Connecting the Dots between Housing and Health Through Education and Outreach Loyedi Marie Waite The Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes

The Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH) OLHCHH is committed to providing safe and healthy homes for all families and children by addressing housing conditions that threaten the health of residents, coordinating disparate health and housing agendas, supporting key research, targeting enforcement efforts, and providing tools to build sustainable local programs that mitigate housing-related health hazards. To this end, we will drastically and permanently change the way housing, energy, and health concerns are addressed in jurisdictions across the country.

Why the need to educate? Most people spend at least half of every day inside their homes. An unhealthy home is connected to poor health. According the American Housing Survey 6 million homes has significant health hazards (need source). These findings confirm that highest frequency of hazards are in low income and minority homes. More children have asthma in homes with smoke, mold, or roaches.

Why the need to educate? Unhealthy housing conditions may seem like cosmetic problems, but hazards can lurk where you least expect them: Peeling paint can contain lead Too much moisture can result in mold Clutter can shelter insects and rodents And some deadly hazards are invisible, such as carbon monoxide and radon

Why the need to educate? The housing problems that can make us sick are interconnected: Lack of ventilation (airflow) keeps poisons in and builds up moisture. Moisture causes deteriorated paint, attracts and sustains pests, and leads to mold. Pest make holes that become leaks and make people use poisonous pesticides.

What are we doing? Interagency Strategy for Action –Goal 4: Educate the Public – Interagency Outreach Campaign Healthyhomes.hud.gov Disaster Recovery Federal and Non-federal Partnerships- –“ It Takes a Village” Smoke-Free Housing

Strategy for Action ● On February 4, 2013, HUD, with the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality unveiled Advancing Healthy Housing – A Strategy for Action. Advancing Healthy Housing – A Strategy for Action. ● Goal Four: Educate the Public about Healthy Homes. The Strategy promotes adoption of a public communications campaign to help people connect the dots between their health and their home.

Healthyhomes.hud.gov ● Key vehicle in Departmental Healthy Homes outreach portfolio Designed to engage consumers in healthy homes concepts Collaborative Effort Priority outreach product for Healthy Homes Work Group Multi-department buy-in: HUD, HHS, EPA, USDA, and DOE Meets federal website requirements/best practices Information is centralized, succinct and consistent Creates efficiencies in information development and dissemination

Healthyhomes.hud.gov Site goals: Provide easy-to-use hub for actionable healthy homes information and tools –There are over 1,100 federal consumer web pages related to health homes! Increase awareness of “Healthy Homes” concept Focus on prevention

Healthyhome.hud.gov Site goals: Promote health literacy Translate research into action to motivate behavior change around the 8 healthy homes principles

Disaster Recovery National Disaster Recovery Framework Recovery Support Key Functions: –#4 Housing HUD- lead coordinating federal agency Where does OLHCHH fit in? –We have expertise! Fill the gaps in the established process How are we doing this?

Disaster Recovery Activities in the works: Indoor Air Quality Working Group –Final Recommendation of guiding standards for multiple topics Disaster Recovery Videos (2) Disaster Recovery Guide for key audiences: –Volunteer Agencies and Victims/Consumers Disaster Recovery Mobile App: –Mobile Device- Recovery Guide and connection to key resources

Disaster Recovery Activities in the works continued: Rebuilding a Healthy Home Workshop –To address the established recovery response process and how HH principals and projects can enhance established response activities –Look for this opportunity in early November of 2014 Adding Disaster Recovery to materials and products already produced and established in OLHCHH –Office Website, Healthyhomes.hud.gov, Healthy Homes Strategic Plan, exhibits and partnerships.

It Takes A Village The importance of Partnerships America needs cross-sector partnerships and commitment of multiple players to move the dial on health homes awareness. EPA – Working to end Lead-base paint poisoning USDA – Grassroots initiatives on Healthy Homes Other Federal Partners (DOE, CPSC, HHS/CDC) Grantees, Not-Profit Agencies, other Organizations

HUD and EPA Collaborating – Providing resources to Grantees

USDA - Healthy Homes Partnership Linking resources of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) and the state land-grant universities with HUD for a public outreach education program that will reduce housing deficiencies and risks associated with childhood diseases and injuries.

Healthy Homes Partnership/Network The network will be a key feature in the new website –Connect consumers with agencies on topics of interest and resources. –All partnership request forms must be approved by OLHCHH before posting to site –Not an advertising network Stop by the exhibit booth to drop off your interest card and see a draft of the request form partners will fill out.

HUD’s Smoke-Free Housing Initiative Introduction Background and history of HUD’s Smoke- Free (SF) Housing Initiative Current HUD SF Housing notices Policy Challenges Around Smoke Free Public Housing HUD Smoke-free housing toolkits Future Activities

HUD’s Smoke-Free Housing Initiative History of HUD’s Initiative Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH) organized a SF housing session at the National Healthy Homes conference in OLHCHH worked with HUD Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) to develop a notice encouraging public housing authorities (PHAs) to adopt SF housing policies (published July, 2009; reissued May, 2012) HUD Office of Multifamily Housing issued a similar notice in September, 2010 Federal Register Notice published 10/4/12 soliciting feedback on HUD initiative and best practices for implementation

HUD’s Smoke-Free Housing Initiative Background HUD releases SF Housing Toolkits in June, 2012 Two Toolkits: –Owners/Management Agents –Residents

Why smoke-free public housing policy? Early this year, the 50 th Anniversary of the Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health was released

Why smoke-free public housing policy? Report covers three major topics: o Historical and trend information on tobacco use over last 50 years. o New findings on health effects of smoking. o Call to action—how we can end the continuing tobacco use epidemic.

Why smoke-free public housing policy? The Report highlighted that: More than 440,000 Americans die every year from smoking. Eight million Americans live with at least one serious chronic disease from smoking. Cost to U.S economy is $193 billion a year. o Nearly $96 billion in direct medical costs. o Additional $97 billion in lost productivity.

Why smoke-free public housing policy? The U.S. Surgeon General concluded that there is NO risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS). Smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths in multifamily buildings. Secondhand smoke is a known carcinogen SHS migrates between units in a multifamily building

Implementation Tips to Remember Common themes in PIH and Housing Notices : –Adoption of SF policies is strongly encouraged, but not mandatory –Health benefits outweigh risks to health, improves fire safety –There is no Constitutional “right to smoke” –Owner/PHA/Board has discretion to apply policy to some or all of their housing units and decide how policies are structured –Access to smoking cessation benefits important; promote use of toll-free Quit-lines; partnerships

THANK YOU! Loyedi Marie Waite Marketing and Outreach Specialist Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Phone: