Dublin Core
Title
Box 3, Folder 2, Document 4
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AIDE PROJECT
(RODENT CONTROL)
OBJECTIVES
The basic objectives of this project are:
Le
2.
To significantly reduce rodent infestation in the City of Atlanta;
To eliminate or reduce the incidence of health and safety hazards
and economic loss caused by the activities of rats;
To develop an effective citizen government-involved program for
creating and maintaining a healthy and sanitary environmental
condition free of rodent infestation;
To coordinate the services of all relevant agencies in a concentrated
effort to improve community conditions.
To aid and assist the City of Atlanta in providing more relevant
and consistent services for its citizens;
To provide meaningful work experience, training and education for
poor youth and adults.
EVALUATION
An evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of this project will be
undertaken to measure the degree to which the project objectives are
being attained.
I. Reduction of Rodent Infestation will be measured by the use of
"before and after surveys" of the target areas. Specific items
to be observed will include the reduction of:
A. Rat Droppings;
B. Rat Burrows;
Cc. Rat Holes;
D. Harborages;
E. Rat Trails;
F. Physical Presence;
G. Gnawings.
In addition, "before and after surveys" will be made of areas adjacent
to the target areas for comparative analysis.
Other items to be included in this survey will be:
A. Number of structures needing repair;
B. Number of structures needing to be demolished;
C. Regularity of garbage and trash collection;
D. Degree of active code enforcement.
Follow-up surveys will be made of the target areas on a biweekly basis
to determine the degree to which they are being maintained. ,
II. Reduction of the Incidence of Health and Safety Hazards and Economic Loss
will be evaluated by comparing data gathered before, during, and after
the project. These will include:
A. Incidence of rat-related illnesses;
B. Incidence of reported or known rat-bite cases;
C. Incidence of property destruction caused by rats.
III. The Citizen-Governmental Involvement Program will be evaluated by:
A. Comparing citizens' complaints before, during, and after the project;
(This will include adjacent areas, as well as the target areas.)
B. Studying the response to and effective handling of complaints within
these areas;
C. Describing and analyzing the nature of meetings and discussions con-
cerning the rodent problem; (This will be done whenever meetings of
this type occur.)
IV.
VI.
D, Assessing the changes in quality and quantity of cooperative
programs between citizens and government concerning the rodent
problem;
E. Measuring the progress or retrogression of participation in
this program by:
1. Adults;
2. Youth;
3. Government;
4. Owner;
5. Non-Owner.
F. Measuring the quality of the structural improvements made before,
during, and after this project.
Assisting the City of Atlanta and Other Governmental Agencies in
Establishing More Relevant and Effective Services in Rodent Control
and Environmental Sanitation will be evaluated by determining the
degree to which the City and other Governmental agencies are meeting
the sanitation needs of the target areas. Based upon these findings,
experimental programs will be undertaken in which new techniques will
be utilized to improve the following conditions:
A. Garbage Collection;
B. Code Enforcement;
Cc. Community Clean-Up;
D, Manpower Utilization
The cost of these experiments will be compared, and the most economical
and efficient services will be recommended for adoption.
Providing Meaningful Work Experience, Training and Education for Poor
Youth and Adults will be evaluated by determining:
A. Number of poor youth and adults recruited for this project;
B. Number of poor youth and adults trained for this project;
C. Comparing the above with the actual number of poor youth and
adults hired and retained by this project.
Other Evaluative Activities of this Project will be:
A. The administration of simple attitude tests to community residents
to determine the degree of interest in community sanitation and rodent
control.
B. Assessing new occupational knowledge and outlook of youth to determine
the degree of new interest in health as a vocation.
BACKGROUND AND NEEDS
The problem of rodent infestation is serious in Atlanta. The magnitude of the
problem is underscored by the fact that while there are many Federal, State,
Local and Private agencies involved in some way in rat control programs, there
is no overall coordination of these activities; nor is there presently a single
agency applying a completely concerted effort in this area,
In Atlanta there were 42 reported rat-bite cases in 1965. In 1966 there were 51,
and in 1967 there were 91. These figures represent a 120 per cent increase be-
tween 1965 and 1967. In-1967, 74,or 81 per cent of the total reported rat-bite
cases occurred in bed during early evening hours. The 1967 total would equal 94
if multible bites are considered.
Many conditions exist in the most densely-populated areas of Atlanta which tend
to encourage rodent infestation. Some of these are:
1, Dilapidated Housing; *
2. Long-Standing Trash Piles;
3. Excessive and Uncollected Garbage;
4. <A Large Number of Junk Automobiles;
5. Trash-Covered Vacant Lots;
6. Stacks of Old Lumber and Wood Piles;
7. Old Tires;
8. Unkept Ditches and Other Water Areas;
9. Community Apathy
In addition to the conditions mentioned above, Urban Renewal Projects have con-
tributed to the increased rodent infestation of Atlanta's slum areas, The removal
of old houses and other structures for the building of stadiums, expressways, and
businesses have caused rats to re-concentrate in already-infested areas, The
problem has become acute in recent years,
The disease problems associated with rodent infestation are held relatively low
in Atlanta; however, the threat of rat-borne disease is ever present when rat
infestation is manifested to the degree presently estimated in Atlanta. It is
estimated that there are as many rats as there are people in Atlanta. This
problem becomes serious when 30 per cent of Atlanta's population is in the most
frequent contact with the majority of Atlanta's rats.
