| The home is where people spend the majority
of their time. Yet, most people do not realize the important connection
between their homes and their health. If not properly designed and maintained,
homes may contain an array of health and safety hazards that can lead to
cancer, injuries, lead poisoning and asthma. The economic impact of unhealthy
housing is also considerable since it results in missed school and workdays
and drives up health care costs.
More than 6 million families in the United States
live in substandard housing conditions and millions more live in homes
with hazards that could be easily addressed. Additional resources are
critically needed to improve housing conditions and protect families and
the nation's economy against the consequences of unhealthy housing.
*Americans spend 90% of their time indoors.
*An estimated 250,000 children have blood lead levels exceeding CDC’s
level of concern
*1.8 million persons make emergency department visits for asthma.
An estimated 40% of new asthma cases are attributed to home exposures.
*Each year, over 13 million are injured and over 11,000 die from unintentional
injuries in the home.
*Each year, nearly 10,000 people visit the emergency department for
carbon monoxide poisoning. |
The Alliance for Healthy Homes and the National Center
for Healthy Housing call on leadership from all levels of government and
the private sector to create healthful housing for all families in America
through the following policy approaches:
- Targeting the highest risk housing stock (i.e.
low-income housing in substandard condition). This approach will yield
the greatest improvements in health and reduce disparities borne by
low-income and minority families.
- Providing incentives, including need-based subsidies
as appropriate, for property owners and tenants, financial institutions,
contractors, and builders to integrate health considerations into housing
maintenance, finance, and construction.
- Eliminating disparities in health and housing
through practical and evidence-based regulatory actions.
- Empowering communities to address and respond
to local needs.
1) Promoting Holistic Programs:
Federal programs should serve as models for integrating health considerations
into housing programs. Congress should authorize flexibility for categorical
federal grant programs to enable grantees to efficiently and effectively
address client needs. New funding should beauthorized to enable greater
coordination among housing, health, and energy programs.
2) Federal Standards: Congress should require rental
properties to meet a minimum healthy housing code.
3) Voluntary Program: The federal agencies should develop
and market a national “Healthy Homes Seal of Approval” labeling
program for existing homes.
4) Housing Funding: The President and Congress should
increase funding for affordable healthy, sustainable housing and ensure
all people can afford quality housing including, for example, providing
tax incentives and funding to offset the marginal costs of integrating
healthy homes considerations into existing housing programs.
5) Capacity Building: Congress should require federal
agencies to coordinate efforts to develop and deliver training for architects,
builders, contractors, code inspectors, home inspectors, property owners,
other housing providers, and community- and faith-based organizations.
Congress should require federal agencies to provide technical assistance,
training, and grants to equip state and local health departments, health
care providers, code agencies, and community-based organizations to build
local capacity to prevent, identify, and respond to housing-related health
hazards.
6) Medical Reimbursements: The Medicaid and Medicare
programs should pay for environmental investigations and interventions
for housing-related illnesses including but not limited to asthma, lead
poisoning, carbon monoxide poisoning, and residential injuries.
7) Indoor Environmental Action Levels: Congress should
require EPA to set and enforce widespread adherence to health-based standards
for indoor exposures including, but not limited to lead, carbon monoxide,
radon, and formaldehyde.
8) TSCA Reform: Congress should reform the Toxic Substances
Control Act to ensure that EPA has the information and resources it needs
to properly assess health threats posed by building materials and home
products.
9) Education: Congress should authorize a new grant program
to provide funding for proven health education programs for low-income
and hard-to-reach audiences. A coordinated federally-supported social
marketing campaign should be created to raise the visibility of healthy
homes and build broad support for it.
10) Data Collection: Congress should direct federal agencies
to collect and report indicators of healthy housing at the national, state
and top 50 municipal levels. Federal agencies should support the development
and implementation of integrated health and housing data collection systems
and use the data to evaluate the cost-effectiveness healthy homes interventions.
1) Code Enactment and Enforcement: Local
and state governments should adopt and enforce the International Property
Maintenance Code and ultimately the federal healthy homes minimum property
standard.
2) Direct Service Programs: Public and private agencies
conducting in-home visits should be cross-trained to provide healthy homes
visual assessments and referrals for their clients.
3) Tax Benefits and Funding: State and local governments
should offer tax incentives, home repair grants (e.g. through the Neighborhood
Stabilization Program), and favorable financing for property owners to
correct health hazards and conduct preventive maintenance. States should
reimburse the cost of environmental investigations and interventions for
housing related health problems including CO poisoning, asthma lead poisoning,
and residential injuries through its Medicaid/SCHIP funds or other resources.
4) State Insurance Regulators: Require property insurance
carriers to provide coverage for environmental health hazards and provide
incentives to property owners who achieve the Healthy Homes Seal of Approval.
1) Pest Control Companies: Adopt
and market Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as a superior approach to
preventing and controlling pest infestation.
2) Property Owners: Apply maintenance practices that
prevent health hazards and improve durability and energy efficiency, and
at minimum remedy any potential health hazards
3) Consensus Standards: Consensus Standards Organizations:
The International Code Council should strengthen its model codes to include
key health and safety considerations.
4) Builders and Affordable Housing Providers: Meet USGBC
LEED-H or Enterprise Green Communities Criteria (or regional or local
equivalent) for newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated homes.
Asset managers and developers should incorporate integrated pest management
and smoke-free policies in multi-family housing.
5) Financial Institutions: Offer low-interest loans and
other favorable financing terms for housing rehabilitation and health
hazard mitigation.
6) Health Care Providers: When patients may be affected
by hazards in the home environment, health care providers should take
environmental health histories and recommend appropriate follow-up home
assessments and home interventions.
7) Health Insurers: Provide reimbursement for appropriate
hazard investigations and interventions for patients with housing-related
illnesses.
8) Property and Casualty Insurers: Provide coverage for
environmental health hazards and incentivize adherence to the Healthy
Homes Seal of Approval and meeting Green Building criteria for new construction
and substantial rehabilitation programs.
9) Home Inspectors and Realtors: Comprehensively check
homes for health and safety hazards and educate buyers about potential
health hazards and how to address them. Home inspectors should serve as
third-party verifiers for the Healthy Homes Seal of Approval.
|