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Saturday, March 31, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Community Involvement
At the end of the day, the people
living within the community are going to have to take responsibility for the
conditions of their homes. They, like me,
have to be educated about the contaminants and pollutants that plague their
homes and are quite possibly contributing to their low performance and under
achievement. Education is often frowned
upon within the community because it is thought of as being ‘uppity’ or ‘bourgeois’;
both are just signs of ignorance and are excuses that we as a people have
tolerated because we have held others responsible for our health and
safety. Though the landlords and banking
institutions could do more as a moral responsibility; the ultimate responsibility
falls upon the residents.
Solutions for the Residents:
1.
Before moving into the property, verify the date it was
constructed to see if toxic hazards are present.
2.
If it was constructed prior to 1978, ask the owner if
they intend to use green materials to rectify the situation. If not, don’t move in to the property.
3.
Know your rights!
Read the paperwork before you sign it. Just because you are on section 8
does not mean the tenant has to live under toxic conditions.
Ministry Intervention
Habitat for Humanity, a
nonprofit, ecumenical Christian ministry has actually impacted and revitalized
the South Dallas Community. They build
sustainable, energy efficient and healthy housing for low-income families by
using green building techniques and materials.
This is due to the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative which helps
the ministry condemn many homes built between 1939 and 1970. As of September 2010, Habitat for Humanity reported
having built over 800 homes8 within Dallas County. That’s over 800 families who no longer have
to live in asbestos insulated homes and drink lead contaminated water,
constructed using wood and donned with lead-based paints. This means one
ministry is outperforming two of the largest investment banks in the world.
Solutions:
1.
Allow banking institutions to financially support
Habitat for Humanity out of the allocated CRA budget.
8Dallas
Area Habitat for Humanity. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.dallasareahabitat.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=48594&name=DLFE-1412.pdf>.
Corporate Intervention
According to Bank
of America’s Community Development Lending and Investment goals, as of 2009
they had contributed $5,818,1493 toward affordable housing in the
State of Texas with $1,392,7294
having been disbursed throughout Dallas County. When you take that figure, $1,392,729 and
divide it by the average sales price of homes in South Dallas
as provided by Trulia, Inc., which is $29,9335 that averages to
about 47 homes; at the maximum that BOA could have built
out right within the community they serve.
In relation to the Community
Reinvestment Act, as cited by a J P Morgan Chase & Co. 2009 Community
Responsibility Report, its Community Development Real Estate Division boasts of
providing ‘$541 million in new credit
commitments for affordable housing in 20096.’ If you were to take that
figure and divide it by the average home price in South Dallas, that would mean
Chase extended credit for 18,000 homes nationwide which averages about 361
houses per state; and that’s at a sales price of $29,933.
As you can see, the Community Reinvestment
Act and the contribution of these particular banking institutions within the Fair Park
area are not having an impact. Combined the two banks are ideally contributing
- at best - to 80 homes within that community.
That’s liberal considering new construction in that area is almost
non-existent.
Solutions:
1.
As cited in a posting for a Personal Banker job description on
the Chase website, ‘The
Personal Banker is a branch based sales position whose primary goal is to
acquire, retain and deepen customer relationships; As a Personal Banker, you
will proactively meet with customers - face to face and over the phone - to
discover their financial needs and provide product and service recommendations.7’
As personal bankers within the
community, they should proactively go into the community and speak with
business owners to see how Chase can invest in the neighborhood.
2.
Mandate that banking institutions
proactively survey the communities they are to serve to identify houses with physical
and external obsolescence.
3. Provide a game plan as to how they intend to allocate part of their Community Reinvestment funds to rehabilitate those homes and businesses.
4. Stipulate an annual amount of the CRA budget that would be set aside for only new construction within the Fair Park Corridor and make those statistics easily accessible to the community both online and within the branch.
3. Provide a game plan as to how they intend to allocate part of their Community Reinvestment funds to rehabilitate those homes and businesses.