Untold damage of a psychological nature results from the rat menace, especially
in urban areas. More than 14,000 Americans are bitten by rats each year. **
Those who live in close proximity to rats are known to experience both physical
and psychological damage that is injurious to the entire socialogical environment
of a community. The adverse effects of this damage manifest itself in a variety
* A chart of housing and population characteristics of the target areas is on
page 11 and page 12.
** Introduction to the Report of the President's Commission on Civil Disorder.
of ways. It leads to Lower levels of income, education, sanitation and
housekeeping. It reinforces community apathy and lack of pride, It
remains a constant source of grievances and complaints. It leads to
higher levels of disease, crime, unemployment and urban unrest.
The technical know-how and professional services available to control
rats need augmenting in Atlanta. There is a need for more acceptance, and
concentrated application and coordination of these forces through government
agencies and other groups having responsibilities for urban development and
community health,
10
TARGET AREAS
The Target Areas selected for this project are:
The Model
Cities Area;
The Multi-Purpose Service Center Area;
The Parent-Child Service Center Area;
4. The Areas Covered by the President's Youth Opportunity Program.
Within each of these areas, specific census tracts, neighborhoods, population,
structural characteristics, .and land area by acres are listed as follows:
CENSUS TRACT NEIGHBORHOOD LAND AREA TOTAL NUMBER NUMBER OF POPULATION
BY ACRES OF STRUCTURES MAJOR STRUCTURAL
DETERIORATION
Riverside
F-87 Chattahoochie
and Bolton
F-88 Hill Park
Scotts Crossing 4,267 1,916 204 13,754
F-86 Watts Road
Carey Park
Perry Homes -
Rockdale 2,194 1,974 165 10,088
F-83 Center Hill 1. 5077 1,385 19 11,207
F-84 Grove Park 424 1,262 40 ¥se05
F-40 Dixie Hills 395 L377 63 3,986
F-24 Hunter Hills 324 2 SLi 39 7,704
F-7 Blandtown 430 225 39 2,422
F-8 Bellwood 237 798 133 5,154
F-9 Home Park 176 569 18 2,042
F-10 Georgia Tech 405 1,245 252 4,792
F-22 English Avenue 215 1,560 671 4,995
F-25 Western Avenue 208 Lyle 130 7,704
F-38 Vine City 198 1,560 671 5,118
F-40 Mozley Park 395 1,394 17 3,986
Uptown 260 1,472 39 4,974
F-17 Glen Iris 296 1,582 601 6,884
F-28 Edgewood 181 252 352 3,462
D-5 and D-6 Kirkwood 676 1,783 99 11,461
F-33 Cabbagetown 176 2,161 751 5,025
Reynoldstown 176 2,161 751 5,025
F-44 Mechanicsville 219 1,748 791 4,348
F-46 Summerhill 130 1,566 993 3,597
F-45 Grant Park 163 1,814 389 1,961
F-55A Peoplestown 289 593 91 6,518
F-63 Pittsburg 359 1,967 873 5,253
F-58 Adair Park 300 732 35 2,178
F-60 Oakland City 376 3,192 99 4,415
F-23 Goldsmith 265 389 85 6,479
11
CENSUS TRACT NEIGHBORHOOD LAND AREA TOTAL NUMBER NUMBER OF POPULATION
BY ACRES OF STRUCTURES MAJOR STRUCTURAL
DETERIORATION
F-63 Capital View 359 989 14 5,250
F-55B High Point -
Joyland 412 588 28 6,761
F-67 South Atlanta | 853 809 240 8,175
F-57 Stewart Avenue| 155 115 25 3,336
TOTAL 16,414 41,399 7,966 180,285
12
The
Ly
2.
3.
PRELIMINARY PROCEDURES
preliminary procedures to be implemented will occur as follows:
May 27 - June 6, 1968 --- Recruitment and assembly of professional
and other crucial staff personnel;
June 10 ~- June 17, 1968 --- Recruitment of aides;
June 19 - June 28, 1968 --- Training and assigning of aide staff;
§. July 1, 1968 --- Implementation of work program;
5.
The
UP wehbe
May 27, 1971 --- Project termination.
professional staff to be recruited will be as follows:
One (1) Project Director;
One (1) Rodent Control Specialist;
One (1) Project Evaluator;
Three (3) Community Health Specialists;
Five (5) Community Organizers.
During the same period, other crucial personnel to be recruited will be:
5.
6.
Ve
8.
9.
10.
One (1) Budget and Fiscal Officer;
One (1) Clerk;
Two (2) Secretaries;
Two (2) Housing Inspectors;
Six (6) Sanitary Supervisors;
Six (6) Crew Chiefs.
The implementation of the Aide Program will begin with recruiting indigenous
poor youth and adults needing employment; screening and assessing capacities
of poor youth and adults; on basis of capacities, designing, providing and/or
securing educational and training supplements needed; and guiding and channeling
youth during on-the-job training in this project.
In addition, the Veterans' Administration will be requested to refer any returning
veteran to this program for immediate employment.
The
1,
training of youth will consist of the following subjects:
Evaluation of rodent infestation in terms of
A. Droppings
B. Burrows
C. Physical Presence
D. Gnawings
13
2. Evaluation of health problems caused by rats in terms of
A. Reported rat-bite cases;
B. Reported rat-related illnesses.
3, Community organization techniques, including
A. Meeting and greeting people;
B. Clearly explaining this program's goals;
C. Organizing and conducting community meetings on the subject.
4. Vector Control techniques, including
A. Poisoning;
B. Rat-proofing structures;
C. Baiting and cleaning public properties.
5. Other subjects to be taught will be slide-projector operation, movie
projector operation, building inspection and demolition,
~~.
