organize a code enforcement committee for your neighborhood.

How can Omaha Neighborhood Scan help your neighborhood?

Omaha Neighborhood Scan is a proactive approach that teaches neighbors to help neighbors. Code enforcement in the City of Omaha is reactive, meaning that the complaints must be made about properties before the City investigates. Omaha Neighborhood Scan works to help educate neighborhood residents and organizations on code enforcement procedures. Many neighborhood residents are unaware of or uninformed about code enforcement procedures.

Many residents do not understand the life-cycle of their home. For example, many people do not realize the caution signs that they need a new roof. Omaha Neighborhood Scan, with the City of Omaha code inspectors, developed a code enforcement education program that emphasizes education and public awareness. This program includes:

• Educational information, including a Web site, which helps citizens identify and report code violations. The scan program builds on the City's existing “checklist” of violations by helping citizens utilize technology to rate area homes.
• Explanatory materials, Pocket PCs (PPCs) are made available to neighborhood leaders. After training, residents conduct “windshield” or “walking surveys.” Residents compile land use, environmental and housing information in areas important to neighborhoods.
• Informational materials, so that when residents are informed of violations they can learn what corrections are needed. In addition, information is available on local programs to assist in making repairs.

What steps should my neighborhood take? Code enforcement infractions occur in many locations throughout the Omaha area. Deteriorated buildings, graffiti, litter, and weeds can be found in many neighborhoods. Many neighborhood residents may sense a problem with their housing stock. It is critical for neighborhoods to examine the area's housing stock, including occupied and vacant homes and vacant lots.

Many neighborhood leaders and residents are concerned about code enforcement in Omaha, but do not know how to address these issues. Omaha Neighborhood Scan can help neighborhood associations that are concerned with code enforcement. ONS offers neighborhoods proactive tools to conduct examinations of housing stock, vacant lots and parks, without having to rely on calls to the City of Omaha.

The planning process for many neighborhoods could follow this process:

• Organize a committee . Associations who are concerned with housing problems should form a code enforcement committee.
• Define the issues. Drive through your neighborhood. Get a feel for the housing and environmental issues in your area. Take into account the types of problems and decide which problems can be solved with available resources.
• What does our neighborhood association want to achieve? Many neighborhoods share these issues.
  • Illegal property uses: Is it hard to navigate through all of the cars parked in your neighborhood? Do you think that there are too many people living in the house next door? Your neighborhood association's code enforcement committee may want to consider a downzoning project to convert the housing stock back to single-family housing, or to ensure that additional housing is not converted to multi-family. ONS works with neighborhoods to record the observed land use of each home.
  • Sanitation: Are properties in your neighborhood cluttered? Are there weeds in lawns growing taller than 10”? ONS helps neighborhood associations rate factors including cluttered driveways and porches; cracked driveways; cluttered garages; inoperable vehicles; and deteriorating, uncared for trees, lawns and shrubs.
  • Defacement of property: Is graffitti becoming a problem in your neighborhood? ONS helps neighborhoods record defaced property. This is turned into the City of Omaha immediately.
  • Housing conditions: Is peeling paint a problem in your neighborhood? Is there a problem with the roofs? Eventually, problems with the exterior housing structure can result in wall and interior deterioration. Take your list of issues back to your neighborhood association. Contact Omaha Neighborhood Scan who will work with your neighborhood association to customize a scan that would best benefit their neighborhood's needs.
• Evaluate. Gather volunteers to conduct a scan and share the results with your neighborhood. Together, decide on a plan of action.

For more information, please read our brochure.