DEPARTMENT: Development Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Michael Shannon, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Proactive Inspections for Senior and/or Disabled Housing Facilities
SUMMARY:
Discussion will focus on review of existing regulations and ordinances, and drafting/proposal of new regulations and ordinances, to adequately ensure the health and safety of residents in senior and/or disabled residential housing facilities.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Council Member Roberto C. Trevino submitted a Council Consideration Request (CCR) on March 21, 2017, asking City staff to review existing regulations and ordinances, and to draft and propose new regulations and ordinances, needed to adequately ensure the health and safety of all residents of senior and/or disabled residential housing facilities. Such new regulations and ordinances shall provide for periodic, regular and adequate inspections with a goal of preventing or minimizing public health dangers and risks for seniors and/or disabled people living in residential housing facilities, such those confronted by seniors residing in the Aurora Apartments in Council District 1.
The Metro Health Department declared the situation at the Aurora Apartments to be a public health nuisance of potential disease transmission per the Texas Health and Safety Code due to infestation of bed bugs and roaches. Staff from Development Services, Metro Health, Human Services, and City Attorney's Office monitored the location for several months to ensure that the infestation was addressed by the property owner and that the well-being of residents was also addressed throughout the process. In general, requests for inspections of multi-family facilities, such as apartments, are currently based on a reactive model. Consequently, conditions at a property can quickly escalate if left unreported. Proactive inspections of such housing stock may help to address such situations before resulting in a public health n...
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