Upon completion of this training, these youth and adults will be assigned
in crews to work with health and sanitary officials. They will
1. Make rodent surveys;
2. Distribute information about their control;
3. Organize and conduct community meetings on the subject;
4, Assist neighbors in clean-up efforts;
5. Put garbage and debris on trucks;
6. Assist the city in dealing with complaints;
7. Bait and clean public properties;
8. Assist inspectors in their duties;
9. Assist persons in rat-proofing their homes.
A crew will consist of the following personnel:
1. One (1) Community Organizer and Aides;
2. One (1) Sanitary Supervisor and Aides;
3. One (1) Rodent Control Specialist and Aides;
4. One (1) Housing Code Specialist and Aides;
5. One (1) Health Educator and Aides
14
METHODS OF PROCEDURES
I. To Significantly Reduce Rodent-Infestation in the City of Atlanta
This reduction will be achieved by:
A,
Organizing communities, by community organizers and aides,
for community clean-up programs in which aides will assist
community residents in cleaning up outside homes, and removing
yard and street debris, i. e. paper, garbage, trash piles,
junk automobiles, tires and dirt;
’ Cooperating directly with Economic Opportunity Atlanta's clean-up
campaign and extending this effort to a year-round project by
increasing personnel, providing technical associates, and organizing
clean-up committees on a neighborhood basis; -
Cooperating directly with the Model Cities Program in implementing
a demolition program, using youth and adult aides and youth demolition
enterprises on a contract basis, to identify and demolish, with the
owner's consent, all vacant houses, wood sheds and other structures
which the preliminary survey indicated were rat harborages;
Initiating a rat-proofing program using youth and adult aides,
under the supervision of Rodent Control and Housing Specialists,
to rat-proof basements and storage places, and to teach community
residents proper garbage disposal methods.
Formulating and implementing a comprehensive pre-poisoning and
poisoning program. Pre-poisoning will consist of dusting trails,
burrows, harborages and similar places as precautionary measures
against ectoparasites and disease when deemed necessary. Poisoning
will be initiated and supervised by technical and trained personnel.
The poisons to be used will be:
1. Red Squill - Fortified (500 Mgs. per Kg.)
2. Anticoagulants
The baits to be used will be:
1. Yellow cornmeal;
2. Canned fish;
3. Dark molasses
The selection of bait and/or poisons to be used will be determined
by the environmental factors and the degree of infestation. The
degree of infestation will be determined by evaluation, and it will
be designated as light, medium or heavy. Generally, poisons will
be distributed at an average rate of two pounds per premise. Baiting
will be done when deemed necessary by health, sanitary and rodent
control experts.
15
Il.
III.
Iv.
F. Alerting code enforcement officials to conditions which harborage
rats, and aggressively pursuing policies aimed at eliminating such
conditions.
To Eliminate or Reduce the Incidence of Health and Safety Hazards and
Economic Loss Caused by the Activities of Rats
This elimination or reduction will be achieved by:
A. Operating a program of community education in rat-infested areas
‘in which health educators and youth and adult aides will conduct
classes in the community, teaching residents precautionary measures
needed to reduce rat-bite incidence;
B. Showing movies and slides operated by youth aides depicting how
rats bite people, especially when they go to bed without washing
after having eaten’certain foods, i. e. jelly, candy, etc.;
C. Distributing weekly written material reminding residents that
unwrapped or uncovered food attracts rats.
To Develop an Effective Citizen -- Government~-Involved Program for
Creating and Maintaining a Healthy and Sanitary Environmental Condition
Free of Rodent Infestation
These conditions will be achieved by:
A. Organizing grievance committees to accept and refer grievances
to proper governmental departments;
B. Improvising a standard grievance form for rodent-related grievances;
Cc, Investigating and validating grievances by youth and adult aides;
D. Conducting classes at which health, housing and code enforcement
officials and their aides will teach residents sanitary laws, code
enforcement laws, and legal means available for gaining improved
sanitary and code enforcement services;
E, Distributing information concerning garbage collection schedules
so that residents will have their garbage ready for collection.
To Aid and Assist the City of Atlanta in Providing more Relevant and
Consistent Services for its Citizens
This objective will be achieved by:
A. Providing the City with feeders of information as to the quality
and quantity of its services in the target areas;
B. Involving participating agencies in a program designed to show
the need for new ordinances and legislation in this area,
These goals will be achieved by health and sanitation officials and staff
who are specialists in environmental health and sanitation.
16
PARTICIPATING AGENCIES
Each participating agency will develop and provide service within its own
competence that are relevant to the objectives of this project. The co-
ordination of each service to all others will be designed and refined by
a continuous process of cooperative exploration and evaluation.
The agencies participating in this project are:
1. The Atlanta Children and Youth Services Council;
2. The City of Atlanta Sanitation Department;
3. The Fulton County Health Department;
4, The City of Atlanta Housing Department;
5. The Office of the City Services Coordinator;
6. The City Planning Department (Model Cities);
7. Economic Opportunity Atlanta, Inc.;
8. United Appeal;
9. The Georgia Department of Health;
10. The Georgia Department of Labor.
Participation of these agencies will provide an opportunity to demonstrate
and test services; orient, train, and develop poor youth to staff capacity;
participate in the development and coordination of services into a compre-
hensive rodent control program; and determine the value of demonstration
services and coordination of resources,
A. The Atlanta Children and Youth Services Council will be the prime
contractor for this project. The council is an official agency
of the City of Atlanta and has coordinating responsibilities for
children and youth services and work throughout the Atlanta
Metropolitan Area.
