Overview
The
Asthma Regional Council identified modifications in housing construction,
rehabilitation, and maintenance practices as priority action items.
ARC believes that changes in the way we build, rehab, and repair housing
can help minimize conditions associated with asthma and asthma triggers.
The Healthy Housing committee includes representatives from the affordable
housing community, medical professionals, environmental experts, children
& health advocates, energy experts, school officials, and others
interested in this topic.
Relevant
Action Step Items
Action
Item 8: The Council will support the creation and dissemination
of guidance for the design, renovation and maintenance of asthma safe
homes. The Council will work to have publicly funded housing agencies
and programs use asthma safe guidelines in construction and renovation
projects and maintenance and repair programs.
Action
Item 9: The Council encourages all state housing agencies and municipal
housing authorities to seek opportunities to designate specific funds
and funding mechanisms to be drawn on to make repairs to housing units
necessary to maintain the units as asthma safe.il will support states
and federal agency coordination across agencies to have education and
technical assistance available to schools in undertaking management
activities that improve indoor air and reduce asthma triggers in schools.
Committee
Activities
Chair
Amy Rainone, Rhode Island Housing; arainone@rihousing.com;
401. 457.1256
Committee
Staff
Ellen Tohn, ERT Associates & Senior ARC Advisor; etohn@comcast.net;
508.358.7770
Committee
Members
Norm Anderson, American Lung Association
Kate Bennett, Boston Housing Authority
Joe Buckley, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development
Roger Bunderson, Maine State Housing
Timothy Coppage, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development
Lindsey Dearborn, New Hampshire, Department of Health and Human Services,
Asthma Coordinator
Sam Falzone, Vermont Housing Finance
Authority
Tony Gil, Maine State Housing
Bill Guinther,New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority
Gary Gustavson, Boston Dept. Neighborhood Development
Paul Hunter, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Andrea LaQuetta, Massachusetts Association of Community Development
Corporations
Marty Nee, US HUD
Ron Rupp, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board
Megan Sandel, Boston Medical Center
Franklin Zito, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development
ARC
has embarked on a number of projects related to Integrated Pest Management.
Click here to learn more about these activities
and the materials they have produced.
Healthy
and Affordable Housing Training: ARC has sponsored
7 healthy and affordable housing training sessions. A summary of the
course is available. ARC has also sponsored 1 training session targeted
toward code inspectors. These trainings have reached over 600 people.
Resources
Resources
from ARC
- July 2006 Newly
Revised
Healthy Housing Building Guidance: Produced by ARC, the Guidance,
revised in July of 2006, presents the general principles to help achieve
healthier indoor environments, recommends specific building practices,
and describes technical resources to support the adoption of these
healthy building practices. The new version incorporates additional
practices that will work to reduce moisture and allergens, particularly
in below grade spaces An accompanying pamphlet - READ
THIS Before you Design, Build or Renovate provides technical and
practical suggestions for creating affordable and healthier housing.
READ THIS was developed in conjunction with the ARC Building Guidance
and is a handout at ARC training sessions.
This
article was featured in the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
Magazine.
- Choosing
Flooring for Affordable Housing: Healthier and Cost Effective Options
(November 2003): This factsheet and menu of flooring options describes
the choices housing developers, architects, builders and maintenance
staff should consider when selecting flooring. It provides information
on the likely asthma triggers, costs, maintenance considerations,
health considerations, environmental attributes (both during manufacture
and to occupants associated with affordable flooring products.
It is a must read for all those designing, building, financing or
maintaining housing.
- Solving
Pest Problems in Housing,
a PowerPoint by ARC Senior Advisor Ellen Tohn summarizing the IPM
Pilot Project that took place in Boston Housing Authority's Holgate
Apartments.
