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violations, then it is obvious that something or someone or both have caused the <br /> neighborhood to deteriorate. Any effort that does not also eliminate the cause for <br /> deterioration can only be a token effort and frequently a wasted effort. Unless a <br /> housing program evaluates the total neighborhood for both housing violations and <br /> for environmental stresses within the neighborhood that may have caused the <br /> deterioration of the housing, then the inspection effort has net been complete. <br /> What then are these "environmental stresses"? Environmental stresses are the <br /> elements within a neighborhood that influence the physical, mental, and emotional <br /> well-being of the occupants. They include items such as noise, glare, excessive <br /> land covering, nonresidential land uses, and extensive traffic problems. If a housing <br /> program is to be complete, these stresses must be identified and assessed. Then <br /> efforts must be made in conjunction with other departments within the city to <br /> program capital improvement budgets to alleviate or minimize these stresses. <br /> These two types of inspection are the field involvement of the housing inspector. <br /> He must inspect not only the houses for violations but also the neighborhoods for <br /> environmental stresses. This will provide him with knowledge of physical conditions <br /> w thin the neighborhood. As mentioned previously, however, this is not the whole <br /> problem in most neighborhoods. Generally: the very difficult problem of the human <br /> element is involved. Many buildings and neighborhoods deteriorate because of <br /> apathy on the part of the neighborhood inhabitants. <br /> In summary then, a housing inspection effort should be made up of three parts: <br /> First, a neighborhood or area-wide housing inspection procedure: second, a <br /> neighborhood analysis procedure to identify, assess and eventually control <br /> environmental stresses; and third, a program of motivational training for slum <br /> dwellers to raise the living standards of the neighborhood. <br /> 111, mole of Health Agencies in Housing <br /> Several kinds of governmental action are required. These include: 1) adoption of <br /> minimum health standards in housing, ) conduct of a program to achieve and maintain <br /> these standards, ) periodic evaluation of the standards to ensure their current adequacy, <br /> and monitoring of the standards enforcement effort to guarantee that public health <br /> values are provided. Health agencies, in order to meet their responsibilities, must accept <br /> the role of either stimulating or carrying out these four required kinds of governmental <br /> action. <br /> In communities that have neither standards nor program, the health agency has the <br /> responsibility of initiating both by stimulating the required governmental action. Stimulation <br /> may be direct, through elected or appointed officials, or indirect, by generating public <br /> support that will trigger official action. <br /> 7 <br />