LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Little Rock has a shortage of code enforcement officers. It's their job to ensure landlords keep homes safe and up to code.
Housing and Neighborhood Programs Director Kevin Howard said their enforcement staff is nowhere near what it needs.
"We had a population increase from 2010 to the 2020 census, but the number of code officers has not increased," Howard said. "Over 30,000 complexes as far as units around the city, so it's hard to cover those."
Howard said a city the size of Little Rock should have almost double its current amount of officers. Due to the lack of staff, fewer officers conduct preventative checks leading to a pile-up of violations.
Barrett Allen is the executive director of the University District Development Corporation, a nonprofit that works with the city to connect residents with safe, affordable housing.
"A lot of those unfortunate code violations go unchecked," Allen said. They begin to spiral, build up and then over a 10 to 15-year period end up with a Big Country Chateau situation."
The corporation works with many people from deteriorating buildings like the Big Country Chateau apartment complex in Little Rock.
"Individuals are finding themselves... living in situations where the houses are not up to a livable standard," Allen said. "There is a shortage of housing units."
Howard said they don't have enough code enforcement to inspect every vacant building — let alone active ones regularly.
"It's complaint-driven a lot of times," Howard said. "We do have inspections on units that we try to do annually... It's hard with the number of code officers we have."
However, Howard assured code officers always come when called despite the shortage.
"If we know about it, and we go out, and we do an inspection, we provide that information to the management company and owner," Howard said. "They're required to do certain things within that time period."
Howard said the department hopes for more funding from the city in next year's budget. While nonprofits, like the University District Development Corporation, wish for more solutions for tenants.
"We can turn it around," Allen said. "It's going to take a true public-private partnership with the city out providing incentives."
Anyone dealing with safe housing concerns in Little Rock can call 311 or the housing and neighborhood office.