CHAPTER 4 PROBLEMS IN DEVELOPING AND OPERATING HOUSING PROJECTS Developmental and operational shortcomings in the Indian housing program have impeded the elimination of substandard housing and have resulted in Indian families' continuing to live in substandard housing. Force account mutual-help projects generally have been plagued by lengthy construction periods, which resulted in additional costs and in delays in the construction of follow-on projects. In housing considered to have been completed, numerous design and construction defects and incomplete construction items existed, which resulted in additional costs and in more rapid deterioration of the houses. After houses are occupied many deteriorate rapidly due to a lack of mainte nance. NEED FOR AN EFFECTIVE HOME MAINTENANCE PROGRAM Large numbers of recently completed Indian homes are rapidly deteriorating due to a lack of maintenance and to poor housekeeping. Although the new or renovated housing initially improved the living conditions of the Indian families, some families are having problems adjusting to their new living environment. There has been little activity on the part of the housing authorities, HUD, or the Bureau to identify and provide assistance to these families. As a result, in about one third of the houses which we inspected, deferred maintenance and poor housekeeping had contributed to the deterioration of the home environment to such an extent that the planned safe, sanitary, and decent living environment that the houses were designed to provide was being lost. Some houses had improperly operating heating, electrical, water, and sanitation systems, and some families were living in filth and around garbage, debris, and vermin. Accompanied by housing authority or Bureau representatives, we inspected 232 new or renovated houses on 22 reservations. For each of these houses, the occupant, as a potential homeowner, was primarily responsible for maintenance. Using a checklist developed from HUD maintenance and safety standards, we identified houses having maintenance deficiencies. The housing authority or Bureau representatives estimated the costs to correct the identified maintenance deficiencies for 187 of the houses. The estimated repair costs for the 187 houses averaged $468 a house and ran as high as $3,500. The inspections revealed numerous deficiencies, both of a major and of a minor nature. Many of the deficiencies were minor when considered alone but collectively indicated a need for maintenance assistance. We found deficiencies of the following types. --Heating or ventilation facilities in 100 houses --Water or plumbing facilities in 90 houses needed repair. --Electrical facilities in 90 houses needed repair. --Sanitation facilities in 30 houses needed repair. -- The exterior walls of 140 houses needed paint or The roofs of 50 houses needed repair. The interior floors, walls, or ceilings of 170 houses needed repair or paint. --The debris and garbage and other conditions in and around 130 houses were health or safety hazards. The following photographs illustrate some of the maintenance and housekeeping conditions we observed. |