Vallejo Residents Risk Having Their Homes Tagged As Uninhabitable
VALLEJO (KCBS) - Building officials in Vallejo have made clear they hope to avoid a repeat of 2010, when they were forced to tag many homes as "uninhabitable."
The homes were flagged because the residents were unable to pay their utility bills.
KCBS' Dave Padilla Reports:
"We had almost 300 last year, in 2010, where we'd go out and verify that indeed they do not have water and we let them know that it's a violation of state health and safety codes," explained Vallejo's chief building official, Gary West.
West said often there are children in those homes.
"It's very disturbing to know that kids are living in these types of conditions. They don't have running water, they can't flush the toilet, they don't have hot water to wash their hands and even to cook with."
He said residents are given ample warning and time to rectify the problems with the utilities. Vallejo also offers payment options for residents behind on their utility bills.
"We try and work out some type of payment system or work with their landlord to get them back on because with the weather and conditions what they are, you know we don't need people out of their homes. We need them in their homes."
He also pointed out that the problem spans the city of Vallejo, and isn't limited to one particular neighborhood or section of town.
"A lot of them are rentals. They may have limited income or lost their jobs, some of them are multi-families living in one unit or one house."
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