When Snellville Code Enforcement Officer Johnny Greene knocked on his door, 79-year-old Joseph Jones expected the worst.
Greene, who received a citizen-initiated Quality of Life complaint about Jones’ Summit Chase Drive home, climbed the rickety staircase of the corner lot. When he got to the door, Greene’s foot went through the wooden porch outside Jones’ front door.
The porch and the house was riddled more rotten boards, bare wood and overgrown weeds – violations of city Quality of Life regulations. Jones lives alone in the house and is strapped with medical bills. He was looking at about $3,000 in repairs and maintenance to bring his home up to code.
But instead slapping Jones with a lengthy of list of violations, Greene gave the help the widowed man desperately needed.
“He said, ‘I could fine you but I don’t want to,’” Jones said.
“It was very clear under his circumstances that he would never be able to fix everything that needed to be done,” Greene said. “There was no way he’d be able to finance what needed to be done. If I’d issued citations, it would’ve been another burden on him. He would be put on probation and making payments from here on. That wasn’t what needed to be done so I started looking at other solutions of being able to help him without creating another hinderance.”
Greene called his contact at Habitat for Humanity, and soon after, Jones’ home was being refurbished by a crew of 20 or so volunteers from the charitable organization.
“I presented it to Mr. Jones who just really hated to ask somebody for help,” Greene said.
Eventually, Habitat for Humanity met with Jones and determined he did qualify for assistance. A plan was put into motion to rehab his dilapidated house exterior and even some needed repairs inside his home that aren’t regulated by Code Enforcement. The floor in the kitchen was rotted due to a leaky refrigerator he wasn’t able to fix.
Work began in winter with the inside of the house and by March the outside was repaired as well.
This was the second time Greene called on Habitat for Humanity to help someone in need – the first being an elderly woman who lived alone on North Road. Greene also contacted the Rotary Club of Gwinnett Sunrise to help clean up Jones’ yard.
“It feels good,” Greene said. “A lot of people think Code Enforcement is about making money and that’s totally the opposite. The city would rather have voluntary compliance than having you pay fines. Being able to help someone who needs it, that is a citizen of Snellville, that really does make you feel good.”
Jones said he was grateful for Greene’s help. A friendship between the two as a result.
“The relationship we’ve made, I’d consider him a good friend now,” Greene said. “He knows when he sees me out and about, I’m here to help. Flag me down any time … call me any time.”
For more information about the city’s Quality of Life Unit visit www.snellville.org/planning-development/quality-lifecode-enforcement.