The council will carry out the initial responsibilities for:
1. Developing the proposal;
2. Sub-contracting;
3. Overall coordination of services;
4, Evaluation and research;
5, Monitoring and auditing
B. The Atlanta Sanitation Department will co-sponsor this project and
will be responsible for garbage collection and disposal. It will
train sanitary supervisors concerning sanitary problems in Atlanta.
C. The Fulton County Health Department will request work crews and crew
chiefs for rat control work. The health department will be responsible
for training the requested crews in their areas of competence concerning
the health-related aspects of rat-borne diseases, rat habit, and rat
poisons. It will also provide advice to the Rat Control Project in
developing methods and procedures for the surveys and poisoning programs.
17
UF.
I,
The City Planning Department (Model Cities) will identify target areas,
furnish useful ecological and demographic data, and furnish maps.
Economic Opportunity Atlanta and the United Appeal will assist in the
community organization and the community involvement aspects of this
project. They will identify indigenous youth and adult leaders crucial
to community organization efforts.
The City Services Coordinator will be responsible for the facilitating,
expediting and coordinating of the various City and County services,
including Economic Opportunity Atlanta, Inc. He will also be responsible
for supervising the operation of neighborhood rodent-control crews in
their day-to-day operation.
The Georgia Department of Health will provide technical assistance and
consultation services to the various agencies participating in this
project.
The Georgia Department of Labor will refer indigenous youth, veterans,
and unemployed adults to this project for employment. They will also
provide limited training under their Manpower Development and Training
Program.
The Atlanta Housing Authority will assist in training housing inspectors
and code enforcement aides.
18
FACILITIES AVALLABLE
The facilities available for this project are numerous. This project will
utilize Neighborhood Service Centers, Community Meeting and Recreation
Buildings, classroom space in schools located in the area, and storage
facilities within the target area.
The headquarters for the project will be in a designated facility of the
City.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROJECT
The significance of this project is numerous. The most important significance
is the concentration of community resources and services to correct serious
health, sanitary, and socially disruptive problems in communities. Another
important significance of this project will be the large number of youth and
young adults that will be employed. Other significant contributions of this
project will be:
A. Providing youth and adults with meaningful training for future job
possibilities;
B. Employing returning veterans;
C. Improving the image of City Government in low-income communities.
19
STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The staffing of this project will be an integral part of programming and
implementation. While these will be the necessary professional staff, this
project will draw a major portion of its staff from the target areas. The
emphasis will be upon the hiring of poor youth, unemployed adults, and
veterans.
A. Director
Qualifications: A minimum of a Master's Degree in Community
Organization, plus a minimum of five years experience as an
Administrator, preferably at the executive level;
Responsibilities: Administration and overall operation of the
project, coordination, pOmschees sub-contracts, budget, public
relations;
B. Vector Control Specialist
Qualifications: A minimum of a Master's Degree in Environmental
Health, plus five years of experience in rodent control; a
Responsibilities: Providing overall direction to the technical
aspect of this project, supervising, training, assessing needs
of project to operate more effectively;
C. Operations Officer
Qualifications: A minimum of a Master's Degree in Biology, plus
two years of teaching experience;
Responsibilities: Directing and guiding the various component
programs, personnel supervision, reports, public relations,
training aides;
D. Evaluation Officer
Qualifications: Extensive graduate training in research and evaluation,
plus one year of experience in evaluation research, preferably at senior
staff level;
Responsibilities: Designing and implementing evaluation procedure,
administering tests, training aides;
E. Community Organizer
Qualifications: A minimum of a Master's Degree in Community Organization;
Responsibilities: Planning meetings, organizing communities, assessing
community attitudes, training aide staff;
A chart of the staff structure is outlined on the following page.
20
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF RODENT CONTROL
| VECTOR CONTROL EXPERT
DIRECTOR
PROJECT
EVALUATOR |
| AIDES
| AIDES :| | OPERATIONS OFF
| axpes
| HEALTH — | ‘COMMUNITY | “SANITARY
EDUCATION ORGANIZERS | SUPERVISORS
- =) aa
| arpEs AIDES | | AIDES |
21
APPLICATION/GRANT NO.
SHORT SUMMARY OF PROJECT
PROJECT TITLE
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AIDE PROJECT (RODENT CONTROL)
SUMMARY STATEMENT (Not to exceed 200 words)
This project has been designed to provide needed services in the area of
environmental health. It provides for the educating and hiring of community
residents in efforts to improve their living conditions. It is designed to
coordinate all related services to a rat control project. It cooperates with
Federal, State and local governmental agencies, as well as other groups, for
the expressed purpose of eliminating a disruptive community problem. It provides
for the training of some persons which may develop into new careers for pre-
viously unemployed-persons. Finally, it provides for a constant and reliable
built-in evaluation wherein the overall and day-to-day effectiveness of the
total program is determined and analyzed, All data received will be fed back
to program operators for the purpose of having the appropriate adjustments
facilitated,
NAME OF PROJECT DIRECTOR APPLICANT ORGANIZATION (Name and address, including Zip Code)
PHS-5028-1 (PAGE £2 ) — PROJECT SUMMARY
7-67 GPO 928-172
(RODENT CONTROL)
OBJECTIVES
The basic objectives of this project are:
Le
2.
