For Immediate Release -
March 10, 2008-Washington, DC. Today, Senators Jack Reed
(D-RI) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) announced legislation creating the first Council
on Healthy Housing, which would bring together Federal, State, and local
government representatives, as well as industry and non-profit representatives.
The bill authorizes $750,000 for each of the next five years
for the Council to review, monitor, and evaluate existing housing, health,
energy, and environmental programs and to make recommendations for reducing
duplication, ensuring collaboration, identifying best practices, and developing
a comprehensive healthy housing research agenda. The Council will submit an
annual report to Congress outlining agency actions on healthy housing, as well as
research, policy/program, and funding recommendations.
"The Healthy Housing Council Act will help us ensure
that an affordable, decent, and healthy home is not just the American dream,
but the American promise," said Reed. "We need to bring together health
and housing experts to improve the coordination of existing but fragmented
programs, so that families can access government services in a more efficient
and effective manner."
Residents of housing that is poorly designed, constructed,
or maintained are at risk for cancer, injuries, childhood lead poisoning, and
asthma. Children and the elderly are particularly at risk. Providing healthier
housing in the United States will help prevent an estimated 240,000 elevated
blood lead levels, 18,000 unintentional injury deaths, and 2,000,000 emergency
room visits for asthma.
"In the year 2008, it is inconceivable that 6 million
families in the United States live in unsafe housing," said Rebecca
Morley, executive director of the National Center for Healthy Housing.
"Addressing poor quality housing and detrimental neighborhood conditions
must be a high priority if we are to narrow the health disparities gap and
reduce soaring medical costs."
"This bill takes a significant step forward toward
creating the national infrastructure to eliminate health hazards in
housing," stated Alliance for Healthy Homes' executive director, Patrick
MacRoy. "Only by convening such a leadership team will federal, state and
local governments, along with advocates and industry, be able to succeed in
protecting families from housing-based health hazards."
Members of the Council will include the Agency heads of the
Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, the
Environmental Protection Agency, and the Departments of Energy, Labor, Veterans
Affairs, Treasury, Agriculture, and Labor. Six members of the Council will
represent state or local agencies, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit
organizations.
Media Contacts: Phillip Dodge, National Center for Healthy
Housing, 443-539-4168, pdodge@nchh.org Patrick MacRoy, Alliance for
Healthy Homes, 202-347-7610 ext. 14, pmacroy@afhh.org
For the complete bill text and additional background
information visit:
http://www.nchh.org/html/healthy_housing_bill.htm
or
www.afhh.org
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The Alliance for Healthy Homes is the national, nonprofit
public interest organization advocating for practical, affordable policy
solutions and working to build community capacity to prevent housing-related
hazards from harming the health of children, their families, and other
residents. The Alliance stresses the importance of fixing housing-related
health hazards before they cause harm; housing that is decent, environmentally
safe, and affordable for all; and holistic strategies that efficiently address
multiple hazards and their underlying causes. The Alliance works closely with
policy makers, community-based organizations, housing providers, government
agencies, and other stakeholders. The Alliance provides strategic and technical
support to community-based organizations and state and local agencies across
the nation.
The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) is the only
national scientific and technical non-profit organization dedicated to creating
healthy and safe homes for America's children through practical and proven
steps. NCHH develops scientifically valid and practical strategies to make
homes safe from hazards, to alert low- income families about housing-related
health risks, and to help them protect their children. NCHH also works with
governmental and non-governmental organizations to develop standards and
programs and guide their implementation through insurers, lenders, federal and
state laws and regulations, community organizations, and the courts.
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