Generations of chronic disinvestment in low income communities have left over 6 million families trapped in unhealthy and energy inefficient housing.

• Each year, unhealthy housing is the source of:
  • 250,000 new cases of childhood lead poisoning
  • 750,000 asthma related emergency room visits
  • 10,000 carbon monoxide poisonings
  • 13 million preventable home related injuries
• Forty percent (40%) of asthma episodes are due to asthma triggers in the home, representing $5 billion lost annually in preventable medical costs.
• Home injuries are the 2nd leading cause of death for children under 5 years and lead to more than 10 million emergency room visits per year incurring $222 billion in medical costs.
• Lead poisoning contributes to an income loss of $110-319 bullion per generation.
• Low income households typically spend 14% of their total income on energy costs compared to 3.5% for other households.

The evidence is clear and compelling that unsafe, unhealthy, and energy inefficient housing leads to wealth depletion, abandoned properties, housing instability, potential homelessness, and increased risk of housing-based illnesses.

BACK TO TOP

Although many programs across the country address housing needs, the resulting efforts are costly and inefficient because these programs work in independent silos. Families are negatively impacted by the redundancies and the discrepancies of various programs, eligibility requirements, inspections, visits and data collection procedures to address their housing needs. The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative cuts across stand-alone programs by using a comprehensive strategy that reduces barriers to intergovernmental coordination.

Essential to the GHHI approach is spending money in a smarter way. GHHI coordinates existing funding streams and partners to increase cost efficiency and save money on a system-wide scale. GHHI integrates disparate public and private programs and partners from the top down, building stronger local capacity while improving the efficiency and scope of services provided to families in need. In the initial GHHI pilot homes with comprehensive interventions, cost savings in materials and hard costs from coordinating and integrating the work in many homes were over 25%; thus, for every four houses receiving such services, the fifth one is free.

BACK TO TOP

• Workers employed on Green and Healthy Homes projects increase earnings.
• Fewer days are missed from school or work because of illness.
• Less money is spent on doctor and emergency room visits.
• Less money is spent on heating and cooling houses that are well-insulated.
• Less money is spent on water as leaks and drips are fixed.
• Property values for homeowners increase; landlords are better able to market Green and Healthy Homes.

BACK TO TOP

The national Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning is leading the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative project, building on a quarter-century of experience in reducing lead hazards and creating healthy homes. With support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Coalition is providing technical assistance to 14 GHHI project sites on the implementation of Green and Healthy Homes programs. Public-private partnerships are established at each site that focus on green and healthy homes.

BACK TO TOP

A housing intervention is when action is taken to remove problems that make a home not safe, not healthy, or not energy efficient. In the past, one housing program would focus on removing, for example, lead paint from a home, but ignore other safety hazards such as mold, pest infestation or inadequate staircase railings, or inefficiencies that result in excessive energy usage and costs for the occupant. A crew would remove the lead paint but do nothing to address the other issues — due to a lack of funding support, lack of training or both. Green and Healthy Homes Initiative's approach is to work across programs to address all of the problems present in a home. Please see this menu of services for the types of activities this includes.

Please visit homes on Lake Avenue, Garrison Avenue, and The Alameda to learn more about successful home interventions.

BACK TO TOP

A qualified home assessment professional will carefully examine a home for potential health, safety, and energy efficiency problems. This includes discussing with the residents any concerns with the home and a thorough visual inspection. Issues will be documented and recommendations will be made to address those problems. Please click to see a sample form for a comprehensive environmental health and housing assessment.

BACK TO TOP

There are multiple federal programs that address individual health, safety, and energy efficiency issues. To strengthen communication and coordination across these various programs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development initiated the federal Healthy Homes Work Group. The Healthy Homes Work Group has identified priority activities and will be working together with non-federal partners to support the implementation of a vigorous healthy homes agenda at the federal, state, and community levels. For information about the green and healthy homes activities of the core members of the Healthy Homes Work Group, click on the agency name. As the effort moves forward, additional agencies may participate.

• Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Department of Energy
• Department of Labor
• Department of Agriculture
• National Institute of Standards and Technology

BACK TO TOP

You may be interested in using green and healthy approaches in your community. Visit here to find out more.

BACK TO TOP

The national Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning and the National Academy of Public Administration formed a Steering Committee to help frame this Dialogue. Steering Committee members come from a cross-section of government, non-profit, and philanthropic organizations actively involved in the green and healthy homes movement. The federal activities are described above and to find out more about our partners’ green and healthy homes activities, please click on the name of the group below.

• American Public Health Association
• Council on Foundations
• CPS Energy
• Emerald Cities Collaborative
• Enterprise Green Communities
• Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
• National Association of Workforce Boards
• National Center for Healthy Housing

BACK TO TOP