To significantly reduce rodent infestation in the City of Atlanta;
To eliminate or reduce the incidence of health and safety hazards
and economic loss caused by the activities of rats;
To develop an effective citizen government-involved program for
creating and maintaining a healthy and sanitary environmental
condition free of rodent infestation;
To coordinate the services of all relevant agencies in a concentrated
effort to improve community conditions.
To aid and assist the City of Atlanta in providing more relevant
and consistent services for its citizens;
To provide meaningful work experience, training and education for
poor youth and adults.
EVALUATION
An evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of this project will be
undertaken to measure the degree to which the project objectives are
being attained.
I. Reduction of Rodent Infestation will be measured by the use of
"before and after surveys" of the target areas. Specific items
to be observed will include the reduction of:
A. Rat Droppings;
B. Rat Burrows;
Cc. Rat Holes;
D. Harborages;
E. Rat Trails;
F. Physical Presence;
G. Gnawings.
In addition, "before and after surveys" will be made of areas adjacent
to the target areas for comparative analysis.
Other items to be included in this survey will be:
A. Number of structures needing repair;
B. Number of structures needing to be demolished;
C. Regularity of garbage and trash collection;
D. Degree of active code enforcement.
Follow-up surveys will be made of the target areas on a biweekly basis
to determine the degree to which they are being maintained. ,
II. Reduction of the Incidence of Health and Safety Hazards and Economic Loss
will be evaluated by comparing data gathered before, during, and after
the project. These will include:
A. Incidence of rat-related illnesses;
B. Incidence of reported or known rat-bite cases;
C. Incidence of property destruction caused by rats.
III. The Citizen-Governmental Involvement Program will be evaluated by:
A. Comparing citizens' complaints before, during, and after the project;
(This will include adjacent areas, as well as the target areas.)
B. Studying the response to and effective handling of complaints within
these areas;
C. Describing and analyzing the nature of meetings and discussions con-
cerning the rodent problem; (This will be done whenever meetings of
this type occur.)
IV.
VI.
D, Assessing the changes in quality and quantity of cooperative
programs between citizens and government concerning the rodent
problem;
E. Measuring the progress or retrogression of participation in
this program by:
1. Adults;
2. Youth;
3. Government;
4. Owner;
5. Non-Owner.
F. Measuring the quality of the structural improvements made before,
during, and after this project.
Assisting the City of Atlanta and Other Governmental Agencies in
Establishing More Relevant and Effective Services in Rodent Control
and Environmental Sanitation will be evaluated by determining the
degree to which the City and other Governmental agencies are meeting
the sanitation needs of the target areas. Based upon these findings,
experimental programs will be undertaken in which new techniques will
be utilized to improve the following conditions:
A. Garbage Collection;
B. Code Enforcement;
Cc. Community Clean-Up;
D, Manpower Utilization
The cost of these experiments will be compared, and the most economical
and efficient services will be recommended for adoption.
Providing Meaningful Work Experience, Training and Education for Poor
Youth and Adults will be evaluated by determining:
A. Number of poor youth and adults recruited for this project;
B. Number of poor youth and adults trained for this project;
C. Comparing the above with the actual number of poor youth and
adults hired and retained by this project.
Other Evaluative Activities of this Project will be:
A. The administration of simple attitude tests to community residents
to determine the degree of interest in community sanitation and rodent
control.
B. Assessing new occupational knowledge and outlook of youth to determine
the degree of new interest in health as a vocation.
BACKGROUND AND NEEDS
The problem of rodent infestation is serious in Atlanta. The magnitude of the
problem is underscored by the fact that while there are many Federal, State,
Local and Private agencies involved in some way in rat control programs, there
is no overall coordination of these activities; nor is there presently a single
agency applying a completely concerted effort in this area,
In Atlanta there were 42 reported rat-bite cases in 1965. In 1966 there were 51,
and in 1967 there were 91. These figures represent a 120 per cent increase be-
tween 1965 and 1967. In-1967, 74,or 81 per cent of the total reported rat-bite
cases occurred in bed during early evening hours. The 1967 total would equal 94
if multible bites are considered.
Many conditions exist in the most densely-populated areas of Atlanta which tend
to encourage rodent infestation. Some of these are:
1, Dilapidated Housing; *
2. Long-Standing Trash Piles;
3. Excessive and Uncollected Garbage;
4. <A Large Number of Junk Automobiles;
5. Trash-Covered Vacant Lots;
6. Stacks of Old Lumber and Wood Piles;
7. Old Tires;
8. Unkept Ditches and Other Water Areas;
9. Community Apathy
In addition to the conditions mentioned above, Urban Renewal Projects have con-
tributed to the increased rodent infestation of Atlanta's slum areas, The removal
of old houses and other structures for the building of stadiums, expressways, and
businesses have caused rats to re-concentrate in already-infested areas, The
problem has become acute in recent years,
The disease problems associated with rodent infestation are held relatively low
in Atlanta; however, the threat of rat-borne disease is ever present when rat
infestation is manifested to the degree presently estimated in Atlanta. It is
estimated that there are as many rats as there are people in Atlanta. This
problem becomes serious when 30 per cent of Atlanta's population is in the most
frequent contact with the majority of Atlanta's rats.
