Box 5, Folder 10, Document 10

Box 5, Folder 10, Document 10

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October 31, 1968

MEMORANDUM

To: Mr. J. C. Johnson
Director, Model Cities

Pursuant to your request, I have discussed with your Physical
Planning Coordinator his tentative concept of organization and
functions of a Housing Center which he has proposed for establish-
ment in the Model Cities area. As you requested, the following are
my current thoughts there on:

The idea of decentralizing housing improvement operations (in<-
cluding all rehabilitation) and related activities for Model Cities,
to a central location within the Model Cities area, thus removing
the detailed administration from the City Hall and the Central Office
of the Housing Authority, by making it more accessible to the people
it will serve, is practical and I believe will be helpful to the
overall effort.

However, such an activity should be kept in the realm of
practicability and should include such operations and related services
necessary to do an effeative job and preform a useful service to the
community and nothing more. Special effort should be made not to
over staff or attempt to provide unnecessary services and imaginative
functions which are more theoretical than practical and which would
have only limited application in accomplishing overall effectiveness.

As i see it, essential activity should provide for the following:

a. An operational base for Rehabilitation Inspectors
(ineluding Supervisory functions), both those of the
City and the Housing Authority.

b. Clerical assistance necessary to process inspection
notices of deficiencies and required improvements,

ce. Technical assistance in preparing, filing and follow
through on at applications, where applicable,
for Federal assistance in rehabilitation in the form of
3% direct Federal Loans and Federal Grants up to $3,000
and the administrative handling of required bidding
pe award of rehabilitation contracts. (This function

and probably should, be handled for the entire

area oe te Housing Authority personnel operation from the
Housing Center.)
Mr. J. C. Johnson
October 31, 1968
Page 2
d. Architectural advice and assistance.
e. Counseling service to property owners; and

£. Perhaps a person to maintain close ligison with the
local builders, developers and repair firms.

Of course, overall responsibility and supervision for operation

* of the Center should be assigned to one qualified individual (I

would suggest a member of the Housing Code Division of the Building
Department of the City).

Also, I feel very strongly that one set of rehabilitation
standards a for the entire Model Cities should be established for
execution oth the Housing Authority @nd the City; and that initial
notiees to Svapanty owenrs to rehabilitate their deellings to meet
required standards should be issued in the name of the City of Atlanta,
regardless of who or under whose jurisdiction the actual processing
and execution is accomplished, This is to provide the legal require-
ments necessary to invoke the Police Powers of the City, if necessary,
at a later date to insure compliance. This will avoid encountering
extensive time delays and costly repetition of efforts in processing
rehabilitation notices originally issued by the Housing Authority
Inspectors, but which may eventually have to be turned over to the
City to enforce in order to obtain compliance.

As for new housing developments, as well as Commerical and
Industrial developments, the contracts and essential coordination
between property owners, builders, developers and the staff will
most likely be handled through the principal Model Cities’ staff
members and or the Housing Authority central office and which
conceivable would have little application to the Housing Center,

Sincerely,

Malcolm D. Jones
Housing Coordinator

MDJ/me
cc: Mr. Dan E, Sweat, Jr.-—~

Bact: a by Urban East, Conaul teotea
for structural organization functions of 2 Howsing Center.