4. Stipulate an annual amount of the CRA budget that would be set aside for only new construction within the Fair Park Corridor and make those statistics easily accessible to the community both online and within the branch.
3Bankofamerica.com. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.
bankofamerica.com. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.
4 Bankofamerica.com. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.bankofamerica.com/community/pdf/ADA_1.5T_10-yr_summary_by_state.pdf>.
5 "Dallas Home
Prices and Heat Map - Trulia.com." Trulia. Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.trulia.com/home_prices/Texas/Dallas-heat_map/>.
6 Jpmorganchase.com.
Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.jpmorganchase.com/corporate/Corporate-responsibility/document/cr_full_report_05-14_01_noblurb.pdf>.
7Jpmorganchase.com.
Web. 20 Mar. 2012.
<https://jpmchase.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl>.
Government Intervention
In our last discussion, we
discussed that more than 85% of the homes within the Fair Park Corridor were
built between 1939 and 19701.
These homes were constructed using wood, donned with lead-based paints,
installed with lead pipes, insulated with asbestos, in addition to requiring
gas as a utility for heating. Both awareness and solutions were provided on how
to combat the environmental hazards that have inadvertently harmed the people and
the environment; socially, psychologically, and economically. Throughout this discussion, we’ll address
what’s being done corporately and governmentally to improve the harmful effects
of the built environment within the Fair Park Corridor.
Within 75210, 75215, and the
75223 zip codes lie two banking institutions, Bank of America® and
Chase®. According to the
Modern Real Estate Practice in Texas
text, in 1977, Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) which
requires lenders to “participate and invest in local community development
and rehabilitation projects, and participate in loan programs for housing.2”
Though the Community Reinvestment
Act appears to be working, as we will see throughout our study, it is not doing
what the legislature intended.
Solutions:
1.
Re-enact the bill with an addendum for oversight of the
Act to ensure bank participation by the municipalities with members of the
community serving on the committees.
2.
Set an actual figure that each bank has to reinvest
based upon the indexes and bank performances.
3.
Require banks to sponsor a minimum of one multi-family and
single family housing new construction project within the community they serve bi-annually.
4.
Require banks to annually publish the project, dates,
and community specifics of the development and rehabilitation projects they
contributed to.
Carbon Monoxide
Problem:
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website, carbon
monoxide (CO) is “a
deadly, colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. It is produced by the incomplete
burning of various fuels, including natural gas.10” Products powered by carbon
monoxide include ranges, water heaters, and portable space heaters. As mentioned before, more than 85% of the
homes within Fair
Park use utility gas
which means they use ranges for cooking, hot water provided by the water
heaters for bathing, and in some instances, such as mine, portable space
heaters to heat the poorly insulated and ventilated homes. Because so much of their existence
depends upon the use of the aforementioned products, they, as well as my aunt
experienced “headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, and dizziness.11” I myself, fell victim to
fatigue on several occasions due to use of portable space heaters.
Solutions:
- Require property owners to purchase carbon monoxide detectors.
- Require semi-annual or annual inspections by natural gas providers to homes built prior to 1978.
Mold
Because many
homes have little or no ventilation, many of the residents have some type of
mold in their homes. Mold is fungi and
needs moisture to grow. Mold grows on ‘wood,
wallboard, and insulation.8’ Since 85% of the homes are wood-framed, ranch
style homes, with little or no adequate insulation, its residents experience a
high volume of mold exposure each year.
Common health problems associated with mold are “runny nose, scratchy
throat, itchy eyes, sneezing, and in more severe cases wheezing and coughing.9” While living with my
aunt before her death, I can verify that she experienced the aforementioned
regularly. I myself, on occasion,
experienced a few problems.