Untold damage of a psychological nature results from the rat menace, especially
in urban areas. More than 14,000 Americans are bitten by rats each year. **
Those who live in close proximity to rats are known to experience both physical
and psychological damage that is injurious to the entire socialogical environment
of a community. The adverse effects of this damage manifest itself in a variety
* A chart of housing and population characteristics of the target areas is on
page 11 and page 12.
** Introduction to the Report of the President's Commission on Civil Disorder.
of ways. It leads to Lower levels of income, education, sanitation and
housekeeping. It reinforces community apathy and lack of pride, It
remains a constant source of grievances and complaints. It leads to
higher levels of disease, crime, unemployment and urban unrest.
The technical know-how and professional services available to control
rats need augmenting in Atlanta. There is a need for more acceptance, and
concentrated application and coordination of these forces through government
agencies and other groups having responsibilities for urban development and
community health,
10
TARGET AREAS
The Target Areas selected for this project are:
The Model
Cities Area;
The Multi-Purpose Service Center Area;
The Parent-Child Service Center Area;
4. The Areas Covered by the President's Youth Opportunity Program.
Within each of these areas, specific census tracts, neighborhoods, population,
structural characteristics, .and land area by acres are listed as follows:
CENSUS TRACT NEIGHBORHOOD LAND AREA TOTAL NUMBER NUMBER OF POPULATION
BY ACRES OF STRUCTURES MAJOR STRUCTURAL
DETERIORATION
Riverside
F-87 Chattahoochie
and Bolton
F-88 Hill Park
Scotts Crossing 4,267 1,916 204 13,754
F-86 Watts Road
Carey Park
Perry Homes -
Rockdale 2,194 1,974 165 10,088
F-83 Center Hill 1. 5077 1,385 19 11,207
F-84 Grove Park 424 1,262 40 ¥se05
F-40 Dixie Hills 395 L377 63 3,986
F-24 Hunter Hills 324 2 SLi 39 7,704
F-7 Blandtown 430 225 39 2,422
F-8 Bellwood 237 798 133 5,154
F-9 Home Park 176 569 18 2,042
F-10 Georgia Tech 405 1,245 252 4,792
F-22 English Avenue 215 1,560 671 4,995
F-25 Western Avenue 208 Lyle 130 7,704
F-38 Vine City 198 1,560 671 5,118
F-40 Mozley Park 395 1,394 17 3,986
Uptown 260 1,472 39 4,974
F-17 Glen Iris 296 1,582 601 6,884
F-28 Edgewood 181 252 352 3,462
D-5 and D-6 Kirkwood 676 1,783 99 11,461
F-33 Cabbagetown 176 2,161 751 5,025
Reynoldstown 176 2,161 751 5,025
F-44 Mechanicsville 219 1,748 791 4,348
F-46 Summerhill 130 1,566 993 3,597
F-45 Grant Park 163 1,814 389 1,961
F-55A Peoplestown 289 593 91 6,518
F-63 Pittsburg 359 1,967 873 5,253
F-58 Adair Park 300 732 35 2,178
F-60 Oakland City 376 3,192 99 4,415
F-23 Goldsmith 265 389 85 6,479
11
CENSUS TRACT NEIGHBORHOOD LAND AREA TOTAL NUMBER NUMBER OF POPULATION
BY ACRES OF STRUCTURES MAJOR STRUCTURAL
DETERIORATION
F-63 Capital View 359 989 14 5,250
F-55B High Point -
Joyland 412 588 28 6,761
F-67 South Atlanta | 853 809 240 8,175
F-57 Stewart Avenue| 155 115 25 3,336
TOTAL 16,414 41,399 7,966 180,285
12
The
Ly
2.
3.
PRELIMINARY PROCEDURES
preliminary procedures to be implemented will occur as follows:
May 27 - June 6, 1968 --- Recruitment and assembly of professional
and other crucial staff personnel;
June 10 ~- June 17, 1968 --- Recruitment of aides;
June 19 - June 28, 1968 --- Training and assigning of aide staff;
§. July 1, 1968 --- Implementation of work program;
5.
The
UP wehbe
May 27, 1971 --- Project termination.
professional staff to be recruited will be as follows:
One (1) Project Director;
One (1) Rodent Control Specialist;
One (1) Project Evaluator;
Three (3) Community Health Specialists;
Five (5) Community Organizers.
During the same period, other crucial personnel to be recruited will be:
5.
6.
Ve
8.
9.
10.
One (1) Budget and Fiscal Officer;
One (1) Clerk;
Two (2) Secretaries;
Two (2) Housing Inspectors;
Six (6) Sanitary Supervisors;
Six (6) Crew Chiefs.
The implementation of the Aide Program will begin with recruiting indigenous
poor youth and adults needing employment; screening and assessing capacities
of poor youth and adults; on basis of capacities, designing, providing and/or
securing educational and training supplements needed; and guiding and channeling
youth during on-the-job training in this project.
In addition, the Veterans' Administration will be requested to refer any returning
veteran to this program for immediate employment.
The
1,
training of youth will consist of the following subjects:
Evaluation of rodent infestation in terms of
A. Droppings
B. Burrows
C. Physical Presence
D. Gnawings
13
2. Evaluation of health problems caused by rats in terms of
A. Reported rat-bite cases;
B. Reported rat-related illnesses.
3, Community organization techniques, including
A. Meeting and greeting people;
B. Clearly explaining this program's goals;
C. Organizing and conducting community meetings on the subject.
4. Vector Control techniques, including
A. Poisoning;
B. Rat-proofing structures;
C. Baiting and cleaning public properties.
5. Other subjects to be taught will be slide-projector operation, movie
projector operation, building inspection and demolition,
~~.