Additional
Resources
- Asthma
Home Environment Checklist
http://www.epa.gov/asthma/pdfs/home_environment_checklist.pdf
- CDC Healthy Homes
Inspection Manual
CDC
Healthy Homes Inspection Manual
- Dampness/Mold
has Significant Connection to Asthma
Berkeley
Lab, EPA Studies Confirm Large Public Health And Economic Impact of
Dampness and Mold
- Environmental
Health Watch and HouseMenders Moisture Assessment
Moisture
Audit of Residential Structures
- EPA
New England Healthy Homes
http://www.epa.gov/ne/healthyhomes/
http://www.ahip.org/Audio/EffectiveStrategies/
- Isles, Inc. Educational
Integrated Pest Management DVDs: "Arrest
the Pests in Your Nest" and "Dust Doesn't Discriminate"
These
DVDs are available in both Engligh and Spanish. To purchase copies,
call 609.341.4700 or email info@isles.org
Articles
and Research
- Green Affordable
Housing Criteria
"An
Even Greener Plan for Affordable Housing: How States are Using
the Low Income Housing Tax Credit to Advance Healthy, Efficient and
Environmentally Smart Homes"
- "Housing
and Population Health: The State of Current Research Knowledge,"
from the Canadian Population Health Initiative, part of the Canadian
Institute for Health Information, and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing
Corporation.
http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/products/HousingPopHealth_e.pdf
- Public Health
and Housing
http://www.asthmaregionalcouncil.org/about/documents/CleaningupDieselPollutioninNewEngland1.pdf
- Sick Buildings,
Sick Students (June 2007)
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0LSH/is_7_8/ai_n14731925
ARC
in the News
Web
Resources
Government
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Air and Radiation
ENERGY STAR Buildings Program & Indoor Environments Division
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
888.STAR-YES
www.epa.gov/iaq and
www.energystar.gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region I Healthy Homes brochure
(publications)
CDC's Healthy Homes Initiative
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/healthyhomeslthyhomes.htm
U.S. Department
of Housing & Urban Development
Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control
451 Seventh Street, SW Room P-3206
Washington, DC 20410
202.755.1785
www.hud.gov/lea
(publications)
U.S.
Department of Energy, Building America Program
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20585
800.dial.DOE
http://www.eere.energy.gov/
(publications, technical assistance, training)
New York Department
of Health & Mental Hygiene
125 Worth Street
Box 7
New York, NY 10013
877.692.3647
http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/
Non Profit Groups
Affordable Comfort
32 Church Street
Suite 204
Waynesburg, PA 15370
207.583.4571
www.affordablecomfort.org/
(training, conferences, publications; mold resource list and background
paper)
Alliance
for Healthy Housing
227
Massachusetts Ave, NE
Suite
200
Washington,
DC 20002
202.543.1147
www.afhh.org
American
Lung Association, Health House® Program
490 Concordia Avenue
St. Paul, MN, 55103-2441
877.521.1791, 800.642.5864 within MN
www.healthhouse.org
(publications, training)
Energy
& Environmental Building Association
10740 Lyndale Avenue South, Suite 10W
Bloomington, MN 55420-5615
952.881.1098
www.eeba.org
(publications, training, conferences)
National
Center for Healthy Housing
10227
Wincopin Circle
Suite
100
Columbia,
MD 21044
410.992.0712,
toll free: 1.877.312.6046
www.centerforhealthyhousing.org
Report:
The Relationship Between Housing and Health: Children at Risk Workshop
Rocky Mountain Institute
1739 Snowmass Creek Road
Snowmass CO 81654-9199
970. 927.3851
www.greendesign.net
(publications)
Other Resources
Building Science Corporation
70 Main Street
Westford, MA 01886
978.589.5100
www.buildingscience.com
(publications, training, technical assistance, design; readable guidance
on mold)
Terry Brennan,
Camroden Associates
724 East Carter Road
Westmoreland, NY 13490
207-583-4571
terry@camroden.com
(training, technical assistance, building diagnostics)
Healthy
Homes Webtool
http://www1.uwex.edu/healthyhome/tool/
Based on the popular booklets, "Help Yourself to a Healthy
Home," from Home*A*Sys.
Bill
Turner
Turner Building Science, LLC
26 Pinewood Lane
Harrison, Maine 04040-4334
207-583-4571
http://www.turnerbuildingscience.com/
(training,
technical assistance, engineering design, building diagnostics)
Policies
and Regulations
Integrated
Pest Management Training Videos
Stop
Pests in Your Homes
For tenants
and residents. Advice on how to avoid pest problems (cockroaches, mice,
rats).
Integrated
Pest Management: A Real Solution to Pest Problems
For property managers,
property owners, and maintenance staff. Listen to eh experiences of a
multi-family housing manager.
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The New England Asthma Regional Council