Asbestos
Along with the
lead-based risks, we also should consider the other building materials used in
construction such as asbestos. According
to the U S Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
asbestos is a fibrous mineral “used in products, such as insulation for
pipes, floor tiles, building materials6” and is
considered a deadly carcinogen. There
are six types of asbestos, but one I saw while living in the Fair Park Corridor
was Amosite; which is a brown asbestos from Africa. According to asbestos.com, it’s “found in
ceiling tiles and in thermal insulation products7” and
has needle-like fibers. I know this to
be true because the ceiling, in all parts of the home, eventually caved
in. As a result, I actually saw and felt
the needle-like fibers prickling me from the spores that had landed on the
furniture.
The health effects attributed to
asbestos exposure range from lung cancer to mesothelioma. While my aunt, a chronic cigarette smoker,
died of lung cancer; I’m sure it is safe to also conclude that because she
lived on the property for more than 10 years, she may have been exposed to
asbestos as well.
6 Occupational Safety and Health
Administration - Home. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.osha.gov/>.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Lead Pipes
By: Staci Sweet
Problem:
The EPA site states that homes built before 1986 are likely to have lead pipes
and fixtures5; which means the water supply is likely to have lead
contamination. Since more than 85% of
the homes built in the Fair Park Corridor were built between 1939 and 1970, one
can conclude that of the 36,077 citizens currently residing there, that at
least 30% or 10,824 individuals have been exposed to lead contaminants by
merely drinking water out of a lead pipe faucet.
The health effects of lead to the
population vary. These individuals can
suffer from delays in their learning capabilities to health risks such as high
blood pressure. Though high blood
pressure has been attributed to poor diet, it may be safe to assume that with
the large consumption of lead-based materials used in the mere construction of
the homes, both diet and housing are now attributing to the health and learning
capacities within the community.
Solution:
Pass legislation mandating
property owners to supply tenants with water filtration systems OR require
property owners to provide rental discounts to the tenants who purchase water
filtration systems.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Lead-Based Paints
By: Staci Sweet
Problem: Lead is a heavy
soft malleable ductile plastic and has been used in paint to protect wood from
water damage. The problem with it is
when it peels and is ingested; the results can cause lead poisoning and serious
damage to the brain, kidneys, nervous system, and red blood cells. According to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s website, “lead may cause a range of health effects, from
behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death.2”
With more than 85% of the homes in Fair Park, not including public housing
complexes, it is safe to assume that at least half or 50% of the population,
18,039 out of 36,0773, people have been exposed or experienced one
or more of the problems associated with lead-based paints. As lead is a known
cause of behavioral and learning disabilities, this could explain why
approximately 58% of the population have less than a high school education4.
Solutions:
- Create a statewide program by way of a liaison to work with paint suppliers in order to provide owner discounts and tax breaks for the suppliers.
- Pass legislation to mandate property owners of homes built before 1978 to not only disclose the use of lead-based paints, but to have a financial responsibility if a person under the age of 18 is tested positive for lead and have lived in the residence for specified amount of time.
- After the passing of such legislation, have school districts require lead screenings for K-12 students.
SOURCES:
3 Regional Census Bureau 214-253-4400 Phone
Interview w/Partnership and Data Department
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The Built Environment in South Dallas
By: Staci Sweet
One aspect of Environmental Science is that it studies how the environment, including the built environment, affects us. The built environmental impact on the human population within the Fair Park Corridor, to include the 75210, 75215, and 75223 zip codes respectively as it pertains to the construction of the homes surrounding this community, will be the focus of our discussion. According to city-data.com, more than 85% of the homes within the Fair Park Corridor were built between 1939 and 19701. These homes were constructed using wood, donned with lead-based paints, installed with lead pipes, insulated with asbestos, in addition to requiring gas as a utility for heating. This topic was of particular interest to me, as I resided in a home built in 1956 for several years within the Fair Park community. I saw, experienced, and suffered from those materials and it is my hope to bring awareness and provide solutions to the environmental hazards that have inadvertently harmed the people and the environment; socially, psychologically, and economically.
SOURCE:
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