Sanitary housing conditions

CONTEXT

Insalubrious housing does not have suitable hygiene and sanitation conditions and may cause health problems for its residents. The main causes of poor health conditions are:

Personal behaviours. The main syndromes associated with insalubrious homes are the Diogenes and Noah syndromes.
- In Diogenes syndrome, people accumulate rubbish in their homes and are incapable of recognising the damage to their health and the environment.
- In Noah syndrome, people accumulate animals in their home, without recognising the harm to their health and to the well-being of the animals that this situation causes.
Abandonment or lack of maintenance of the space.

There is a direct relationship between poor health conditions in the home and the health of the people who live there: The Chadwick Report (1842) on the health condition of major cities in England mentioned this relationship. Almost a century and a half later, the Black Report (1977) reached the same conclusion. The Horwitz diagram also includes the relationship between health/disease, insufficient education and insalubrious homes.

The main problems associated with insalubrious homes and their health consequences are:

Proliferation of infestations of insects and/or rodents due to a lack of minimum hygiene conditions and the poor disposal of solid waste.
Appearance of fungus and mould in the home and the production of fungal toxins due to damp and the lack of ventilation, which may cause respiratory problems and allergic reactions (see "Ventilation").
The unavailability of food storage spaces and poor conditions for washing food and kitchen utensils can generate food-borne infections and gastrointestinal diseases.
The unnecessary accumulation of objects may lead to a major fire risk.
- Insalubrious situations, especially those caused by behaviour disorders, increase isolation and emotional discomfort and may lead to mental health disorders.

OBJECTIVE

Improve hygiene conditions in homes affected by serious insalubrious situations.
Reduce isolation and favour the social integration of people with psychiatric behaviour disorders.

PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Proposals and recommendations for users

Ventilate the home (see "Ventilation").
Use natural light in interior spaces (see "Lighting").
Avoid the accumulation of objects.
Have spaces to store food and good conditions for washing food and kitchen utensils.
Establish a suitable location for solid waste.
Do not overcrowd the home.
Suitably clean and maintain the home.
Inform the council of abandoned flats in the building and/or abandoned plots near to apartment buildings.

Proposals and recommendations for owners associations

The community of properties where people with Diogenes or Noah syndromes live must inform the council of these situations.
In the case of Diogenes and/or Noah syndromes, these situations are caused by people who suffer a psychiatric disorder and require a joint response from the public health technician and the neighbourhood social worker. A public health approach must be adopted, in addition to the cleaning and disinfection of the home to address the consequences and also the cause of the problem.
In the case of the proliferation of infestations of insects and rodents due to a lack of minimum hygiene conditions, the owner/tenant is required to adopt mechanical and physical measures to prevent the appearance of infestations and the use, when necessary, of less dangerous pesticides.

Proposals and recommendations for the administration

The council will facilitate mechanisms for the residents associations to report insalubrious situations arising from Diogenes and/or Noah syndromes.
Public awareness and education campaigns on possible behaviour disorders related to the lack of good sanitary conditions and the need to inform the municipal services to carry out comprehensive treatment.
Mediation with the affected communities. Responses to insalubrious situations are complex and there is no single clear solution. Mediation is a good option and solutions should be agreed with the affected parties or their families. It is necessary to report that these situations may be caused by people who suffer a psychiatric disorder and a joint response is required from the public health and social care teams. A public health approach must be adopted, in addition to the cleaning and disinfection of the home to address the consequences and also the cause of the problem.
Direct action from the administration. When it is not possible to resolve the situation using mediation channels, the council is responsible for the sanitary control of buildings, homes and human cohabitation sites (Law 18/2009, on public health, and Legislative Decree 2/2003, approving the consolidated text of the law on the municipal and local system in Catalonia).
Preparation of municipal by-laws on public cohabitation. For cases not arising from behaviour disorders, the establishment of by-laws that establish the framework of action may be appropriate.
Conservation is a compulsory duty on the part of the owner. It is covered in the law on the right to housing and the law on urban development. In the case of abandonment and the threat of ruin, the council could subsidise the execution of works.

REFERENCE EXPERIENCES

Information only available in Catalan

Model d'intervenció Unitat Social-Servei Salut. Servei de salut, Ajuntament l´Hospitalet. És tracta d’un programa de detecció, intervenció i seguiment de casos d’insalubritat greu i exclusió social que aborda aquestes situacions a través d’una visió globalitzadora, interdisciplinària i participativa.
Intervenció municipal en materia d’insalubritat en habitatges. Diputació de Barcelona. Diagrama amb els formularis i models de documents que poden ser d´utilitat en l´abordatge de la problemàtica en insalubritat en habitatges.
Plagues urbanes. Diputació de Barcelona. Pàgina web amb informació, recursos i enllaços d´interès per controlar les plagues urbanes i prevenir la transmissió de malalties anomenades zoonosis.
Intervenció Guàrdia Urbana davant un cas de Síndrome de Diògenes – Vic. Noticia sobre la intervenció de la policia per entrar a un pis de Vic on una persona acumulava quilos d´escombraries.

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LEGISLATION

Llei 24/2015, del 29 de juliol, de mesures urgents per a afrontar l'emergència en l'àmbit de l'habitatge i la pobresa energètica.
Ley 8/2013, de 26 de junio, de rehabilitación, regeneración y renovación urbanas
Decret 141/2012, de 30 d'octubre, pel qual es regulen les condicions mínimes d'habitabilitat dels habitatges i la cèdula d'habitabilitat.
Llei 18/2009, del 22 d'octubre, de salut pública.
Decret legislatiu 2/2003, de 28 d'abril, pel qual s'aprova el Text refós de la Llei municipal i de règim local de Catalunya.
Llei 15/2009, del 22 de juliol, de mediació en l'àmbit del dret privat.

STUDIES AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

OTHER LISTINGS OF THE GUIDE

Àmbit Habitatge. Ús i manteniment dels habitatges. Fitxa "infrahabitatge"
Àmbit Habitatge. Ús i manteniment dels habitatges. Fitxa "Ventilació"
Àmbit Habitatge. Ús i manteniment dels habitatges. Fitxa "Humitats"
Àmbit Habitatge. Ús i manteniment dels habitatges. Fitxa "Il·luminació"
Àmbit Habitatge. Ús i manteniment dels habitatges. Fitxa "Prevenció d´accidents domèstics"

More information about addressing the Public Health Service: entornurbasalut@diba.cat

Date of last update:
dt., 11 de maig 2021 13:38:41 +0000

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