Upon completion of this training, these youth and adults will be assigned
in crews to work with health and sanitary officials. They will
1. Make rodent surveys;
2. Distribute information about their control;
3. Organize and conduct community meetings on the subject;
4, Assist neighbors in clean-up efforts;
5. Put garbage and debris on trucks;
6. Assist the city in dealing with complaints;
7. Bait and clean public properties;
8. Assist inspectors in their duties;
9. Assist persons in rat-proofing their homes.
A crew will consist of the following personnel:
1. One (1) Community Organizer and Aides;
2. One (1) Sanitary Supervisor and Aides;
3. One (1) Rodent Control Specialist and Aides;
4. One (1) Housing Code Specialist and Aides;
5. One (1) Health Educator and Aides
14
METHODS OF PROCEDURES
I. To Significantly Reduce Rodent-Infestation in the City of Atlanta
This reduction will be achieved by:
A,
Organizing communities, by community organizers and aides,
for community clean-up programs in which aides will assist
community residents in cleaning up outside homes, and removing
yard and street debris, i. e. paper, garbage, trash piles,
junk automobiles, tires and dirt;
’ Cooperating directly with Economic Opportunity Atlanta's clean-up
campaign and extending this effort to a year-round project by
increasing personnel, providing technical associates, and organizing
clean-up committees on a neighborhood basis; -
Cooperating directly with the Model Cities Program in implementing
a demolition program, using youth and adult aides and youth demolition
enterprises on a contract basis, to identify and demolish, with the
owner's consent, all vacant houses, wood sheds and other structures
which the preliminary survey indicated were rat harborages;
Initiating a rat-proofing program using youth and adult aides,
under the supervision of Rodent Control and Housing Specialists,
to rat-proof basements and storage places, and to teach community
residents proper garbage disposal methods.
Formulating and implementing a comprehensive pre-poisoning and
poisoning program. Pre-poisoning will consist of dusting trails,
burrows, harborages and similar places as precautionary measures
against ectoparasites and disease when deemed necessary. Poisoning
will be initiated and supervised by technical and trained personnel.
The poisons to be used will be:
1. Red Squill - Fortified (500 Mgs. per Kg.)
2. Anticoagulants
The baits to be used will be:
1. Yellow cornmeal;
2. Canned fish;
3. Dark molasses
The selection of bait and/or poisons to be used will be determined
by the environmental factors and the degree of infestation. The
degree of infestation will be determined by evaluation, and it will
be designated as light, medium or heavy. Generally, poisons will
be distributed at an average rate of two pounds per premise. Baiting
will be done when deemed necessary by health, sanitary and rodent
control experts.
15
Il.
III.
Iv.
F. Alerting code enforcement officials to conditions which harborage
rats, and aggressively pursuing policies aimed at eliminating such
conditions.
To Eliminate or Reduce the Incidence of Health and Safety Hazards and
Economic Loss Caused by the Activities of Rats
This elimination or reduction will be achieved by:
A. Operating a program of community education in rat-infested areas
‘in which health educators and youth and adult aides will conduct
classes in the community, teaching residents precautionary measures
needed to reduce rat-bite incidence;
B. Showing movies and slides operated by youth aides depicting how
rats bite people, especially when they go to bed without washing
after having eaten’certain foods, i. e. jelly, candy, etc.;
C. Distributing weekly written material reminding residents that
unwrapped or uncovered food attracts rats.
To Develop an Effective Citizen -- Government~-Involved Program for
Creating and Maintaining a Healthy and Sanitary Environmental Condition
Free of Rodent Infestation
These conditions will be achieved by:
A. Organizing grievance committees to accept and refer grievances
to proper governmental departments;
B. Improvising a standard grievance form for rodent-related grievances;
Cc, Investigating and validating grievances by youth and adult aides;
D. Conducting classes at which health, housing and code enforcement
officials and their aides will teach residents sanitary laws, code
enforcement laws, and legal means available for gaining improved
sanitary and code enforcement services;
E, Distributing information concerning garbage collection schedules
so that residents will have their garbage ready for collection.
To Aid and Assist the City of Atlanta in Providing more Relevant and
Consistent Services for its Citizens
This objective will be achieved by:
A. Providing the City with feeders of information as to the quality
and quantity of its services in the target areas;
B. Involving participating agencies in a program designed to show
the need for new ordinances and legislation in this area,
These goals will be achieved by health and sanitation officials and staff
who are specialists in environmental health and sanitation.
16
PARTICIPATING AGENCIES
Each participating agency will develop and provide service within its own
competence that are relevant to the objectives of this project. The co-
ordination of each service to all others will be designed and refined by
a continuous process of cooperative exploration and evaluation.
The agencies participating in this project are:
1. The Atlanta Children and Youth Services Council;
2. The City of Atlanta Sanitation Department;
3. The Fulton County Health Department;
4, The City of Atlanta Housing Department;
5. The Office of the City Services Coordinator;
6. The City Planning Department (Model Cities);
7. Economic Opportunity Atlanta, Inc.;
8. United Appeal;
9. The Georgia Department of Health;
10. The Georgia Department of Labor.
Participation of these agencies will provide an opportunity to demonstrate
and test services; orient, train, and develop poor youth to staff capacity;
participate in the development and coordination of services into a compre-
hensive rodent control program; and determine the value of demonstration
services and coordination of resources,
A. The Atlanta Children and Youth Services Council will be the prime
contractor for this project. The council is an official agency
of the City of Atlanta and has coordinating responsibilities for
children and youth services and work throughout the Atlanta
Metropolitan Area.
