healthy homes initiative jenae bjelland director, healthy homes bob scott director, energy services...
TRANSCRIPT
Healthy Homes Initiative
Jenae BjellandDirector, Healthy Homes
Bob ScottDirector, Energy Services
1www.nascsp.org
www.nascsp.org2www.nascsp.org
Background
2www.nascsp.org
• Basic premise - Housing conditions can significantly affect the health of the residents.
• Many healthy homes issues are due to substandard housing, prevalent in low-income communities
3www.nascsp.org
Background
3www.nascsp.org
• Most people spend the vast majority of their time
indoors and the condition of their home affects their health particularly for children and seniors
www.nascsp.org4www.nascsp.org 4www.nascsp.org
Identified health links to substandard housing
• Childhood lead poisoning• Respiratory diseases such as asthma• Fire and electrical safety issues• Increased risk of falls, injuries, rodent bites,
exposure to pesticides, indoor toxicants, tobacco smoke, and combustion gases
• Depression and quality of life issues
5www.nascsp.org
7 Principles
5www.nascsp.org
• Keep it dry• Keep it pest free• Keep it safe• Keep it maintained• Keep it clean• Keep it ventilated• Keep it contaminant free
6www.nascsp.org
Major Focus On
6www.nascsp.org
• household chemicals• moisture and mold• tobacco smoke• pests• insects
• rodents • CO• drinking water• waste water• hazards conducive to falls
and injuries
• Lead• Asthma• Radon
Also
7www.nascsp.org 7www.nascsp.org
• Traditionally a more categorical approach has been prevalent
One issue focus, even in presence of multiple issues
• A more holistic approach is being promoted to address the broad range of housing deficiencies and hazards associated with unhealthy and unsafe homes.
www.nascsp.org8www.nascsp.org
Major Players - Federal
8www.nascsp.org
CDC Healthy Homes Objectives1. Increase public awareness by creating a national
dialogue on healthy housing and promoting health literacy about housing
2. Take actions to ensure that all Americans have access to healthy, safe, and affordable housing
3. Promote people’s physical and mental health through evidence-based healthy housing interventions
4. Invest in research that increases our understanding of the long-term economic benefits of healthy housing
www.nascsp.org9www.nascsp.org
Major Players - Federal
9www.nascsp.org
Office of the Surgeon General, HHS (OSG)Published a booklet in 2009: The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, published 60 page Healthy Homes Strategic Plan in July 2009
10www.nascsp.org
Major Players - Federal
10www.nascsp.org
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - many good reports and information on HH issues, Lead RRP Rule, IAQ, asbestos, etc.
Recent Report - Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades coincides with VP Biden’s Recovery Through Retrofit and complements DOE’s Workforce Guidelines
11www.nascsp.org
Main Players – National Organizations
11www.nascsp.org
National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH)• NCHH conducts research to find scientifically valid
and practical strategies for making homes safe and healthy.
• Contractor in Phase 1 of DOE HHI Project Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) Also called Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning • Did a survey on H&S in app. 16 WAP agencies• Recent report titled – “Identified Barriers and
Opportunities to Make Housing Green and Healthy Through Weatherization”
www.nascsp.org12www.nascsp.org
DOE HHI Projects
12www.nascsp.org
Program or Initiative
Lead Agency & Partners
Overview Timing
Healthy Homes Inter-Agency Working Group
Joint effort: DOE, HUD, EPA, DOL, HHS/CDC
Inter-agency collaboration to find and implement HH solutions
Ongoing
DOE “Healthy Weatherization” Project
DOE (WAP) Interviewed State WAP Offices and local agencies to identify H&S issues they encountered but had limited ability to address to size up and inform decision-making
Report being finalized
Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI)
HUD and Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning
Participating cities engage in pilots; additional cities in subsequent phases
Ongoing
Recovery Through Retrofit -- retrofit protocol development
CEQ (DOE developing retrofit protocols w/health considerations)
Developed voluntary national energy retrofit protocols with industry leaders and heavy WAP involvement, to be launched nationally
Draft completed, comment period until 1-07-2011
EPA Retrofit Protocol Development
EPA (with DOE, industry, and other agencies’ input)
Developed Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades
Draft completed, comment period until 12-9-2010
Radon pilots DOE and EPA Participate in pilots that test radon levels In design phase
13www.nascsp.org
DOE/WAP and Healthy Homes
13www.nascsp.org
• Isn’t the connection obvious?
• WAP goes into hundreds of low-income houseseach year
• WAP already has a component for assessing health and safety problems
• WAP is partner of CSBG with basis and groundwork for mobilizing additional resources
14www.nascsp.org
DOE/WAP and Healthy Homes
14www.nascsp.org
When there are unresolved H&S issues
• The agency has to defer work until problems are resolved
• The agency does the best they can but household does not get full advantage of WAP
• Household does not get WAP services nor its H&S problems resolved
15www.nascsp.org
DOE/WAP and Healthy Homes
15www.nascsp.org
WAP H&S Measures are Often Effective
• With DOE and other WAP funds, WAP providers –o Usually can address health and safety issues
related to heating systemso Work lead safeo Can address some moisture problemso Can address some electrical and plumbing issueso Can add/repair ventilationo Provide some educational materialso And a host of other measures as per WPN 11-6
16www.nascsp.org
DOE/WAP and Healthy Homes
16www.nascsp.org
But there are several instances that are beyond the scope of WAP
• Remediation of lead and mold • Other IAQ problems• Major electrical and plumbing issues• Most structural and non-energy related H&S
issues
www.nascsp.org17www.nascsp.org
WAP and Healthy Homes
17www.nascsp.org
No WAP crew wants to leave conditions like these!
18www.nascsp.org
DOE/WAP and Healthy Homes
18www.nascsp.org
Questions the HH network asks in regards to WAP
• Poor roofs = substandard housing Why WAP doesn’t do more for poor roofs
• Why doesn’t WAP replace windows that have lead paint?
• WAP auditors could learn and identify other HH issues, WAP could consider more measures, agencies could set up better referral networks
www.nascsp.org19www.nascsp.org
How far can/should WAP go to broaden Health and Safety
19www.nascsp.org
• Primary focus of DOE WAP is energy efficiency H&S measures should either enable an EE measure to
be performed or insure that an EE measure does not create a new or compound an existing H&S issue
• H&S measures cost money but provide no energy savings
• Key metrics of current national evaluation are energy savings and energy savings per dollar invested
• Limited funds should not be diverted away from WAP EE focus
www.nascsp.org20www.nascsp.org
What are the Post-ARRA Opportunities?
20www.nascsp.org
Can / should the WAP and CSBG networks be proactive leaders in the national Healthy Homes movement?
www.nascsp.org21www.nascsp.org
Contacts
21www.nascsp.org
Jenae BjellandDirector, Healthy [email protected]
202-624-5850
Bob ScottDirector, Energy Services