Attachment 12_Washington Inspection Initiative MemoMasterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: David Harris, Housing and Community Development Department
SUBJECT: Washington Inspection Initiative
DATE: 4 August 2010
Dubuque
herd
Al-America City
1111 LI
2007
Introduction
The purpose of this memorandum is to propose a pilot program of intensified housing
inspections of the exteriors of all downtown residential properties, including owner -
occupied housing, beginning in the Washington Neighborhood.
Background
We began a comprehensive block -by -block rental housing inspection program in the
Washington Neighborhood in April 08, when a new full -time inspector was authorized by
the City Council. Since that time, Joe Kirk has systematically inspected all rentals in the
area, completing approximately 800 inspections and bringing 740 units into compliance.
In addition, he has handled all grass and garbage complaints, for both rental and owner -
occupied housing in the neighborhood. His work plan includes weekly driving of all the
alleys, closely coordinating garbage /refuse issues with the Public Works Department.
Also as part of the Washington Neighborhood revitalization initiative, we have
extensively promoted home ownership, as a means of achieving a higher percentage of
owner - occupancies to improve housing conditions. To -date, we have completed 57
homeowner projects, resulting in 36 first -time owner households. 24 homes have been
converted from rentals to homeowner properties. Three derelict houses have been
demolished.
Beginning early this year, Joe Kirk was assigned additional inspection duties in the
North End Neighborhood. Our planned schedule is to conduct block -by -block
inspections of all rental units in the North End and Point areas. The goal by the end of
the summer is to have all rentals east of Central Avenue inspected and in compliance.
In the meanwhile, he has continued to drive the Washington alleys weekly. We have
begun additional enforcement on garages, many of which are in significant disrepair.
And because of the high percentage of rental units, he will continue driving the
Washington Neighborhood, concentrating on exterior enforcement and coordinating
inspection efforts with zoning enforcement, Public Works, the Fire Marshal's office and
the Building Department.
Discussion
In spite of our best efforts, no one would argue that the Washington Neighborhood
meets our expectations for a standard of appearance. Maintaining this housing will
remain an on -going challenge until we meet our goals for increased owner - occupancy —
for all income levels -- and more responsible stewardship from both tenants and
landlords. Regular reinspections of rental properties will be a part of our inspectors'
workloads for some time to come.
However, one critical aspect of our strategy that remains uncompleted is improvement
of the appearance of owner - occupied homes in the neighborhood. These number
approximately 200 structures, of a total of 1000 residential units in the area. These
homes, the majority of which are assumed to be owned by low- moderate income
persons, are also frequently in need of repair or maintenance. They present an equally
unattractive appearance and undermine our efforts to improve the overall condition of
the neighborhood.
Under our housing code, we have the authority to inspect all "real property used for
human habitation," although as a policy we conduct a program of periodic inspections
only for licensed rental properties, as required by Iowa law. We do inspect owner-
occupied dwellings upon complaint, for both exterior and interior violations. Under
purposes listed in our code, we are authorized to "correct and prevent the existence of
adverse conditions," in order to achieve and maintain "acceptable levels of residential
environmental quality and to protect and promote public health, safety and general
welfare."
We are proposing a pilot inspection program for the Washington Neighborhood to
include owner - occupied residential properties. These are the particulars:
• The Washington inspector would again go block -by -block through the
neighborhood. The exterior of every residential property would be inspected.
Rental properties in disrepair would again be scheduled for new inspections.
• For homeowners, the inspection would take the form of an 'advisory' report. A
check -list of all exterior problems would be compiled and sent to the owner. This
would not be a code enforcement action. The owner would only be advised of
the need to make repairs.
• In addition, homeowners would receive a hand - delivered packet of information.
This would include a letter of introduction and explanation of this initiative. It
would additionally include resource materials on available assistance, including
Housing Department loans and New View's weatherization program.
• This information would also explain a 'voluntary' inspection program for the
interiors of their homes. This would be called a "healthy homes assessment,"
and consist of an inspection of the mechanical systems and all safety aspects,
and with an emphasis on identification of energy - conserving measures.
• This assessment would be conducted only with the permission of the owner. The
information would be provided only as advisory, and not followed up by any code
enforcement. No orders would be issued. The emphasis would be on linking the
owner to services and resources available to help them make their homes more
safe and energy- efficient.
• Another component of this program would be identification and recruitment of
volunteer resources in the community, to perform minor home repairs for elderly
or lower- income homeowners. We are currently in conversations with St
Joseph's parish about their interest in youth service activities in the
neighborhood. We recently coordinated a work day project with Hope Church,
which has opened a counseling center on Jackson Street. We also plan to talk
with the service learning coordinators at area colleges to determine the
availability of students for this type of activity. Washington Neighborhood
Development Corporation (WNDC) staff are also involved in these discussions.
The idea, again, is to Zink homeowners needing help with these volunteer
services.
• Conducting this healthy homes assessment could prove useful to our pending
reapplication to HUD for the next Lead Hazard Reduction Program grant. This
year, we plan to submit a combined Healthy Homes - Hazard Reduction
application, as advised by our HUD field office. HUD's emphasis on the Healthy
Homes initiative achieves exactly what we're proposing for the Washington
Neighborhood: 1) reduction of safety hazards in the home; 2) creating a more
healthy living environment by eliminating health hazards such as lead paint,
carbon monoxide, radon, asbestos, mold and insect and vermin infestation; and
3) increasing energy efficiency and reducing utility costs
• Before initiating this program, we would conduct a public information campaign,
coordinating with the WNDC and other service agencies in the neighborhood, to
publicize its benefits and advise homeowners of the dates for program start-up.
Implementation of the program would be as follows:
1. Publicity sent to home owner, advising of this program initiative. This will include
a hand - delivered packet of informational materials.
2. Individual properties will be scheduled for an exterior inspection, via a notice
mailed from the Housing Department, followed up with a phone call to confirm
availability.
3. The inspector will perform the exterior inspection. If the owner agrees, the
interior 'assessment' will also be performed.
Note:
If a life- or safety- threatening condition is observed in the course of this
assessment, the owner will be informed that the condition must be corrected.
This notice will be provided in writing and followed up as a code enforcement
matter. The possibility of this occurrence will be disclosed to the homeowner as
part of the discussion explaining the 'healthy homes assessment.'
4. Notice of exterior deficiencies will be mailed to the owner.
5. This will be followed up with a phone call to offer additional support services.
These would include referrals to the Housing Department for rehab loan
assistance, to New View, volunteer services, etc.
6. A best outcome for making repairs will be to convince the owner to apply for
rehab loan assistance. Currently, the Housing Department offers terms for
Washington Neighborhood owner loans as follows:
a. $5000 is provided as a 5 -year, forgivable loan
b. $10 000 is provided as a due -on -sale, deferred payment loan
c. $10 000 is provided as a 20 -year, 0- interest loan at $42 /month
This means that we can offer up to $25 000 in rehab loan financing, at a total cost
of $42 per month.
If owners need additional funds, we can refer the application to the Housing
Commission, where it is reviewed and approved on a case -by -case basis.
Recommendation
My recommendation is to implement this as a pilot program in the Washington
Neighborhood. If it proves successful, we can expand it to other downtown
neighborhoods, in the interest of achieving comprehensive improvement of both the
rental and owner - occupied housing stock. That will promote private reinvestment, safe
and energy - efficient housing, historic preservation, an increased tax base and an
enhanced appearance to our downtown.
Enclosures:
Washington Neighborhood map
Healthy Homes assessment form
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Legend
42 Washington Neighborhood
Owner occupied and/or Business Locations
F Rental Properties