Henderson safety: Housing and landscape departments assist residents in need

In part two of a four-part series, Henderson View explores various city departments and resources that contribute to the community’s overall safety and Henderson’s listing as one of the safest cities.

The city’s neighborhood services department is divided into three sections: code enforcement, neighborhood relations and enhancements, and housing and grants. The department strives to preserve neighborhoods, maintain positive communication with residents, provide affordable and stable housing and more.

CODE ENFORCEMENT

The city’s code enforcement team is responsible for ensuring safe and properly maintained buildings and properties throughout the community.

“When we’re looking at code violations, we’re looking at the exterior of the house from the public right of way,” said Barbara Geach, neighborhood relations manager. “We don’t go looking inside a home or in people’s backyards, per se. We’re looking at what the home, landscape and property in general looks like.”

Common code violations include inoperative or unregistered vehicles or vehicle parts; graffiti; dead landscaping; weeds taller than 6 inches; accumulation of debris or garbage; objects or landscaping obstructing the public right of way; stagnant water; and vehicles, campers, boats or RVs parked in the front yard.

“We don’t typically go hunting down violations. If we get called to a neighborhood, in all fairness, we’re going to realistically address what’s next door also,” said Jeanine Abramo, senior code enforcement officer. “For the most part, we have a 94 percent compliance rate.”

The division also hosts neighborhood cleanups and provides grants for low-income residents facing code violations.

Specific property maintenance codes are listed in the Henderson Municipal Code 15.12 or online at tinyurl.com/hmc1512.

ABANDONED HOUSING REGISTRY

In February 2014, Henderson adopted the Abandoned Residential Real Property Registry but with a broader twist.

“Our registry is like the city of Las Vegas’ but a little different and more aggressive,” Geach said. “It was written after NRS 107, which gave us the authority to register abandoned properties and those endangered in becoming abandoned.”

The registry is designed to promote neighborhood stability and prevent conditions that threaten the health, safety and welfare of the public.

Banks, third-party servicers and property owners are required to register and maintain their abandoned properties while code enforcement periodically inspects the homes.

Since its implementation in November, Henderson’s registry has gathered more than 550 homes. “The better the properties look and the more aesthetically pleasing they are, the more people tend to care,” Geach said. “It snowballs and has a positive domino effect.”

NEIGHBOR MEDIATION

Created in 2013, the city offers a mediation program to help clear tension between neighbors, landlords and tenants or HOAs and residents.

Facilitated by a Clark County certified mediator, the free program allows two parties to hash out a solution in a respectful and productive manner, according to Emily Lewis, senior neighborhood programs specialist.

“We noticed a lot of taxpayer dollars and regulatory departments’ time was being wasted while responding to neighbor-to-neighbor disputes where no violations actually existed,” Lewis said. “The goal was to offer an alternative way to address these disputes, and we found that people are more likely to understand the other’s perspective when they’re face to face.”

Lewis said an agreement is reached in about 78 percent of the cases.

“It takes the burden off our enforcement departments and divisions and saves money,” she said. “It also builds a sense of community when people are getting along.”

LANDSCAPE ASSISTANCE

The city of Henderson provides turf removal and home enrichment landscape programs for low-income residents.

While the Southern Nevada Water Authority provides rebates for converting grass into water-efficient landscaping, some individuals have trouble providing the upfront cost, according to Mike Husted, housing and grants coordinator.

“The city provides them with some funding so they can remove the sod and put down the drought-tolerant landscaping,” Husted said. “Then when the resident gets their credit, we apply that to what they borrowed.”

The other program provides assistance to residents who have received a code violation using a $5,000 deferred loan.

“If we have extra money, we can also do additional landscape improvements,” Husted said. “Since the loan is deferred, there’s no payments required. We capture the funds when the house is sold.”

LEAD HAZARD

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the city of Henderson with a $2.3 million grant to reduce health and safety hazards in homes.

Through the department’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, the grant provides enough resources to assess 150 homes and remediate 75 for lead content, according to Husted.

“Throughout the 10 years of doing rehabilitation projects, about 60 to 70 percent of the homes contained lead,” he said. “We were very restricted in the help we could offer until we received this grant.”

In addition to lead, potential services also include maintenance and home repairs, asthma trigger reductions, duct system repairs, electrical repairs and installation of safety devices, health home education and supplies and more.

The program is available to homeowners or renters of pre-1978 homes or apartments that have at least one child who is 5 or younger or a pregnant individual who lives or visits the residence.

“One of our key priorities is to keep homes affordable,” Husted said. “For the most part, we’re helping low-income families and senior citizens retain their affordable housing by offering these programs and services through grants and deferred loans.”

For more information, visit cityofhenderson.com/code-enforcement or cityofhenderson.com/neighborhood-services.

Editor’s note: Look for the third article in the series May 14. To read past stories, visit viewnews.com.

To reach Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher, email cbelcher@viewnews.com or call 702-383-0403. Find her on twitter: @caitlynbelcher.