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Illegal businesses hurt our communities in many ways. Public health and safety officials have a big job when it comes to identifying and responding to these businesses.

Zoning in residential neighborhoods plays an important role in the safety and security of our communities. If you have ever lived in an area where there has been a zoning ordinance dispute, you likely already know about the complexities of emotions, local governments, and legal requirements. 

Substandard housing is a growing issue. It’s estimated that 330 million urban households worldwide live in substandard housing. In the United States alone there are about six million homes and apartment buildings listed as substandard, and the problem isn’t going away any time soon. 

According to the American Psychiatric Association, hoarding is a disorder in which someone has extreme difficulty discarding items that others may sometimes view as valueless. This disorder leads to extreme clutter an

The foreclosure crisis that affected the entire nation during the economic downturn in 2007 - 2009 created another crisis – an urban landscape filled with vacant and abandoned properties. 

The Mayo Clinic defines hoarding as “the excessive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them,” and notes the following characteristics as signs and symptoms: cluttered living spaces, inability to discard items, acquiring unneeded or seemingly useless items (including trash), excessive attachment to possessions, and discomfort letting others touch or borrow possessions, among others.