Housing #1 master

Year Published: 1966

Format: 16mm

Color: B&W

Description: Housing #1 masterA man describes of what new public housing through urban renewal can provide in comparison to the insufficiency of dilapidated housing. Chatham County Health Department home inspector tours a 2 bedroom house where a family of six lives. Cold water only, no wall receptacles, leaks in ceiling, plaster damage, lack of overhead lighting, a small damaged fireplace for heat. A landlord discusses how enforcement of Savannah housing code affects him and his properties. The Health Dept. has housing minimum standards and he's fine with that, except when it comes to electrical service. He owns multiple properties which originally had no electricity, he installed electrical work in them all, then the codes changed and he has to spend a lot of money to continually meet code changes, now 3 times in 10-12 years. He feels that the city needs to inspect the tenants as well as landlords/owners in terms of how the properties are kept up. Older woman doctor having lived a very long time in the same house in Savannah feels her neighborhood has changed but she doesn't want to leave. Victory Drive got developed with new houses and old Savannah moved out to that area years prior. Four doctors once lived in her block, but the owners of houses in her area moved out and then rented out the houses and she feels it is now a slum, no lawns being maintained, broken banisters on steps, pavements broken, etc. She is sentimentally attached to her home and doesn't want to leave it. If she sold it now, she would sell it at a loss. The only good thing is that her taxes are low now because of lower values in that neighborhood. A Mrs. [Kernal?] lives in a 4-bedroom house with 10 children. She would move if she could, but no one will rent to a large family of so many children, and she can't afford to move. She provides the income to support her family.

Complete Record: Archival annotation: Sound footage

Metadata Source:University of Georgia Brown Media Archives