folks.
Funny, my neighbors in NJ are somewhat sloppy about maintaining their property - but whenever I've gotten in a pickle (like the time I locked myself out of the house with a pot boiling on the stove), they've always been there for me.
Also, my mom who is quite elderly now, calls the Boy Scouts when she needs something done on the property. They've always helped out.