The council will carry out the initial responsibilities for:
1. Developing the proposal;
2. Sub-contracting;
3. Overall coordination of services;
4, Evaluation and research;
5, Monitoring and auditing
B. The Atlanta Sanitation Department will co-sponsor this project and
will be responsible for garbage collection and disposal. It will
train sanitary supervisors concerning sanitary problems in Atlanta.
C. The Fulton County Health Department will request work crews and crew
chiefs for rat control work. The health department will be responsible
for training the requested crews in their areas of competence concerning
the health-related aspects of rat-borne diseases, rat habit, and rat
poisons. It will also provide advice to the Rat Control Project in
developing methods and procedures for the surveys and poisoning programs.
17
UF.
I,
The City Planning Department (Model Cities) will identify target areas,
furnish useful ecological and demographic data, and furnish maps.
Economic Opportunity Atlanta and the United Appeal will assist in the
community organization and the community involvement aspects of this
project. They will identify indigenous youth and adult leaders crucial
to community organization efforts.
The City Services Coordinator will be responsible for the facilitating,
expediting and coordinating of the various City and County services,
including Economic Opportunity Atlanta, Inc. He will also be responsible
for supervising the operation of neighborhood rodent-control crews in
their day-to-day operation.
The Georgia Department of Health will provide technical assistance and
consultation services to the various agencies participating in this
project.
The Georgia Department of Labor will refer indigenous youth, veterans,
and unemployed adults to this project for employment. They will also
provide limited training under their Manpower Development and Training
Program.
The Atlanta Housing Authority will assist in training housing inspectors
and code enforcement aides.
18
FACILITIES AVALLABLE
The facilities available for this project are numerous. This project will
utilize Neighborhood Service Centers, Community Meeting and Recreation
Buildings, classroom space in schools located in the area, and storage
facilities within the target area.
The headquarters for the project will be in a designated facility of the
City.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROJECT
The significance of this project is numerous. The most important significance
is the concentration of community resources and services to correct serious
health, sanitary, and socially disruptive problems in communities. Another
important significance of this project will be the large number of youth and
young adults that will be employed. Other significant contributions of this
project will be:
A. Providing youth and adults with meaningful training for future job
possibilities;
B. Employing returning veterans;
C. Improving the image of City Government in low-income communities.
19
STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The staffing of this project will be an integral part of programming and
implementation. While these will be the necessary professional staff, this
project will draw a major portion of its staff from the target areas. The
emphasis will be upon the hiring of poor youth, unemployed adults, and
veterans.
A. Director
Qualifications: A minimum of a Master's Degree in Community
Organization, plus a minimum of five years experience as an
Administrator, preferably at the executive level;
Responsibilities: Administration and overall operation of the
project, coordination, pOmschees sub-contracts, budget, public
relations;
B. Vector Control Specialist
Qualifications: A minimum of a Master's Degree in Environmental
Health, plus five years of experience in rodent control; a
Responsibilities: Providing overall direction to the technical
aspect of this project, supervising, training, assessing needs
of project to operate more effectively;
C. Operations Officer
Qualifications: A minimum of a Master's Degree in Biology, plus
two years of teaching experience;
Responsibilities: Directing and guiding the various component
programs, personnel supervision, reports, public relations,
training aides;
D. Evaluation Officer
Qualifications: Extensive graduate training in research and evaluation,
plus one year of experience in evaluation research, preferably at senior
staff level;
Responsibilities: Designing and implementing evaluation procedure,
administering tests, training aides;
E. Community Organizer
Qualifications: A minimum of a Master's Degree in Community Organization;
Responsibilities: Planning meetings, organizing communities, assessing
community attitudes, training aide staff;
A chart of the staff structure is outlined on the following page.
20
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF RODENT CONTROL
| VECTOR CONTROL EXPERT
DIRECTOR
PROJECT
EVALUATOR |
| AIDES
| AIDES :| | OPERATIONS OFF
| axpes
| HEALTH — | ‘COMMUNITY | “SANITARY
EDUCATION ORGANIZERS | SUPERVISORS
- =) aa
| arpEs AIDES | | AIDES |
21
APPLICATION/GRANT NO.
SHORT SUMMARY OF PROJECT
PROJECT TITLE
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AIDE PROJECT (RODENT CONTROL)
SUMMARY STATEMENT (Not to exceed 200 words)
This project has been designed to provide needed services in the area of
environmental health. It provides for the educating and hiring of community
residents in efforts to improve their living conditions. It is designed to
coordinate all related services to a rat control project. It cooperates with
Federal, State and local governmental agencies, as well as other groups, for
the expressed purpose of eliminating a disruptive community problem. It provides
for the training of some persons which may develop into new careers for pre-
viously unemployed-persons. Finally, it provides for a constant and reliable
built-in evaluation wherein the overall and day-to-day effectiveness of the
total program is determined and analyzed, All data received will be fed back
to program operators for the purpose of having the appropriate adjustments
facilitated,
NAME OF PROJECT DIRECTOR APPLICANT ORGANIZATION (Name and address, including Zip Code)
PHS-5028-1 (PAGE £2 ) — PROJECT SUMMARY
7-67 GPO 928-172
Comments