History of the N-Team

An elderly, lady with a patch covering one eye was at the podium of City Hall. She could barely see out of the other eye. She was pleading before the Code Enforcement Board to allow her a little more time to fix up her property. The Board was sympathetic, but the property needed so much and had been cited for so long. The Board did not want to fine her, but, the property was in such bad shape. Sitting in the meeting, by coincidence, was a city employee named Bob Gilder. If you fine me for this what you are really doing is taking my home, she stated. Mr. Gilder walked to the podium and asked for an extension for her. He did not have a plan and certainly, did not know how he wold help her. He confidently assured the board that he would fix the code violations.

In developing the program, Mr. Gilders focus was to have people helping people. In the early weeks of the program he became aware of the scope of need and realized he needed trained able-bodies workers. He went to the St. Petersburg Correctional Center to request permission to recruit volunteers from the men incarcerated at the facility. They would receive training, lunch, and the opportunity to help people, and, possibly a job reference. The Corrections Center agreed and worked outside the box. This was new ground for the Corrections Center. They had never provided volunteers before. They had work programs that allowed inmates to go to jobs, but, this was different. Major Nolan, supervisor of the center, worked through the hurdles of a new program and trained our supervisors and staff on how to work with inmates and be responsible when they are away from the facility.

The majority of housing in St. Petersburg is more than 45 years old. The property values in older neighborhoods were declining. The neighborhoods were facing loss of investment, more boarded and vacant properties, and young families were not buying the homes built in boom times for a retirement population. The need for properties to be maintained and improved was obvious. If decline continued, the neighborhoods would reach a level they could not return from. In 1992, a community task force determined the level of code enforcement had to increase to stop this decline. This led to the increased need to bring properties up to minimum code. The N-Team program relieves the burden that an increased code program places on people that cannot afford to repair their homes. The N-Team has brought back pride of ownership, the improved appearance of neighborhoods, and revitalized the spirit of volunteerism.